Lithium Battery Replacement Lead Acid batteries

Lithium Battery Replacement Lead Acid : The Ultimate FAQ Guide

Lead acid battery, which was invented by Planter, a French scientist, has experienced nearly 150 years of development and the it is the earliest type of rechargeable battery. In terms of theoretical research, lead acid battery has made great progress in product types and varieties, electrical performance and other aspects. Whether in transportation, communication, electric power, military or in various economic fields of navigation and aviation, lead acid battery has played an indispensable role.

(Many applications use lead acid battery)

Lead acid battery, also called VRLA, is a kind of battery whose electrode is mainly made of lead and its oxide and electrolyte is sulfuric acid solution. In the discharge state, the main component of positive electrode is lead dioxide, and the main component of negative electrode is lead; in the charge state, the main component of positive and negative electrode is lead sulfate.

However, because of many disadvantages of lead acid battery, many customers want to choose lithium battery to replace lead acid battery. In this page, you will understand why more and more people choose lithium battery to replace lead acid battery.

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The following is the contet of this article.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: The characteristics of Lead Acid Battery

The basic characteristics of lead acid battery is listed below:

Working voltage:

  • Nominal voltage – 2.0V
  • Charging voltage – limited to 2.4V
  • Floating charge voltage – 2.25V
  • The discharge cut-off voltage – 1.8V

Charge and discharge rate:

Charge for 10 hours and discharge for 2 hours, that is 0.1C for charging and 0.5c for discharging.

Charging mode:

The charging mode of lead-acid battery is generally three-stage: constant current, constant voltage and floating charge.

The charging process is as follows:

  • ① In the constant current charging stage, the charging current of the charger keeps constant, the charging power increases rapidly, and the battery voltage rises;
  • ② In the stage of constant voltage charging, the charging voltage of the charger remains constant, the charging quantity continues to increase, the battery voltage rises slowly, and the charging current decreases;
  • ③ When the battery is fully charged, the charging current is lower than the floating charge conversion current, and the charging voltage of the charger is lower than the floating charge voltage;
  • ④ In the floating charging stage, the charging voltage of the charger is kept at the floating charging voltage.

The reason why lead acid battery is commonly used in three-stage charging is that, the battery has strong acceptance ability at the beginning of charging. We can use this feature to charge with high current first, therefore the battery can get enough power quickly to save time and energy.

When charging to a certain extent, in order to prevent the voltage from exceeding the limit value, it is necessary to turn to and limit it to a constant voltage value to limit the voltage to continue to rise, and also to prevent the battery plate from being damaged when the voltage exceeds the charging end voltage.

However, after being charged in this way, due to the non-uniformity of the material on the battery plate, some materials still can not be completely reduced. If these materials are in the vulcanization state for a long time, they may become permanent lead sulfate and can no longer be reduced, then the capacity of the battery will be damaged and gradually reduced.

Therefore, trickle charging should be carried out at the end of charging, then a small part of sulfide hidden in the inner deep layer can be reduced as much as possible, so that the charging degree of the plates in a battery can be uniform inside and outside, and the plates of several batteries can also be uniform as far as possible.

Working temperature:

In different state, the lead acid battery has different working temperature:

  • ① The temperature for charging is better to be at 0~40℃;
  • ② The temperature for discharging is better to be at -15~50℃;
  • ③ The optimum working temperature is 25℃.

Service life:

The life of general lead-acid battery is 2 years, the design life is 5 to 8 years, and the life of special lead-acid battery can be up to 10 years.

Chapter 2: The characteristics of Lithium Battery

Compared with lead-acid battery, lithium battery has the following characteristics.
  • High working voltage and high energy density.
A high working voltage means that to achieve the same assembly voltage, lithium battery just needs fewer cells. This feature greatly reduces the cost of producing a battery. The energy density is closely related to battery volume. With high energy density, the volume of a battery is relatively small, which customers also tend to choose smaller battery to use.
  • Excellent cycle life and no memory effect.
This advantage makes the Lithium-ion battery has longer time for customers to use, that let you possess a cost-effective battery product within your budget.
  • Low self discharge rate.
At room temperature, the self discharge rate of lithium battery can be less than 12%. Because there is a solid electrolyte interface (SEI) on the surface of carbon anode during the first charge discharge process, the SEI can allow ions to pass through but not electrons, which can prevent the self discharge process.
  • High charge and discharge rate and output power, which means that it is suitable for high current discharge.
  • Wide working temperature range.
Generally, its working temperature is -25~+45℃, If the thermal stability of cathode material and electrolyte can be improved, the working temperature range will be widened to -40 ~ +70℃.
  • Good safety performance.
Lithium-ion battery has been put into many safety measures to keep good safety performance, such as installing a exhaust value on the battery. If the battery got something wrong, it will cause the gas generated inside to reach a high pressure, which is different from normal state, the valve will open to ensure safety.
  • Low maintenance.
As Lithium-ion battery has no memory effect, it don’t need periodic discharge, which can save the cost of maintenance.
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Related lithium battery products

 

Chapter 3: The application of Lead Acid Battery

The lead acid battery has been widely used in many applications.

In power storage applications, the solar system, portable power supply, communication base station, backup power UPS, emergency lamp, miner’s lamp, fire alarm, elevator backup power, etc. are usually use lead acid battery.

In power applications, lead acid battery are used in electrical wheelchair, cleaning robots, electric cars, lawn mowers, cars and motorcycles.

Chapter 4: The restrictions to replace Lead Acid with Lithium Battery

Though there are so many advantages that replace lithium battery with lead acid, it still has some factors that limits people use lithium battery.

(1) The cost.

the production cost of lithium batteries is high, and the price is about three times that of lead-acid batteries. What’s more, it is more difficult to recycle lithium battery and the recycling rate is not high.

(2) Safety.

Due to the small size of lithium battery, there are many lithium batteries in series when assembly. If you don’t pay special attention when transportation and use,a solder joint may be broken or false welding. This is the common problem in the connection of lithium batteries

(3) Disadvantage of lithium battery.

The high current discharge characteristic of lithium battery itself is short board. If the car needs to be started frequently on congested roads, it is conceivable that the battery life will be greatly reduced.

Chapter 5: The requirements for replacement

When replacing lead acid for lithium battery, here are some details that you need to pay attention.

First, in the application of electric vehicles that commonly used lead-acid battery, the detection of electric vehicles is very strict. Enterprises need to have 3C certification (China Compulsory Certification) and electric motorcycle qualification, otherwise the electric vehicles may face the risk of not being able to get on the road.

Then, if the lead-acid battery is replaced by a lithium battery, its voltage must be kept the same as that of the original lead-acid battery. In addition, the charger must be replaced with a special lithium battery charger. Of course, there is a problem. If the lithium battery is installed improperly or there is any quality problem, the controller may be burned, which is one of the reasons why it is not recommended to install it;

In addition, to replace the lead-acid battery with lithium battery, the size of the battery compartment should also be considered. Generally, the lead-acid battery compartment is relatively large, while the volume of the lithium battery is relatively small. If you want to replace the lead-acid battery, you must take this factor into consideration. If the gap is too large after installation, it is easy to cause the small battery inside to shake and reduce the service life;

Compared with the lead-acid battery, the stability of lithium-acid battery is worse. If it meets with water or is not operated properly, it is easy to have the risk of explosion. Therefore, this is an important reason why I do not recommend replacing the lead-acid battery with lithium-acid battery. In addition, it should be noted that the lithium battery has a multi chip structure, and the overall quality will be affected as long as there is a problem with one chip.

 

Chapter 6: The reasons that replace Lead Acid with Lithium Battery

Vidoe:Lead Acid Batteries vs Lithium Ion Batteries

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I have made a table for you to have a clear comparison between lead acid battery and lithium battery.
Comparison project Lead acid battery Lithium battery
Nominal voltage(V) 2 3.2~3.7
Specific energy(wh/kg) 30~40 200~300
Cycles Over 600 times Over 2000 times
Environmental Pollution Environmental protection
Cost Lower A little higher
Advantages Low cost with better recycles High specific energy, high voltage platform and high output power, better cycles, quickly charge and discharge, environmental protection
Disadvantages Low specific energy, not suitable for fast charging and high current discharge, short service life and easy to pollute environment High cost and can’t accept over-charge and over-discharge

Besides, in the condition of same space that put the battery, you can put a higher capacity lithium battery in, which can use for longer time.

What’s more, the original lead-acid battery can be directly replaced by the lithium battery in the lead acid battery shell. Because the style of lead-acid shell series is the same as that of lead-acid battery, which can be completely replaced. The sealing glue of lead-acid battery is also used for sealing.

The protection grade is the same as that of lead-acid battery. The glue of sealing pole has red, blue and black epoxy resin finger pole glue. The cover is sealed with special epoxy plate finger sealant, with the same protection grade as lead-acid battery. The surface of the battery can be screen printed and labeled to be the same as the lead-acid battery.

Chapter 7: Lithium-ion Phosphate Battery VS Lead Acid Battery

LiFePO4 is the safest cathode material for lithium-ion battery. Because of its safety and stability, lithium-ion phosphate battery has become an important development direction of lithium-ion battery.

Therefore, take lithium-ion phosphate battery as an example to make a comparison with lead acid battery:

  • Volume and weight<.

Under the same capacity, the volume of lithium battery is 2 / 3 of that of lead-acid battery, and its weight is only 1 / 3 ~ 1 / 4 of that of lead-acid battery.

  • Cycle life.

The cycle life of lithium-ion phosphate battery is 1200-2000 times, but that of traditional lead-acid battery is only 500-900 times.

  • Charge and discharge characteristics

The charge discharge energy conversion efficiency of lithium battery pack is more than 97%, and the charge discharge energy conversion efficiency of lead acid battery is about 80%. For the same fully charged lithium-ion phosphate battery, the discharge output characteristics are very stable at the same temperature with different discharge current rates.

  • Safety and environmental protection

Lead acid battery: containing lead, antimony and other heavy metals, always causing serious pollution to the environment, easy to leak in use and maintenance, internal sulfuric acid overflow, causing equipment corrosion and personnel injury accidents.

Lithium-ion phosphate battery: LiFePO4 material does not contain any heavy metals and rare metals, non-toxic, no pollution in production and use, in line with European ROHS regulations, is a green environmental protection lithium battery. In the experiments of puncture, extrusion, overcharge and short circuit, there is no explosion or fire。

  • Performance

Lead acid battery:

  • It has memory effect and can’t charge and discharge at any time;
  • There is a serious self discharge phenomenon, and the battery is easy to be scrapped after a period of time;
  • At low temperature, the battery can’t be used because of electrolyte freezing, and the battery can’t be used in winter;
  • The performance is greatly reduced;
  • The discharge rate is small and can not be charged and discharged with large current for a long time.

Lithium iron phosphate battery:

  • Without memory effect, the battery can be charged and discharged at any time.
  • The self discharge of the battery is low, and the monthly self discharge is less than 1%. The battery can be stored for a long time.
  • It can be used normally at – 20 ℃ – 55 ℃. It can discharge to more than 90% of the rated capacity at – 20 ℃,
  • It has strong power and can charge and discharge quickly. It can charge more than 80% in 20 minutes and discharge electricity in 15 minutes.
  • High temperature performance

The thermal peak value of lithium-ion phosphate battery can reach 350 ℃ – 500 ℃, so it has wide working temperature range. While that of lead-acid battery is only about 200 ℃.

From the above comparison, we can believe that lithium battery will gradually replace lead acid battery in the future.

Chapter 8: Steps of replacing Lead Acid with Lithium Bttery

Generally, here are two steps of replacing lithium battery with lead acid.

  • About parameters.

To replace the lead-acid battery with lithium battery, the most important thing is that the parameters of the lithium battery should match the parameters of the equipment. The matching here is not only the matching of current and voltage, but also the matching of environmental temperature, working time and charging mode of the equipment

  • About charger.

To replace a lead-acid battery with a lithium battery, the charger needs to be replaced at the same time. Because the charging curve of lead-acid battery is completely different from that of lithium battery, and lithium battery generally has a protection board to ensure that the lithium battery works within the normal range.

The requirements for the parameters of the charger are higher than that of the lead-acid battery. If the charger is used directly before, it may lead to insufficient charging or too high voltage, which may cause the lithium battery protection board to start without charging, etc situation.

To solve the above two points, basically replace the lead-acid battery with lithium battery. Another point is that the volume and weight of lithium batteries are about 1 / 2 of that of lead-acid batteries. Therefore, if you are not satisfied with the specifications and capacity of the equipment, you can upgrade them at the same time. In the same position, the specification and capacity of lithium battery can be about twice that of lead-acid battery.

Chapter 9: Why choose TYCORUN Lithium Battery Lead Acid replacement?

Guangzhou Tycorun Energy CO,LTD. was established in 2007, covers an area of more than 3,000 square meters, is a professional lithium battery industrial application solutions provider, the company’s products are used in industrial energy storage, home energy storage, power communication, medical electronics, security communication, transportation and logistics, surveying and mapping, new energy power, smart home and other fields.

The company has a perfect R&D, manufacturing, quality management system, and the company strictly follows the ISO9001, ISO14001 and OHSAS18001 system management requirements. The company is committed to on-demand development, continuous innovation, and constantly improve the product in the application environment, electrical performance and other customized research and development capabilities, and wholeheartedly provide global users with competitive power solutions.

Many foreign customers purchase lithium battery from TYCORUN because of the following reasons:

* Technicality.

We have 14 years experience in lithium battery customization and 10 years average working experience of all engineers.

* Fast and efficient order processing at reasonable price.

TYCORUN team requires to reply customer inquiries within 1 hour during working hours then 24hrs during holidays, in order that customers can get the information they want and process orders as soon as possible.

Importantly, we can make your special customized design service within 2 days and sample delivered about 10 days. And if you are satisfied with the sample, we can make your bulk production within 25 days.

* Convenient location for shipping containers out or fast courier deliveries as customer required.

GUANGZHOU TYCORUN COMPANY is located in Guangzhou, where is convenient for getting professional designers and workers, also customer visits. Within 1 hour drive from Guangzhou Baiyun Airport and close to Huangpu port.

Sincerely hope you can get your best desired products from China. If any other question, you can contact the TYCORUN team at any time. TYCORUN can fit all your purchase needs!

3 thoughts on “Lithium Battery Replacement Lead Acid : The Ultimate FAQ Guide”

  1. Looks like my search for informative blogs on this subject has finally come to an end! Even though I recognize that you have a life, but I would definitely like to see this blog updated more often.

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