Charging

“ Charging.—Before beginning to charge a storage battery, it should be gone over carefully, and any cell that is not up to the standard should be disconnected and put in working order before being replaced. In general, if the current used in charging be too large, it will waste energy by evolving an excess of heat and gas; if too small, an insulating deposit of white lead sulphate will be formed on the positive plate, thereby preventing the formation of the proper amount of lead peroxide. ”

“ Conditions being the same, the height of the charging chute of the mixer determines the height of incline and the size of the charging gang, so that a mixer with a high charging level costs more to charge with wheelbarrows than does one with a low charging level. ”

“ Besides the phial will not suffer what is called a charging, unless as much fire can go out of it one way, as is thrown in by another. A phial cannot be charged standing on wax or glass, or hanging on the prime conductor, unless a communication be form'd between its coating and the floor. ”

“ A car which is used mostly at night may need a higher charging rate, especially if short runs are made, and if the car stands at the curb with its lights burning. Long night runs will generally call for only a normal charging rate, since the long charging periods are offset by the continuous use of the lamps.
A car used on long daylight runs should generally have the charging rate reduced, because the battery is charged throughout such runs with no discharge into lamps or starting of motor to offset the continued charge. ”

“ Great care must always be taken to have the polarities correct and the wire or cable for the connections of ample size to carry, without heating, the heaviest current used in charging.
Charging Small Cells.—For cells of the portable type, having capacities from 10 to 100 ampere hours, the normal charging and discharging rate should be about one-tenth the stated capacity, but the discharging rate may be increased to double this value, in case of necessity. ”

“ In charging a storage cell, particularly for the first time, a weaker current than that specified may be used with the same result, provided the prescribed duration of the charge be proportionally lengthened. The battery may also be occasionally charged beyond the prescribed voltage, ten or twenty per cent. overcharge effecting no injury, although if frequently repeated, it shortens the life of the battery. ”

“ If there is not enough time to give the battery a full Regular Charge, double the normal charging rate and charge until all the cells are gassing, and then reduce to the normal rate. Any current which does not cause excessive temperature or premature gassing is permissible, as previously mentioned. If a complete charge cannot be given, charge the battery as long as the available time allows, and complete the charge at the earliest possible opportunity. ”

“ The simplest method of charging is from an incandescent light circuit, using lamps connected in parallel to reduce the voltage to that of the battery, the current being adjusted by varying the number of lamps in circuit. The group of lamps is in series with the battery to be charged, and the combination is connected across the circuit furnishing the current. If the charging source be a 110-120 volt circuit, and the rate required be 6 amperes, twelve 16 c. ”

“ It is probable that a total of 300 to 400 hours of charging with intervening discharges will be required to form the plates until they acquire a good color, and the density of the electrolyte becomes stable.
In regular charging, the rate should be rapid when the battery is nearly exhausted, but it should be greatly reduced at the end of the charge after passing the point of boiling. Charging at too low a rate is always injurious. ”

“ One of the pronounced benefits of a charging machine is the fact that it also gives the coach or trainer an excellent opportunity of securing data regarding the relative speed of his candidates in charging. ”

“ Damon. "Will the electric trolley pull us to a charging station?"
"No, we'll not need to go to a station," answered the youth. "If we can get my car to the trolley tracks I can charge my battery from there. And I think we can push the auto near enough. ”

“ If the gas motor cannot be run to give a freshening charge, the battery should be taken from the car and placed at a garage, which makes a business of charging storage batteries. It can be charged at least once a month. ”

“ It is often difficult to determine what charging current should be delivered by the generator. Some generators operate at a constant voltage slightly higher than that of the fully charged battery, and the charging current will change, being higher for a discharged battery than for one that is almost or fully charged. Other generators deliver a constant current which is the same regardless of the battery's condition. ”

“ When the engine runs at a speed which is greater than that at which the the cutout closes, the generator furnishes current for the lights, and also for the ignition system, in addition to sending a charging current through the battery. ”

“ Charging a battery always consists of sending a direct current through it, the current entering the battery at the positive terminal and leaving it at the negative terminal, the charging current, of course, passing through the battery in the opposite direction to the current which the battery produces when discharging. ”

“ For a six volt battery this should rarely exceed 14 amperes. If the charging, current does not reach a maximum value and then remain constant, or decrease, but continues to rise as the speed of the engine, is increased, the regulating device is out of order. An excessive charging rate will cause continuous gassing if it is much above normal, and the temperature of the electrolyte will be above 100° F. In this way an excessive charging current may be detected. ”

“ The battery may have been overheated by an excessive charging rate, or by putting it on a car in a sulphated condition. The normal charging rate of the generator on the car will over heat a sulphated battery. Overheated plates buckle their lower edges cut through the separators, causing a short-circuit between plates. ”

“ If all goes well, the charging process will take place as described in the preceding paragraphs. It frequently happens, however, that all does not go well, and troubles arise. Such troubles generally consist of the following:
Specific gravity will not rise to 1.280. This may be due to the plates not taking a full charge, or to water having been used to replace electrolyte which has been spilled. To determine which of these conditions exist, make cadmium test (see page 174) on the positives and negatives, also measure the voltage of each cell. ”

“ Whether casual operation of some electric principle or corollary as yet undiscovered—the change in charging power of a plant by reason of some atmospheric condition, some rise or fall of the barometer or of the thermometer— will be held to be gross negligence, to be responded for in damages on the part of a common carrier who operates his plant by electricity, remains to be seen. With all its advantages and economies even the trolley can not hope to escape all the penalties of success. ”

“ When a battery discharges chemical changes take place by means of which electrical energy is produced. When a battery is on charge, the charging current causes chemical changes which are the reverse of those which take place on discharge and which put the active materials and electrolyte in such a condition that the battery serves as a source of electricity when replaced in the car. ”

“ But the direction of the electrical fire being different in the charging, will also be different in the explosion. The bottle charged thro' the hook, will be discharged thro' the hook; the bottle charged thro' the coating, will be discharged thro' the coating, and not other ways: for the fire must come out the same way it went in.
5. To prove this; take two bottles that were equally charged thro' the hooks, one in each hand; bring their hooks near each other, and no spark or shock will follow; because each hook is disposed to give fire, and neither to receive it. ”

“ We may here point out that the word ‘primary,’ as applied to batteries, has become necessary in quite recent times, to distinguish those which furnish a direct current from those which, under the name of accumulators, storage or secondary batteries, require charging, in the first instance, from another battery, or dynamo-machine. ”

“ While the ordinary wheelbarrow is generally used for charging, better work can be done under some conditions by using special charging barrows of larger capacity and dumping from the end and ahead of the wheel. ”

“ In charging and discharging, oxygen is driven from one metal to the other and back again through the action of a potash solution, and without corrosion or waste. Renewal of the water supply is all that is needed to keep the cells in good condition, and a process of recharging has been improved, so that less time is consumed than for the recharging of other batteries. ”

“ The rise in voltage with the
duration of the charging current is not uniform. In one case, shown in
the cut, there was a brief rapid rise of about 0.1 volt; then a long
slow rise for 0.15 volt; then a more rapid rise for nearly 0.40 volt,
and then the curve became a horizontal line indicating a cessation of
increase of voltage. The charging rate should be constant.
The horizontal line is laid off in hours, the vertical in volts, so that
the time is represented by abscissas and the voltage by ordinates of the
curve.
Fig. 121. CHARGING CURVE OF A SECONDARY BATTERY.
Curve, Discharging. ”

“ If no current is obtained, stop the engine. If the cutout trouble consisted of an open circuit in one of its windings, or in the points not closing, due to dirt or a binding armature, or if there is an open-circuit in the charging line, the generator will, of course, have been running on open-circuit. ”

“ One consideration that should not be lost sight of in the construction of a charging machine is the height of the pad against which the players charge. This should be placed low, and especial care should be taken in this respect, as a large share of the benefits that might be derived from the use of the machine will be nullified if the players rise as they strike the device. ”

“ If, however, the cell has been discharged too far, or has been in a discharged condition for some time, the lead sulphate will not be in a finely divided state as it should be, but will be hard and tough and will have formed an insulating coating over the active material, causing the charging voltage to be high, and the charge will proceed slowly. ”

“ Even in the smaller 15 or 25–ton furnaces hand charging takes a great deal of time, sometimes as much as six or eight hours, and the labor cost as well as the heat loss is 149therefore excessive. Modern machine charging which requires not more than an hour is therefore highly desirable. ”

“ Instantaneous reverse current relays are used to trip the machine circuit breaker of battery charging sets, rotaries and motor generator sets to prevent their running as a motor on the charging or direct current end. ”

“ The principle of induction is of the utmost generality in electric action. It constitutes charge in every ordinary case, and probably in every case; it appears to be the cause of all excitement, and to precede every current. The degree to which the particles are affected in this their forced state, before discharge of one kind or another supervenes, appears to constitute what we call intensity.
1300. When a Leyden jar is charged, the particles of the glass are forced into this polarized and constrained condition by the electricity of the charging apparatus. ”

“ Fig. 13 shows a typical discharge curve. Noteworthy points are:— (1) At the beginning and at the end there is a rapid fall in P.D., with an intermediate period of fairly uniform value. (2) When the
Fig. 13.
P.D. reaches 1.6 volt the fall is so rapid that there is no advantage in continuing the action. When the P.D. had fallen to 1.6 volt the cell was automatically switched into a charging circuit, and with a current of 9 amperes yielded the curve in fig. 14. ”

“ It is evident, that, as the balls A and B connected with the same conductor are always charged at once, and that discharge may take place to either of the balls connected with the discharging train, the intervals of discharge n and o may be properly compared to each other, as respects the influence of large and small balls when charged positively and negatively in air. ”

“ In making the discharge of an electrical battery, or of a single jar, the electrician must be careful not to place the discharging-rod upon the thinnest part of the glass, as that may cause the bursting of the jar. ”

“ “Flying through an army, sire,” said Athos, “in all countries in the world is called charging.” ”

“ Remedy: Tell customer to keep such things off the battery.
8. Short-circuits or grounds in wiring. Remedy: Repair wiring.
9. Cutout relay closing late, resulting in battery not being charged at ordinary driving speeds. Remedy: Check action of cutout. See page 282.
10. Excessive lighting current, due to too many or too large lamps. Remedy: Check by turning on all lamps while engine is running. Ammeter should show three to five amperes charge with lamps burning. In winter the charging rate may have to be increased.
B. Question Driver as to following causes of low gravity and low voltage:
1. ”