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Homebrewed Electricity => Storage => Topic started by: clockmanFRA on October 21, 2021, 02:27:59 AM

Title: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: clockmanFRA on October 21, 2021, 02:27:59 AM
I have transferred my reply to 'joestue' to a new thread topic here.

Bruce, this may be a long topic as i have stuff started but cant give it all my time as i have hundreds of other tasks i need to get sorted, but i will report as i go.

 Although it might be a year or two, unless i get a little more investment money, the wife! to shift things forward a bit quicker. 
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: clockmanFRA on October 21, 2021, 02:28:30 AM
Joestue,

I have been practically experimenting with the PLANTE battery components over the past 20 years. A PLANTE battery is all lead plates. I have experimented with lead, zinc, lead, zinc but its a hassle and zinc so easily distorts with any heat.

I have dismantled and had a 'look see' and repaired different standard commercial designs and types.

Most use a lead matrix grid system and imbedded a paste mix of some very unpleasant chemical pastes. The lead matrix is pure lead but only makes up about 1/3 rd of the battery weight, its the lead oxides chemical pastes that make up the rest.

Now i have seen a utube vid, a year back cant find it now,  of a backstreet company in India recycling commercial manufactured lead acid batteries. Crap! man, all very fascinating, but hell life expectancy and breeding a family is not very good in that environment.
They remove the plates and get everything off them back to the lead matrix grid.  The pastes are re-constituted, although this was not fully explained, and in a remade soft putty paste form re applied to the lead matrix grids and allowed to set. Then the battery is re-assembled into new cases.
The other day i received one of these, and was told by a French supplier it was New and high quality etc etc, Just under one sticker/badge, put on by the French retailer, was a stamp mark 'Made In India'.   I tested it with my battery test gear, and it had only 50% of the amperage capacity of a proper new, new commercial battery of the same size and case design. Yep it was one of the India recycled types.

As for just taking a battery and smelting it down. Nope could not recommend that concept.

For a good PLANTE battery i am going to use Uk industrial Lead roof flashing that comes in rolls of various thicknesses and widths. Its not  PURE, PURE lead in the true chemical sense of purity but its acceptable.

I do have smooth rollers to crush down to a specified thickness. Again this thickness depends on hanging lead sheets and seeing them distort and sag over time to optimise for the case length of a completed PLANTE 2 v cell at 50kg, and at the moment best i can achieve is 1.7mm thick, so this area needs a allot of thought.
 Each plate will get a thinnish Polypropylene woven material sock so the plates can be tightly packed into the case so there would be minimal use of Sulphuric acid 15 to 1 mix, and this tight packing would be similar to a true AGM structured cell with the glass matt cell separators. Although not as tight as a commercial AGM as these tend to bulge and crack the cases at the end of there life.
 Then there is the possible need for polypropylene plate comb separators at the plates base and at the top to avoid distortion contact between the main Plus and negative Bus bars.  Most AGM's, the ones i have had apart, cells fail on this as the cell ages it raises 7mm, and there is only a manufactured clearance of 10mm, and that cell is then toast.

Anyways, a fair bit to sort out in many parameters to get to a Do It Yourself PLANTE battery of 50kgs at 2 volts and about 400ah and publish a DIY book.

 Yes I do have chemical fume cabinets and even a chemical room so i can do most stuff on experimentation in a safe manner.

Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: Bruce S on October 21, 2021, 08:43:35 AM
ClockmanFRA;
Thank YOU for taking the extra time post this much information about a long term interest.
This statement "Yes I do have chemical fume cabinets and even a chemical room so i can do most stuff on experimentation in a safe manner." was very good to see as well. Had I not read it here , I would've certainly asked.

I've seen the u_tube posts showing how the batteries are torn down. Similar to this is "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l665eovBlEk"

Bruce S
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: Astro on October 21, 2021, 09:26:12 AM
Clockman

I too heard a suggestion about using roofing lead. But I too am the type who likes to build something that lasts. Not saying roofing lead wouldn't, idk, like I said I have not looked into it much. Even a roll of that stuff is not cheap.
I am not sure if he is still around, but I used to sell my scrap copper to a 1 man shop not terribly far from where I live now.  He smelted as well. Seems to me that someone I was talking to many years ago said they bought smelted lead from him that they were making fishing sinkers out of. Well anyway, I do not know, but without some higher tech smelting operation, it would be chocked full of impurities. You know, that might be a good thing and make the battery perform better then any other on the planet, or it might make it junk. Problem is unless you know exactly what is in the lead and have all your plates of equal compound make up, you will not know what you started with.
Similar things have happened to me before. Something works great, but I am not exactly sure why and since I do not know why, I can't or have a hard time repeating it.
All that leads me back to what I mentioned when I first got here, when I said that I am not a big fan of "do it yourself youtube videos" Because the people that watch them have no idea of why something must ne done a certain way. They are like they are at McDonalds and just want their food. They fast forward and just try to skip to the answer without learning anything.
Anyway, best of luck it whatever you work on. Sometimes I think half the fun is not the I did it moment, but the getting to that moment that is so much fun.
 
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: Mary B on October 21, 2021, 12:30:00 PM
NEVER attempt to smelt down a modern car battery! The plates are not pure and the released chemicals are a heavy gas similar to WWII gases and deadly. And the resulting lead if melted again can be deadly because the chemicals carry over! Arsine and stribine are the 2 main ones formed. Very good discussion of it here https://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?138362-Why-Car-Batteries-Are-Dangerous

The  commercial lead recyclers have fume hoods and ways to neutralize the bad stuff that gets released.

Yes guys used to do it many years ago, batteries were made different back then and were mostly pure lead plates. Battery tech has changed and now it is NOT healthy to mess with it!
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: clockmanFRA on October 21, 2021, 04:35:34 PM

I've seen the u_tube posts showing how the batteries are torn down. Similar to this is "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l665eovBlEk"

Bruce S


Nearly Bruce, but these were ordinary 12v car large batteries say 110ah where the plates have just fallen apart . And they go back to just the lead matrix grid, dry them and re=paste them. But very similar to the Health and Safety protective gear and working conditions!!!!!!!! Just utterly stupid.
But the boss makes good money and proudly posts the utube videos, what a world! what a world!

I found this one on re-pasting, ...... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEvPjOKkPyE (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEvPjOKkPyE)

and this one which is part of 7 how to make a battery.   ......... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BG8N0emfYE (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BG8N0emfYE)

Please dont do this at home folks!!!!!!



Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: Bruce S on October 21, 2021, 04:50:55 PM
Please don't do this at home folks!!!!!!
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: Scruff on October 21, 2021, 05:05:31 PM
(https://c.tenor.com/LHe6kXcBJ7oAAAAM/popcorn-emoji.gif)
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: clockmanFRA on October 22, 2021, 04:43:32 AM
Making a large PLANTE, Lead Acid Battery.

Firstly my grateful thanks to Bruce and the Moderators here on this forum to allow me to openly discuss this PLANTE battery manufacturing on a small scale process.

10 years ago my experimentations and developments with these PLANTE batteries were actively disapproved off on most ‘Sustainability, Renewable Energy Forums’ around the World. And even In 2015 when we were discussing here the Make your own Inverter the old ‘boys’ from the ‘armchair Wafflers brigade’ got relatively heated and wrote in a very elegant way, and they sure knew how to talk the talk, but empirical evidence from them was very lacking.  Again, thanks to Bruce and the moderators here for calming things down.  Thanks Bruce!..
 
I will present what I have so far on this project as if I was writing another book, so bare with me, and please chip in if you have empirical evidence that can assist.

In the INDIA utube posts above, about recycling old commercial car/lorry lead acid batteries you get a good understanding what’s in a standard lead acid battery. As’ Mary’ has reiterated messing with these is full of health issues as the paste in the matrix lead plates is full of some very nasty chemicals.  These chemicals assist the electron flow and reduce internal resistance problems in each cell and also maximise the battery output for the Ah, so they need to be there for commercial and better output reasons and yes a Chemists delight.
 However, these commercial lead acid batteries’ therefore have a tendency to have a short life span, as the paste will eventually just dissolve and sink to the base and short out the cell.


So WHY a PLANTE Battery?.

Advantages.

Firstly, it’s a simple cell lead acid battery.

Secondly, If made correctly it lasts a life time, ie, your life time, say 40 to 50 years.

The more you use it, the more Ah capacity it gets.

It can be made from readily available materials at a reasonable cost.

If we make the case correctly, our PLANTE battery can be easily dismantled and the lead plates cleaned and repaired and the battery put back into use. 

 It has the same rolled lead plates for both Anode and Cathode plates, so just lead sheet and no extra added nasty chemicals.

 Its electrolytic medium is still 15 parts volume de-ionised water to 1 of Sulphuric acid, I used to use a 80%  pure Sulphuric acid as my acid mix.  REMEMBER NEVER, NEVER pour water into Sulphuric acid, YOU MUST ONY POUR ACID INTO THE WATER, and do that SLOWLY as the acid still makes things get hot quick and spits and spatters.   Today ready mixed battery acid is readily available, but at present I have not tested any commercially available product, as I am never sure any more of commercial QC, Quality Control.
 
It will have POLYPROPOLENE battery container/case is now easily obtained and, in all shapes, and sizes and can be easily manufactured for your own purposes. Polypropylene is the container for our PLANTE battery and is not that much affected by the Sulphuric Acid mix. In the old days it was Glass.

It has POLYPROPOLENE woven cloth, which comes in a good assortment of mesh sizes. This material will be used as a insulator between the Anode and Cathode plates, and will be sewn to form a sock on each plate.  No more making plate separator combs, yippee!

The last important reason for our PLANTE battery is that we can really stack the plates tightly in the polypropylene case, so acid use will be minimalised.


Disadvantages of our PLANTE battery.

Firstly, Because we are not using all those extra chemicals and a plate grid matrix construction method, Our PLANTE battery for equal physical size of a commercial standard lead acid, ours will only have about 1/3 rd of the Ah capacity. This is an important consideration as we need to do a fair bit of costs examination of our manufacturing to see if our PLANTE battery project is truly COST EFFECTIVE.   Obviously some of the Pros are fantastic, but the poor Ah is a drawback, so hence going for a big battery that you can just lift yourself.

Secondly, The PLANTE battery process of forming the battery is a long winded, as the battery needs its plates forming with the correct oxides.  This is normally seen as a minimum of 40 charge and discharges and must be done precisely to get the correct oxides forming on the correct plates.  I have done all this and I have yet to get a battery when I start the process to form as I want, ie I connected everything up added the acid and the plates I designated as Positive turned out to be Negative when I tested them before even started the charging process, it seems that the Cell at first acid fill is actually bi-sexual.  But once started its important to stick to the charge regime.  After 40 charges and discharges the battery is put into service the more you use the battery the better the Ah gets.

After reading the above you will see that I have had to design the PLANTE battery with several important design parameters, and sorting out the Cell plates internal resistance.  This I will sort out in my next post.
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: clockmanFRA on October 22, 2021, 05:09:16 AM
As far as I am aware only EXIDE are still manufacturing PLANTE batteries.

However, i have never examined one, so i cannot see the actual plate thickness and the plate forming, so unsure of this particular manufacturers TRUE LIFE SPAN.

If the plate thickness is thin, then the Lead goes mushy as it all turns to oxide and that life expectancy is short.

Here is a couple of photos.  Interesting where they are made?

[attach=1]

[attach=2]






Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: Mary B on October 22, 2021, 12:01:40 PM
Hmmm they make square plastic buckets these days... might make a good container... just thinking off the top of my head.
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: clockmanFRA on October 22, 2021, 01:41:37 PM
Okay, if you read the specs of the so called Exide PLANTE battery the Negative plates are a grid matrix paste filled, but only the Anode is pure sheet lead.  So i doubt the paste plates on the negative cathode will last more than normal commercial Forklift types.

Mary, Sadly a standard bucket is not going to cut it, as its important to supporting the plates, or holding them upright properly. As you can see with the Exide pic above each of the 12 plates is supported with a wedged tang on just one side.
 So might do mine with two wedge tangs per plate then holding each plate with the case however sediment could short the plates out on the case lip that will support, but i can see why they just do one wedge tang on each plate as this stops Cathode shorting with the Anode over time with sediment, so if its just cathode wedge tangs on one side of the case and Anode support on the other side of the case lifting lip.

  And again alternate the base support at the bottom of the inside of the battery with one support comb for anode and one for cathode plates.   That means that each of the 12 plates will have a side lip support and a base support.  Yep that looks a goer.

Preliminary Case design .......
 I did think about a slightly tapering internal case, but i think a lip in the case like above pic is good as the plates are unlikely to get wedged in with this kind of big and heavy battery, and beside so much easier to get the plates out of the case and wash and repair in the future.
My previous cells i made up relied on the case top supporting the plates on the main bus bars, but with a big and heavy battery a case lip internally would be good.

Yes, it is possible to get transparent polypropylene.



 
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: clockmanFRA on October 22, 2021, 01:50:48 PM
On each page of this topic,  MAKING LARGE LEAD ACID BATTERIES. i will put a disclaimer


DISCLAIMER.


NO liability is accepted by the author of this topic and future published book, for any damages of any kind, for the ideas, construction, operation, performance, or impact in respect of this post and books subject.

Bruce i trust this is okay? and if necessary please amend or add to this to protect the Forum from anyone claiming they read something here and ........
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: Scruff on October 22, 2021, 03:32:15 PM
Mr Piggott has a take on that, that I appreciate.

(https://i.imgur.com/mdJRbqf.jpg)

so did Mark Twain.

(https://www.azquotes.com/picture-quotes/quote-when-the-world-is-made-to-be-idiot-proof-the-world-will-become-overpopulated-with-idiots-mark-twain-112-56-22.jpg)
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: clockmanFRA on October 22, 2021, 04:12:03 PM
LEAD SUPPLY.

I have a kind person in the UK going on a search around the local Oxford, UK builders merchants to track down 6 meter lengths, Code 5, at 2,24mm thick and 210mm width rolled lead.

Here are the lead details sufficient for one battery.

[attach=1]

Specifications of the rolled lead and the purity.

[attach=2]

Specs and differing standard sizes.

[attach=3]





Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: Warpspeed on October 22, 2021, 04:49:36 PM
Making a large PLANTE, Lead Acid Battery.

10 years ago my experimentations and developments with these PLANTE batteries were actively disapproved off on most ‘Sustainability, Renewable Energy Forums’ around the World. And even In 2015 when we were discussing here the Make your own Inverter the old ‘boys’ from the ‘armchair Wafflers brigade’ got relatively heated

I can definitely identify with that Leslie.
Even uttering the words "home made, and lead acid" labeled me as a dangerous antisocial criminal psychopath, unfit to share society with decent people. I just could not believe the hostility I was receiving.

But I have actually done zero with any of this, I still had some ideas...
My concept at the time was two long rolls of roofing lead wound together with mesh insulation between, rather like a large capacitor.  This could sit vertically in a glass jar.  To prevent sediment from shorting the plates the whole thing would need to sit on some kind of grid or frame to support the plates, and allow plenty of depth underneath for sediment to collect.

My ideas were for several small series connected experimental cells just to play with and learn from.  I never went any further than just thinking about it.  But it might be a very simple low cost way for someone to get started with some really small cells lo learn from. 
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: clockmanFRA on October 23, 2021, 02:39:05 AM
Hi Warpspeed,

Yes i did think about the roll method.

I think for smallish batteries its a goer as you can suspend the roll from the top, and have 2 bars of plate support in the bottom. one for the positive and one for the negative plates. however depends on how many turns in the roll as the diameter will increase/decrease and practicalities of making the plate support when the battery gets big maybe a bit of a headache.

Also the tightness of the wound lead means the expansion and contraction may be an issue with a big battery.

On my present thinking I am allowing a rectangular slightly taper box, with a bigger top for hanging the plates on the width at the top and at base support ridges in the bottom. Again the hanging support bars will each only be doing positive plates and negative plates separately to stop sediment build up and short out.  I will allow slight expansion for the plates on the width but keep them firmly pressed together to stop the Oxide build up from being agitated from the lead plates, and will allow the polypropylene case to flex a bit for expansion and contraction and ageing. 

The Oxide build up and retention needs a bit of thought.

Phillip Hurley's book, 'The Battery Builders Guide',  He does mention that with the PLANTE solid lead plates they need to be scored to act as a physical holding medium for the plate forming process to use, also this increases the plate surface area.
he reckons these need to be more than 1/64 th inch deep and wide, that's about 0.4mm. Hence me going for 2.24mm thick lead.

Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: Mary B on October 23, 2021, 12:32:18 PM
Okay, if you read the specs of the so called Exide PLANTE battery the Negative plates are a grid matrix paste filled, but only the Anode is pure sheet lead.  So i doubt the paste plates on the negative cathode will last more than normal commercial Forklift types.

Mary, Sadly a standard bucket is not going to cut it, as its important to supporting the plates, or holding them upright properly. As you can see with the Exide pic above each of the 12 plates is supported with a wedged tang on just one side.
 So might do mine with two wedge tangs per plate then holding each plate with the case however sediment could short the plates out on the case lip that will support, but i can see why they just do one wedge tang on each plate as this stops Cathode shorting with the Anode over time with sediment, so if its just cathode wedge tangs on one side of the case and Anode support on the other side of the case lifting lip.

  And again alternate the base support at the bottom of the inside of the battery with one support comb for anode and one for cathode plates.   That means that each of the 12 plates will have a side lip support and a base support.  Yep that looks a goer.

Preliminary Case design .......
 I did think about a slightly tapering internal case, but i think a lip in the case like above pic is good as the plates are unlikely to get wedged in with this kind of big and heavy battery, and beside so much easier to get the plates out of the case and wash and repair in the future.
My previous cells i made up relied on the case top supporting the plates on the main bus bars, but with a big and heavy battery a case lip internally would be good.

Yes, it is possible to get transparent polypropylene.

I was thinking more along the likes of these... I have used similar for brewing buckets and a full pail of wort is heavy stuff https://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=136212&catid=1359
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: clockmanFRA on October 24, 2021, 05:28:23 AM
Hi Mary,

I looked at your buckets and they are a good price, but they taper more than i would like.  I see they are made from HDPE, HIGH DENSITY POLETHYLENE,

Its the acid containment that needs thought, and for a decent 48v battery bank i will need 24 off battery containers.

However Mary, it turns out that HDPE is actually better for acid containment than Polypropylene, and rated for use up to 80% for sulfuric acid,  where polypropylene is 70%.

So your Input has made me re-think the battery containers. 

Hopefully this give me more options on having some formed for me to my specifications and drawings.

Thickness is also a big concern, and i had been thinking for polypropylene, the case would be about 6mm thick. I have worked with polypropylene and understand its flexibility and loadings.

But with HDPE, I will probably need to learn about its physical properties at a manufacturer moulder, especially its brittleness and ageing issues.  But i am adaptable if some thing they already produce can be turned to what we want.

Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: clockmanFRA on October 24, 2021, 05:52:14 AM
AH Output for our PLANTE batteries.

Now that i have some 2.24mm thick lead at a purity of 99.93% on its way here, i can now pin down some approximate Ah, (Amp,hour) figures for what we are doing.

Each battery will be 2v, and weight about 50kg finished, it will have about 40kg of active plates, and for our 13 plate PLANTE battery cell we are talking about 550ah, this will be improved if i get the the scratch lines in the lead sheets done properly and uniform on all plates this will increase the surface area of the plates.

Will probably do a steel comb with 0.7 pins in it at 1mm spacing and very slightly round the pins on there tips so they do not cut, but push there way into the lead. I will ensure that all pins will be no more that 0.6mm in depth.  I will make the steel comb about 80mm wide and on a flat plate that is smooth and therefore you can push down with your hand and slowly drag the comb handle with the other. 

So you take 3 passes on the length of each plate, and then many passes on width of the plate to give a criss cross pattern, don't want to cut the lead to reduce its thickness and strength .  Thinking about it maybe better 45 degree criss cross pattern on the plates.

I will experiment.........
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: clockmanFRA on October 26, 2021, 02:02:45 AM
BATTERY CONTAINER.

PLANTE battery is in case design stage, 2v 550ah, Now PVC case, but for loading and 50kg weight testing and stress etc.

Not that many PVC fabricators around, plenty in China i see, so no choice but to manufacture fabricate the case myself, to achieve a usable and dismantlable cell design, ie take the top of.

PVC has the same acid containment as the HDPE at 80%.

 Machined and manufactured with Polypropylene but not PVC, but with PVC you can use some very good PVC solvent adhesives with primers and drill tap A4 stainless steel 4mm bolts and plastic welding on the seams.

PVC is not as environmentally friendly as Polypropylene, but as this case will take weight and a 15 to 1 mix of sulphuric acid solution then i would rather err, on the side of caution, until i find a design that works well and then can be moulded by a manufacturer.

Have a good reasonably priced plastic ridged sheet stockist here in France, so 10mm thick PVC grey large sheets will be ordered.

Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: joestue on October 28, 2021, 11:40:40 PM
Friend of mine runs a chem lab.  Should not be hard to reach into a car battery with some needle nose plyers and put a sample through a machine.

Im pretty confident there is no antimony in them.

My experience with agm cells is the positive grid totally discinegrates. You can break the grid in half and see zero lead, the entire grid is red lead oxide and is as brittle as chalk. It didnt start out that way.

In fact a high flexibility copper braid anchored to the battery case would prolong the average car batteries life. I have taken apart a dozen of them over the years and often the positive plates are broken only on the positive battery post. Its not a geometry problem or laughably.. Some people actually believe the most positive cell fails becase thats where the electrons leave.

Its just vibration coupled into the battery by the 1 kilogram wire a meter long.
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: clockmanFRA on December 10, 2021, 02:14:03 AM
Thanks 'joestue'.

I am going to start needing information like yours in the near future.

Even my rolled lead sheet getting here is becoming a nightmare.

 Getting that 99.94% pure lead in France is just not going to happen as few here do any smelting, and those that do wont tell me the purity or they them selves don't seem to know.

I do have a few Kgs of bullet lead that i inherited from a relative, he used to shoot full bore for a Club in the UK, mostly at the Bisley range and would make up his own ammunition.
But the bullet lead its very brittle and also very hard compared to normal soft lead that i use for making 14lb weights in Horology.

Yes would be interested to know what is in true Bullet lead.

Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: Bruce S on December 10, 2021, 08:58:44 AM
normal soft lead that i use for making 14lb weights in Horology.
I would've thought those would be iron or pot metal, given that people need to pull on them every so often.

Had I even thought to think they were Pb, I would've snagged a few for casting fishing weights. The Fishing weights we have and continue to find are Pb too.

Cheers
Bruce S
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: Mary B on December 10, 2021, 01:00:51 PM
Thanks 'joestue'.

I am going to start needing information like yours in the near future.

Even my rolled lead sheet getting here is becoming a nightmare.

 Getting that 99.94% pure lead in France is just not going to happen as few here do any smelting, and those that do wont tell me the purity or they them selves don't seem to know.

I do have a few Kgs of bullet lead that i inherited from a relative, he used to shoot full bore for a Club in the UK, mostly at the Bisley range and would make up his own ammunition.
But the bullet lead its very brittle and also very hard compared to normal soft lead that i use for making 14lb weights in Horology.

Yes would be interested to know what is in true Bullet lead.

90% lead 5% tin, 5% antimony is a common mix... but there are literally hundreds of combos people have used. It could be pure wheel weights... it could be type lead that is very high in tin...
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: Mary B on December 10, 2021, 01:17:44 PM
If you have a nearby scrapyard they might have an xrf machine that can read the metal and tell you the composition...

If you were in the USA I could ship 10 pounds of pure lead but shipping that over seas is a no-no without all kinds of paperwork due to it being a toxic substance.

Wheel weights(older ones) are 1% tin, 3% antimony, 95.75% lead and may contain .25% arsenic

some other lead alloys are listed here http://www.lasc.us/CastBulletNotes.htm

an alloy will add strength t your lead sheets and stop any gravity deformation. A source for pure lead may be a old plumbing shop, they used to use it to pour around oakum packing in sewer pipe joints(I have smelted this down.. STINKY!!!!).

I think I have around 3 tons of wheel weights to process and sell the lead... some pure lead(stick on wheel weights are pure or very close to pure). Some printers lead may have traces of silver(makes for a very tough bullet), I deliberately introduce tiny amounts of copper into my bullet casting lead, makes them a lot tougher so they can withstand modern cartridge pressures and velocities without turning into a puff of lead dust a couple feet from the end of the barrel when centrifugal force tears them apart. I have fired them at 3400 feet per second, waiting on a test form a friend who can work them up to 4200 feet per second in his 22-250 caliber rifle.

Maybe an alloy will help your plates last better? Just an idea... watch out for zinc wheel weights if you go that route! Zinc can cause dendritic tendrils to grow and short your plates
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: SparWeb on December 10, 2021, 11:09:29 PM
Hi Clockman,

Maybe that material standard will have a clue.  The lead sheet you displayed above is formed per "BS EN 12588" which looks like a material standard.  That may be a specific form & purpose standard (sheeting for roofs) and cross-reference to a raw material (material with a specific composition).  Whether it's in one standard or more than one, together they may describe the material well enough for you to know what you really have there.  Or at the very least what you "don't have" such as excessive tin or some other impurity that's either useless or condemn your Plante quickly.

The problem with this idea is that the damn standards are expensive, and usually not complete enough to ever tell you what you want to know without getting half a dozen more.  I know this because I've been down that path many times.  In North America it's a bit of a racket between ASTM, SAE, ASME, IEEE and a bunch of other alphabet soup organizations that publish standards that reference each other.  In Europe, as you know it's CE, BS, DIN, and so on.  When engineering something, there are times that you just have to swallow the cost, buy a bunch of them, and that's the only way to stick "the answer" in somebody's face.

With that in mind, and if you're concerned enough about the potential waste of your project time and investment, then getting a copy of the BS EN standard could seem to be 140 EUR well spent.  If you like doing the legwork instead, you may be able to find copies of standards like this at other places, like libraries or engineering firms that, like me, don't appreciate being shafted for 10 sheets of jargon-filled paper, and will be happy to hand you a photocopy.
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: joestue on December 11, 2021, 02:16:03 AM
the reason I don't believe there is any antimony in the grid is because.. they tried using lead calcium plates on one side and lead antimony plates on the other side to get the hydrogen production to stop but not have the open circuit problem from the calcium oxidizing on the positive plate. and it would work... but any antimony present on the surface of the plate.. migrates over to the other plate.. and now you have a traditional lead antimony battery with its high water loss rate.

also the only reason to alloy the grid is to improve its stiffness. in an agm cell for example there's no reason to add anything to the grid, if it were pure lead maybe the battery would last longer, who knows.

xrf guns are great but not perfect.

some us submarines have thin plate pure lead batteries and the manufacturers were telling them to change the charge and discharge algorithms every few months.. they couldn't make up their mind.

they experimented with continuous discharge as well.. btw. charge the batteries then slowly and continuously discharge them, the do it again. don't know what the intent was.

i do know however.. that agm cells left in a storage unit for 1 year have a 50-70% chance of being dead and open circuit. while others from the same batch are still reading 12.2 volts or so. makes no sense to me.
flooded lead acid batteries don't do that.

the prospect of smelting down car batteries and rolling the lead into sheets and then building batteries with only 10% sulphuric acid as an electrolyte sounds interesting.

seems to me you can do corrosion tests to measure the amount of tin, antimony, or other materials relatively easily.

or just dissolve the "lead" into some acids.. dilute it 1,000,000:1, and send it to a lab for "water quality testing" and for a couple hours wages they will tell you what's in it.
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: clockmanFRA on December 11, 2021, 03:18:05 AM
Hi Bruce,

Lead is heavy, and soon jumped upon by the Clockmakers of Europe in the mid 1600's.

By the 1730's most houses with a longcase clock wanted style, so the ugly lead was encased with a thin brass covering that then acted as a tube to poor molten lead into. I still make special weights, for instance for a 2 month regulator design of mine that requires a 12kg one.   Just for you Bruce, See photo below, 2 month precision regulator for one of my clients.

On substance we want a weight to be as heavy as possible but yet as small as possible.  I did look at and i specified on the UK's Millennium clock was depleted uranium as its nearly as heavy as Gold, which in the early 1980's was available from British Nuclear Fuels. And at a meeting their scientists assured us that as long as we encased it there were no issues, obvious they were desperate to find a market even just for us clockmakers. I wasn't ready at the time. But by 2000 the folk making my Millennium clock kicked up a stink about the clocks weights. I believe the military were using depleted uranium in their bullets and it got withdrawn from the arsenal of weapons it could kill someone .

[attach=1]

Mary,
 
Yes something is definitely in that lead from my friends bullets, i know he did his own casting, but his stuff is so dense the only place i could use it was balancing my wind turbine blades with a couple of holes drilled through it.

SparWeb,
 
  You are very correct, finding a supplier that can guarantee lead sheet specifications is not easy. I have 2 in the UK so far. And as you say best to buy in bulk and batches that are known specs.  Sadly my recourses are minimum for stock of materials, but i have enough and at good specs to manufacture a couple at least.

 As regards EN & ISO etc norms, well like you say its great but open to interpretation. I once had to go on TV as a specialist qualified representative of the Clock & Watch Institutions, regards Water Proof and Water Resistance Watches.  ISO  rules and documents were so wishy washy that most Companies were driving a Coach and Horses through them. I was ready, I had taken 10 watches recently on the market from a Sports Clothing Brand and put them all through ISO testing standards, and yes all on TV, and yes most failed, but on the dials etc it had written 20 meters etc, but in-fact only splash proof.  That's a Brand that hates me. LOL.   
SparWeb sometime over a few beers i will tell you the whole story, still makes me chuckle when i think of it, I was always white shirt, but open neck no cravat/tie and always asking "what you going to ask me". Acting on behalf of professional organisations i never wanted to be a bumbling old professor type.
 I had to do the interview on the back of a Luxury motor yacht in a posh mariner, and the Models were going to jump into the sea with the watches on, however when it came to Live broadcast the tide had gone out and the models had to pretend to jump into the sea. I struggled to keep a straight face as things slowly went down hill from there. I was told by friends that i held up well and very professional, yea right. I did a few more TV stuff after that. 

joestue,

I am giving the PLANTE design of solid lead plates a modern twist.
To increase the oxidation of the plates to form the correct type of Oxide that will improve the battery ah capacity, each plate will receive 0.5 deep and 0.5mm wide and 0.5mm between each, scoured into the lead plate with a a comb. And then by charging and discharging and each time reversing the positive and negative polarity, a good Oxide will build up a bit quicker with out making the lead sheet to thin, and so still support it self for the next 30 years or so.
 
After due consideration, the comb is best achieved using a cat and dog FLEE comb which must be stainless steel as we do not want any bits of iron getting stuck in the lead. So every day Flee combs keep arriving in the post for me to test.  Remember this whole process of making PLANTE batteries is for normal folk to make and keep a standard of production.


   


   
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: Mary B on December 11, 2021, 02:26:13 PM
There is a pencil test on the  Cast Boolits site that will get you the laed hardness, from there an educated guess can be made as far as alloy.

Wheel weights are medium hard, can cut into them with a side cutters, printers lead is very hard, can dent it with side cutters but it is tough stuff, pure lead you can cut with a side cutters... Lee makes a BHN(hardness) tester that can ID pure lead by hardness alone.

Another source for very pure lead is a hospital or clinic doing an xray room remodel. They use it as shielding on the walls. I have about 300 pounds of it from when they decommissioned the old clinic. Need to get that smelted for a local blackpowder shooter, $2 pound... and I will probably end with 275 pounds after removing all the glue and other gunk in the smelting pot, a VERY stinky/smokey process as it burns off.

Melt temps are another way to tell if it is pure or an alloy, the site I posted earlier has a melting temp table for various bullet alloys.
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: joestue on December 12, 2021, 01:22:07 PM
seems to me you could make a roller to form the lead into .5mm wide and deep grooves.
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: clockmanFRA on December 13, 2021, 11:03:45 AM
seems to me you could make a roller to form the lead into .5mm wide and deep grooves.

Yes, something i am looking at.

What ever method i use will have to be repeatable and uniform and yet easily obtainable.

 But i have a feeling that i may have to make a basic hand roller for the lead plates and put it as an extra option.

I have some 26mm diameter stainless steel bar that i have put to one side, and for me its no problem to set one of my Swiss machines up to make a few rollers and hand rollers.

The lead plates will need marking both sides, except the end sheets that will need only one side.
There are many variables with the roller method, in width and distance between the groves for hand rolling and if not careful its easy to crush the other side once you have done one side. So working on that.

The flea combs are not strong enough for long term use and soon bend, and getting the depth uniform will require some sort of Jig making. But its another option for the dedicated maker.
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: Bruce S on December 13, 2021, 01:54:19 PM
ClockmanFRA;

That clock is beautiful !! When can I order one?

The roller issue steers me towards using a pasta making roller setup, 0.5mm thickness should not be an issue, you could even setup the lasagna roller could even be setup to mark grooves instead of cutting. Just a thought

Bruce S
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: Mary B on December 14, 2021, 02:16:56 PM
I don't think a pasta roller can handle the pressure, and widest you will find is around 10"
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: clockmanFRA on December 23, 2021, 02:56:21 PM
PLANTE battery components and equipment for a 240mm x 300mm x 700mm high, 550ah 2v CELL.

Everything is now here, so away i go with the physical construction.

The case can not be defined to exact dimensions until i have made the socks and stacked the plates together. This will then determine the inside dimensions with the socks on.

The 400gsm polythene non woven felt Geotextile is really porous for the acid solution. Polyethene is the same as polypropylene at handling 80% pure sulphuric acid.

[attach=1]


[attach=1]
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: SparWeb on December 23, 2021, 04:24:28 PM
Eagerly waiting to see Bryan to pull up his socks!
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: Mary B on December 24, 2021, 02:01:37 PM
What is that? 100 pounds of lead sheet?
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: clockmanFRA on January 10, 2022, 02:43:01 AM
Mary, Yes they are.
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: clockmanFRA on January 10, 2022, 04:28:43 AM
Plante battery, Roller, forming plates, Charge and discharge.


Now the holiday period is over and different parts of the family have returned to their respective Countries, i can now focus on this project, well sort off!

Okay a few photos of works that i looked at over the Holidays.

Firstly, here is a pic of my Electro Plating stuff, now i know most of you will say, 'what's that got to do with the PLANTE battery'?

[attach=1]

As you know we need to form the correct oxide on those lead plates surface, and to improve the surface lead area we are putting 0.5mm wide and 0.5mm deep grooves in the acting/facing surface.  This also holds the formed oxide in the chequer pattern we make with the grooves.   Ie, a modern method.

However, forming the oxide is a long process of minimum of 30 charge and discharges and reversing polarity before each charge of the battery, after 30 times we can then dictate what will be the positive and negative.
 
Now over the past 45 years, part of my designing and manufacturing specialised mechanical time pieces for a 300 year life, I electro plate all my brass internal mechanisms, this then protects the brass from corrosion and having to be constantly cleaned.
 
 So, my electro plating equipment is for items up to a 3-litre container size, and I plate in hard Gold, Silver and Rhodium.  Yes, i have all the chemicals to do this, but times voltage and amperage and temperature must be within certain parameters or the plating will have poor adhesive performance or not consistent.   Forming the Oxide on the lead plates is just the same, however written information on this forming process is minimal, so hopefully using my experience with electro plating I should be able to find a happy formula to form some good stable and well adhered Oxide on those lead plates.

 Remember we are turning that first 0.75mm thickness of the lead into mushy oxides. So I need to find a solution that ordinary folk out there can use when they are making their own PLANTE batteries.
CHARGING & DISCHARGING to Form the Oxides.
From my past experiences with simple PLANTE cells and the other limited information that I have I will use these figures to get a reasonable Charge and Discharge regime for forming the Oxides.

 Rated Amp hour capacity of our 2.22v cell for the PLANTE battery is defined roughly by surface area and weight of each POSITIVE PLATE ONLY in that cell.

Amp Hour rate.
So with our 6 POSITIVE plates of 210mm x 630mm and at 2.24mm thick, we need to know the plate weight and the surface area that we can form to get the amp hour.  The calculations are a little ‘wishy washy’ and will need confirming, however a rough guide for our plates for one 2.22v battery of 6 positive plates would be very approximate about, 550 amp hour size.

There are a lot of things happening.

Firstly, with a anode plate and a cathode plate, ie one lead plate and another plate facing each other this is called a single cell, the usable voltage of this cell will not exceed more than 2.3 volts, in practice its about 2.22volts.

Secondly, on bare lead when you first fill with acid solution the cell becomes live, the acid solution is fully charged. ie, its specific gravity is up at the appropriate levels this will change as the cell is discharged.  Normally its about 1.265 and during discharge it will drop to about 1.150 and the electrolyte will only be 17%. When recharged the battery will rise again to 36% electrolyte and about 1.265 again. As the battery gets old in the normal commercially made modern type batteries, the specific gravity will drop as the internal plates deteriorate and the useful amp hour rates also drop.
 For our PLANTE battery it’s the other way around. Our initial Amp Hour rate is not as good as a modern commercial battery, ie only about 1/3rd but over the many years it will be used the battery gets better until eventually all the lead plates internally are just a oxide paste. So we need to hold that oxide as long as we can, and not allow oxide residues to drop down under gravity and short out the cell within the battery itself. 

Thirdly, when first filled you will see that the PLANTE Cell is Bi- sexual, ie, put your voltmeter leads on each plate, then remove the leads and swap them around and hay presto it gives voltage the other way around as well.

CHARGING the PLANTE battery.

Okay so we need to form the correct oxides to form on the correct plates. So to form correctly for the best attributes for the oxide, we charge at 20% to 23% over the designated, designated voltage for each of our cells is 1.5v volt cell. And at 10% to 13% of the amperage of the calculated rated Amp hour capacity of that cell.
 So for our battery we will charge at 2.43volts and at 57amps.
Remember change the polarity for each of the 30 plus charges as you form the plates.

A designated 12 volt battery are normally 6off 2.22v voltage cells, with each 2.22v cell have about 7off 2,22v cells parallel connected to get the Amperage out put up of each 2.22 cells, these 6off are then connected in series to get a 12v battery that when new would give about 13.32volts.

[attach=2]

Photo below shows the hand roller materials being assembled.

WE MUST ENSURE that NO ferrous/Iron particles get embedded into the lead plates, this would be detrimental to the life of the battery. Hence every metal part of the tool is stainless steel or brass.

[attach=3]
 
Here I am using a simple hand tool, but had to reduce the roller from 55mm wide down to 20mm wide of acting roller as then the pressure required to push into the lead is not severe, at 55mm wide about 45kg was required in down force to operate in one pass. We only want one pass as over passing could mess up the surface so particles of lead could start falling from the lead plate when its in operation, and we do not want that.
 The roller itself is stainless steel with 0.5mm wide groove forming ridges and giving a 0.5mm depth with the grooves at 1mm spacings. The roller must be consistently made.

[attach=4]

I will probably fit a lead plate thumb screw guide arm and ski, so the roller can be guided precisely on each 20mm wide down the lead plate stroke.
The 5kg weight will sit on the roller tool and therefore give a constant pressure to the roller tool.
Its all a bit variable at present, but hopefully i can get the tool simplified and easier to make for normal folk.


Discharge rates for PLANTE battery plate oxide forming.

Each of the 30 times minimum charge and discharge should be the same rates to form the correct Oxide. And remember the polarity should be reversed on each charge.

On the 31st charge you will then make the positive palates positive from then on.

Discharge should be about 10% of the cell capacity in voltage and amperage.

So for our 2.22volt 550ah PLANTE battery thats,  discharged at about 2.442volts and at 55amps.

 
 
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: Scruff on January 25, 2022, 04:10:15 PM
 :-X
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: clockmanFRA on January 26, 2022, 03:50:18 AM
Hi Scruff,

I will start again.

You mentioned somewhere in your posts that you were experimenting with re-combining lead acid battery caps. How far have you got?

I have some Rolls re-combining caps/miser caps coming here, Ordered last year but got lost in the Global transport issues, and i want to take them apart and examine them. They are not that expensive from Rolls so will look see and make a judgement on making your own or buying in Rolls.

Also wanted to see there attachment method to the top of the battery and if i need to beef up our PLANTE battery lid to take a thread for them to fit into.
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: clockmanFRA on January 26, 2022, 04:02:23 AM
On each page of this topic,  MAKING LARGE LEAD ACID BATTERIES. i will put a disclaimer

DISCLAIMER.



NO liability is accepted by the author of this topic and future published book, for any damages of any kind, for the ideas, construction, operation, performance, or impact in respect of this post and books subject.

And..........

Safety.                              This is important and should never be underestimated.

I will make it clear about certain hazards where you will need to be careful. But in general I expect that you seek advice, or use caution, if you are unaware or not sufficiently skilled in a particular process.  Once completed these PLANTE batteries will handle high amperages, and these can be DANGEROUS!.
 
  Please also note that once fully assembled this PLANTE battery is very heavy, 60kg/ 132lbs, and could easily crush you.
 
 I will not fill this post with Safety Notices as it becomes unreadable.

Wear safety protective clothing where it helps safety, ie, grinding or cutting use eye protection and clothing that minimises fire risk and take care with the acid mix as Hydrogen is the resultant gases. HYDROGEN IS EXPLOSIVE.

  All workshop operations have a degree of danger if conducted in a haphazard or ignorant manner. Take care and learn how to use your tools correctly.


Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: Rob Beckers on January 26, 2022, 06:53:09 AM
I have some Rolls re-combining caps/miser caps coming here, Ordered last year but got lost in the Global transport issues, and i want to take them apart and examine them. They are not that expensive from Rolls so will look see and make a judgement on making your own or buying in Rolls.

Also wanted to see there attachment method to the top of the battery and if i need to beef up our PLANTE battery lid to take a thread for them to fit into.

Clockman, the caps Rolls provides with their 5000-series batteries are re-branded WaterMiser caps. They are identical to those WaterMiser sells themselves, just a different colour (Rolls-Red). They don't actually "recombine" best I know. What they contain is lots of small plastic beads that the vapour is forced to pass through, and that scrubs the small droplets out, the small drops coalesce into larger drops and then back into the battery. They are cheap(er) because they don't contain any exotic metals that act as a catalyser in the actual/real recombining caps. From experience I can tell you they do work pretty well! I use them on a forklift battery that sees lots of charging/discharging.

FYI.

Following your Plante battery thread with great interest! Keep it coming please!  8)

-Rob-
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: Bruce S on January 26, 2022, 09:39:21 AM
Rob;
These sound a lot like the "new" distillers that are using glass beads for better coalescing of vapors.
Those plastic beads must be pretty small.

B~
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: clockmanFRA on January 26, 2022, 09:58:14 AM
Hi Rob,

And thanks for the tip about WATERMISER. I will have a look see.

Also thanks for looking inside and explaining what's going on, Thanks.
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: clockmanFRA on January 26, 2022, 10:11:49 AM
Bruce,

I trust you and your family had a gentle Christmas.

Still working on the 'Sheep Lecture Theatre' and its kitchen and WC and freezer room. But not long to go.

Need to get some ACETONE for the primer for that special adhesive that joins PVC sheets together.  If I can not get it here then some parts of my family will be here mid February, so i have prepared them a shopping list.

My eldest lad friend from California was here over Christmas, first time in Europe. I Collected from CDG Paris airport and returned only me as the COVID passport is enforced. Kept photographing my Speedo as shocked to find out that on French Motorways/Autoroutes you can travel at 130kmh that's about 83 mph, but 90mph is not a problem and the Police cant be bothered. As a US driver also shocked at the narrowness of carriageways on the roads and everyone hurtles along. And on the single lanes on the countryside roads the fact that we have to slow down to let each other pass was funny to watch facial expressions. haha

Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: Bruce S on January 26, 2022, 10:42:44 AM
We did have a very nice Christmas gathering . Thank you for asking

I'm still laughing at what the expressions must've looked like!!

Being that Robin is used to my European style driving, she wasn't too surprised at the bus ride from airport to the villa in Provence, BUT those who had not ever experienced it was a sight to hear about.  >:D

Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: Scruff on January 27, 2022, 06:39:22 AM

You mentioned somewhere in your posts that you were experimenting with re-combining lead acid battery caps. How far have you got?


(https://i.imgur.com/1OBSfLy.jpg)

+

(https://i.imgur.com/PxMJ8rx.jpg)

=

(https://i.imgur.com/dBLjanP.jpg)

/

(https://i.imgur.com/KQEMdHj.jpg)

****

(https://ericchandler.files.wordpress.com/2019/04/the-files-are-yh2xvq.jpg)

 ::)

(https://i.imgur.com/XZShBgF.jpg)

I have some Rolls re-combining caps/miser caps coming here, Ordered last year but got lost in the Global transport issues, and i want to take them apart and examine them. They are not that expensive from Rolls so will look see and make a judgement on making your own or buying in Rolls.

 ???
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: clockmanFRA on January 27, 2022, 01:39:43 PM
Thank you for that info.

Is that mastic up to coping with Acid?
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: Scruff on January 27, 2022, 08:53:39 PM
Thank you for that info.

 ;D

Is that mastic up to coping with Acid?

(https://i.imgur.com/xpcVqiX.jpg)

... about WATERMISER. I will have a look see.

 :-\

(https://i.imgur.com/KzuNNOG.jpg)

Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: Astro on March 03, 2022, 10:32:07 AM
Thank you for that info.

Is that mastic up to coping with Acid?

 Do not take my word for it, but I do know that my brother had a brand new battery in a car and his wife hit a deer and cracked the battery. Instead of just tossing it, he used jb weld on it to see if it would work. It did. But again I would run your own tests before doing it.
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: Astro on March 03, 2022, 10:12:52 PM
I also wanted to ask are you going to electroplate with a pb304 paste. I spent a lot of time with chemical engineers and helping them develop a chemical deburring process. I understand the elctroplating and even the deburring process, but they handled all the chemical mixture stuff. I took care of the power and building of the machine. But through some reading I was curious what you are going to use for a composition to plate with.
Thanks.
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: clockmanFRA on March 04, 2022, 04:00:09 AM
Astro,

No, this is a simple PLANTE cell battery but with a mechanical modern plate forming process to increase the paste forming process and surface area during the 30 times charge and discharge cycles.

More importantly what I am trying to do is keep the PLANTE battery as simple as possible for the ordinary man wherever on the Planet they might live. So all processes will be as simple as possible.

 So far only the Stainless steel groove roller will need supplying if you can not make it easily, but with that i am trying to keep the roller itself simple and then it will work with a hand tool.

I you are wondering why my postings have been silent so far this year? But sorry other projects have had to be accelerated up my priority list.

Especially as Europe goes into Turmoil, there is no handy sea or ocean between me and the latest Planet aggressor.

I have been supporting some Australians on a Renewable Forum in Aus, as they experiment with a simple Plante bare lead sheet cell.
 
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: Bruce S on March 04, 2022, 08:35:32 AM
ClockmanFRA;
Good to see you are staying safe. This community based forum wishes you and all those across the pond safer days.
Post when you have time, but never feel compelled to. Safety is the 1st priority.

 Bruce S
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: Astro on March 04, 2022, 01:47:18 PM
Astro,

No, this is a simple PLANTE cell battery but with a mechanical modern plate forming process to increase the paste forming process and surface area during the 30 times charge and discharge cycles.

More importantly what I am trying to do is keep the PLANTE battery as simple as possible for the ordinary man wherever on the Planet they might live. So all processes will be as simple as possible.

 So far only the Stainless steel groove roller will need supplying if you can not make it easily, but with that i am trying to keep the roller itself simple and then it will work with a hand tool.

I you are wondering why my postings have been silent so far this year? But sorry other projects have had to be accelerated up my priority list.

Especially as Europe goes into Turmoil, there is no handy sea or ocean between me and the latest Planet aggressor.

I have been supporting some Australians on a Renewable Forum in Aus, as they experiment with a simple Plante bare lead sheet cell.

 I will have to read more about the plante battery so as to grasp it better. I understand that you have more important things to worry about.
I have rejoined a social media site and am trying to make sense out of what is going on in the world for some people. I have lot's of thoughts on the subject, but this is not the forum for expressing such thoughts. In the end, I think there is far to much corruption in the world. Every disagreement/war since almost the beginning of time comes down to corruption within the leadership or government and I am not unaware enough to think that anyone, any leadership or government is innocent of said corruption. I can't do much about your government or any other countries, but I can demand better from my own. that is where my focus on all that is going on in the world lies. You and yours stay safe, and take care.
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: SparWeb on March 04, 2022, 07:43:17 PM
Probably best to stay away from the politics (here on FL it's a drag).  In general I don't like following dreadful subjects on social media and in fact, I've cut that out of my life as much as possible.
I know, it's hard to avoid when there are dire things happening out there.

Fieldlines is best when it's a refuge from that.  We build.
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: Astro on March 05, 2022, 12:16:56 PM
Probably best to stay away from the politics (here on FL it's a drag).  In general I don't like following dreadful subjects on social media and in fact, I've cut that out of my life as much as possible.
I know, it's hard to avoid when there are dire things happening out there.

Fieldlines is best when it's a refuge from that.  We build.

 I agree. I try to
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: dnix71 on March 09, 2022, 06:37:14 PM
https://physics.aps.org/story/v27/st2

clockmanFRA For a college grad in engineering like me, this web article is unintentionally funny. 70% of the storage capacity of lead acid batteries comes from relativistic effects on the S electrons because lead is such a massive atom. The 6s shell electrons must "orbit" much faster than they would if the nucleus was lighter and they spend more time close to the nucleus making the atom smaller and therefore more dense. The same contraction makes mercury a liquid at room temp.

What this means is that certain elements, like tin, are simply not the best candidates for storage batteries. The electrons in the outer s shell of lead are moving so fast that they gain relativistic mass and appear to be more powerful than the same electron in a lighter element. The modern lead-acid storage battery should be called the Plante-Faure-Einstein battery.

Lead is the heaviest stable element, and common, so even though is is toxic to most life if ingested, it won't go away as a good candidate for storage batteries.

Lithium's advantages are light weight and high primary cell voltage.
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: Mary B on March 10, 2022, 02:12:48 PM
Pure lead is pretty inert even if swallowed, takes acid to start breaking it down. Many people who fought wars have lead shrapnel in them, blood PH tends to be basic so it doesn't dissolve. In birds the shot is either oxidized(lead oxide is VERY toxic) or they crush it to a fine enough powder in the crop that it gets dissolved by their digestive system. Acid rain can turn exposed lead shot to lead oxide, as can an acidic river or lake...
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: Astro on March 10, 2022, 03:35:55 PM
Ok a quick question. I was reading where and it may have been mentioned in this thread, that you can expect about 1 AH per square inch of lead. I understand that is why the roller and grooves are important to try and maximize that number.  What I am unsure of is, you obviously are going to have 2 plates minimum and for home made 2 plates is the easiest. Those plates will have equal amount of square inches. I assume the 1 AH per square inch is from one plate, right?
 So say you had 100 square inch pos plate and 100 square inch neg plate for a total of 200 square inches. But that is a 100 ah battery, and not 200 ah, correct??
Sorry I know it is a dumb question, I just want to make sure I understand 100% because obviously it affects the numbers when figuring out what to build and the cost of what to build.
Thanks.
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: dnix71 on March 10, 2022, 06:53:43 PM
MaryB I worked for a printer that still had lead type casting equipment. The type was set up on a Heidleberg press to print on items that could not be offset press printed, like matches, stir sticks and napkins. We inhaled the fumes in the poorly vented shop and handled the type with our bare hands and no one I know got sick. BUT: we didn't taste it, and it wasn't organic lead, like the ethyl they used to boost gasoline octane here with. There are still many US cities that used lead potable water pipe that will leach lead if the water authority doesn't keep the pH just slightly basic. That was the problem Flint, Michigan had when switching to acidic river water as a source and then deciding not to spend the $50k a year to buffer the intake water (a trivial sum of money considering the population and the damage done).

Lead shot is an issue for the hunter who plans to eat what he kills, esp. smaller game like birds.

I am glad that tetra-ethyl lead is no longer added to motor fuel (except boat and small plane fuel). Adding ethanol makes money for corn farmers and keeps car engines clean without the damage methanol does to rubber seal.

Lead sheet is still used as a pan under showers and drains and in roofing. If you were looking for soft lead in long rolls in the US, you could go to a roofing or plumbing supply house. You can get different thickness without special order. https://marsmetal.com/sheet-lead/roofing-and-flashing/
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: Mary B on March 11, 2022, 12:52:13 PM
Printers lead is hard stuff, if you used the individual letters it is very high in tin and antimony and is used a LOT by bullet casters to add tin to their lead to harden it.

Lead shot IS NOT a danger to hunters, if you bite down on one you know it instantly! It is also hardened lead so you are not going to chew it. Might break a tooth if you try! And a good cook looks for the pellets and works them out of the meat before preparing it. Birds shot with it have been tested, as have deer shot with lead bullets. NO lead found in the meat!
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: Bruce S on March 11, 2022, 01:58:57 PM

Lead shot IS NOT a danger to hunters, if you bite down on one you know it instantly! It is also hardened lead so you are not going to chew it. Might break a tooth if you try! And a good cook looks for the pellets and works them out of the meat before preparing it. Birds shot with it have been tested, as have deer shot with lead bullets. NO lead found in the meat!

The same goes for squirrel meat.

Bruce S
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: Astro on March 11, 2022, 03:37:31 PM
Printers lead is hard stuff, if you used the individual letters it is very high in tin and antimony and is used a LOT by bullet casters to add tin to their lead to harden it.

Lead shot IS NOT a danger to hunters, if you bite down on one you know it instantly! It is also hardened lead so you are not going to chew it. Might break a tooth if you try! And a good cook looks for the pellets and works them out of the meat before preparing it. Birds shot with it have been tested, as have deer shot with lead bullets. NO lead found in the meat!

 Not to mention, nobody used to use a pair of pliers to crimp lead split shots when fishing, you just stuck it where where you wanted and bite down on it. Now idk if I would want to swallow lead, but to have it in your mouth for a few seconds can't be all that deadly or our fore fathers would have all died as children, just from hunting and fishing.
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: dnix71 on March 13, 2022, 01:36:51 PM
I've eaten both squirrel and rabbit I shot. Field dressed and fire roasted right there in the woods. But it didn't make a big part of my diet.
The lead we used for printing type had to have just the right amount of antimony. Too much and it wouldn't flow into the mold fully, and too little and the cast would be too soft to use. I had a coworker who complained to authorities that exposure made her sick, but the blood tests came back negative. The woman was obscenely overweight, that was her real problem.
We bought recycled lead locally for make up and after problems with the antimony content, had to specify the mix and pay more.
https://www.belmontmetals.com/antimonial-lead-offering-strength-flowability-and-resistance-in-metal-alloys/
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: clockmanFRA on March 13, 2022, 01:45:49 PM
Ok a quick question. I was reading where and it may have been mentioned in this thread, that you can expect about 1 AH per square inch of lead. I understand that is why the roller and grooves are important to try and maximize that number.  What I am unsure of is, you obviously are going to have 2 plates minimum and for home made 2 plates is the easiest. Those plates will have equal amount of square inches. I assume the 1 AH per square inch is from one plate, right?
 So say you had 100 square inch pos plate and 100 square inch neg plate for a total of 200 square inches. But that is a 100 ah battery, and not 200 ah, correct??
Sorry I know it is a dumb question, I just want to make sure I understand 100% because obviously it affects the numbers when figuring out what to build and the cost of what to build.
Thanks.

Okay, some where in my posts i have mentioned a rough figure per sq inch, but this depends on the original thickness of the lead that you are trying to turn the surface into lead oxide.

A cell, is for me in my calculations, when one lead sheet faces another lead sheet in a sulphuric acid mix of 15 parts water to 1 of 80% pure sulphuric acid. Obviously the lead plates will be double sided use, but the end plates will only need roller ribbing on one side.

And here is the crux of the matter and my experimentation procedures  The thicker the lead, the less capacity the lead cell will have. I think 'Dinix71 has eluded to this in his post on the 9th March. ie, the thinner the lead sheet the quicker the oxide can form, but then the life of the cell is short as a modern commercial battery, so hence me going for a 2.24mm thick lead sheet at first and seeing if i hit the sweet spot, although i may have to increase that thickness to double that, but wee will see.

The roller process adds 2 main objectives, yes the actual surface area that turns to oxide will be greater that just bare Lead sheet with out any indentations. Also the roller ribbing will allow the oxides to form in such away as to stop the oxide from just dropping away if the cell is disturbed.

 In general, with commercial batteries the grid matrix structure holds the oxides and a stiffener spacer is each side of each lead plate to hold the oxides as long as possible before the oxide crumbles away to the bottom of the batteries, hence the plates are wedged into the battery case.

The second objective of our roller processes is to strengthen the lead sheet by allowing a border around the outside of each lead sheet.

100ah could be for one cell, but a minimum of 6 cells joined in parallel to get the Ah rate higher, However 6 cells is best, any more and internal resistance starts to come into play with the figures, and with 6 cells its about the max i have designed the case to handle expansion from the cells.     We do not want the battery case just to split after a few years off use.

For the size I am making with a standard Plante design, and my calculations/ figures suggest about a 450ah with my 6 cells at 2v.  However, because of the roller being used i expect higher figures of Amp Hour, how high in real conditions has not been proven yet.

As you can now see there are lots of variable's at play here so I am using my mechanical engineering skills and that all important empirical evidence to push the Plante battery concept into the modern age.  And also give us a good all round LONG LIFE lead acid battery where weight is not a concern but resilience, longevity and cost effectiveness is..

I trust this helps.

Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: Astro on March 13, 2022, 03:17:49 PM
Ok a quick question. I was reading where and it may have been mentioned in this thread, that you can expect about 1 AH per square inch of lead. I understand that is why the roller and grooves are important to try and maximize that number.  What I am unsure of is, you obviously are going to have 2 plates minimum and for home made 2 plates is the easiest. Those plates will have equal amount of square inches. I assume the 1 AH per square inch is from one plate, right?
 So say you had 100 square inch pos plate and 100 square inch neg plate for a total of 200 square inches. But that is a 100 ah battery, and not 200 ah, correct??
Sorry I know it is a dumb question, I just want to make sure I understand 100% because obviously it affects the numbers when figuring out what to build and the cost of what to build.
Thanks.

Okay, some where in my posts i have mentioned a rough figure per sq inch, but this depends on the original thickness of the lead that you are trying to turn the surface into lead oxide.

A cell, is for me in my calculations, when one lead sheet faces another lead sheet in a sulphuric acid mix of 15 parts water to 1 of 80% pure sulphuric acid. Obviously the lead plates will be double sided use, but the end plates will only need roller ribbing on one side.

And here is the crux of the matter and my experimentation procedures  The thicker the lead, the less capacity the lead cell will have. I think 'Dinix71 has eluded to this in his post on the 9th March. ie, the thinner the lead sheet the quicker the oxide can form, but then the life of the cell is short as a modern commercial battery, so hence me going for a 2.24mm thick lead sheet at first and seeing if i hit the sweet spot, although i may have to increase that thickness to double that, but wee will see.

The roller process adds 2 main objectives, yes the actual surface area that turns to oxide will be greater that just bare Lead sheet with out any indentations. Also the roller ribbing will allow the oxides to form in such away as to stop the oxide from just dropping away if the cell is disturbed.

 In general, with commercial batteries the grid matrix structure holds the oxides and a stiffener spacer is each side of each lead plate to hold the oxides as long as possible before the oxide crumbles away to the bottom of the batteries, hence the plates are wedged into the battery case.

The second objective of our roller processes is to strengthen the lead sheet by allowing a border around the outside of each lead sheet.

100ah could be for one cell, but a minimum of 6 cells joined in parallel to get the Ah rate higher, However 6 cells is best, any more and internal resistance starts to come into play with the figures, and with 6 cells its about the max i have designed the case to handle expansion from the cells.     We do not want the battery case just to split after a few years off use.

For the size I am making with a standard Plante design, and my calculations/ figures suggest about a 450ah with my 6 cells at 2v.  However, because of the roller being used i expect higher figures of Amp Hour, how high in real conditions has not been proven yet.

As you can now see there are lots of variable's at play here so I am using my mechanical engineering skills and that all important empirical evidence to push the Plante battery concept into the modern age.  And also give us a good all round LONG LIFE lead acid battery where weight is not a concern but resilience, longevity and cost effectiveness is..

I trust this helps.

 Now you really have my curiosity up on this project. I went back and looked and your plates come out to be about 8.75 inches by 24.75 inches if I recall the numbers I converted. that is about 216 square inches. With 6 positive plates per cell, that is 1,299 square inches of positive plate. I get thickness plays a part in the calculation and the article I was reading that mentioned said "you can expect about 1 ah per sq inch" did not have the specs for the battery all spelled out. Not that I can remember anyway.
 I think making a cell for renewable energy and not for an auto, would mean that the battery is not going to get disturbed as much and so we do not have to worry about that as much as a battery for other applications. I also thought I read somewhere one time where the thicker plates are used in batteries that provide and receive higher amps. So the thickness of the plates for a battery like you are making and for the application, might not have the same requirements. Many car alternators charge at 100 amps which is way higher then most of us are charging at. Most cars can require 100 or more amps to start but that is only provided for a few seconds or cca rating.. In our application we go by amp hours over a long period of time. That said it takes about 220 amps of 12vdc to make 20 amps of 12vac. I can not readily find the amperage of lead for it's dimensions. It seems to me that the biggest concern in this project is going to be the right dimensions of the lead for how many amps you intend to draw from it for longer periods of time. OR the sweet spot as you called it.
 I am sure many of you knew all this, but maybe some of you did not. It also helps me to talk it through, so I understand it all to the full extent.
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: joestue on March 14, 2022, 02:53:17 AM
a typical car battery has 7 or so plates that are on the order of 6 by 7 inches, for 50 amp hours of useable capacity perhaps 100 when brand new.

a typical 5 amp hour agm is about 2 by 3 inches and there are 4 positive plates and 5 negative ones iirc. there might just be 3 positive plates and 4 negatives.

anyhow this is a range of 7-10 square inches per ah for the agm and about the same for a car battery.

i don't know how anyone can expect to get 1ah per square inch.
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: clockmanFRA on March 14, 2022, 03:39:11 AM
For a PLANTE cell design the 13off lead plates at 210mm x 530mm x 2.24mm thick will give me about 550ah fully formed, thats about 60kg or in your speak 132 lbs for one 2v battery.

 Probably more if the grid matrix grooves are consistent. A modern forklift version of the same size will be over double the ah.

My reply to a question on another forum where some one is experimenting with a simple cell.

Yes Bryan1, what your doing is the basic cell arrangement.

I have seen this arrangement in early 1900s manufactured Master Electric clocks where 2 lead plates are dug into the ground outside and a 1.5v is produced to energise a coil every 15 seconds or so, to impulse a mechanical pendulum. Those plates are about 18 inches by 18 inches and 1/2inch thick. Once a week the owner would water the plates that were buried in the ground.

I personally experimented with your shown/photos basic concept about 15 years ago. I could get the volts up but the amperage for each cell was extremely poor and therefore discarded this simple cell method.

As regards acid, yes there are alternative acid/alkaline etc for batteries, but for me i will stick to 15 to 1 sulphuric acid, as we need to self form the lead plates for the PLANTE design.


Its the lead oxide on the surface of the lead sheets that gets the amperage up.
Commercial batteries makers use lead oxide pastes that are mixed with several other secret ingredients and held in a lead mesh matrix that form the positive and negative plates.

The PLANTE battery cell i am trying to produce has fine pressed grooves in the surface of all plates. This then allows the first 0.6mm of the plate surface to form into the correct Lead oxide. Basically the surface becomes spongey as the lead is transformed with the charge and discharge and swap the positive and negative plates around. This is normally about 30 to 40 times. Then the final charge will set the battery to what is positive and negative.

The grooves are the modern twist to the PLANTE battery and the charge and discharge regime are also a modern twist. But the grooves need to be within parameters. I have some test results that show the sizes i have as suitable to get the lead oxide to form correctly, and also hold the lead oxide in position.

Once the battery is formed then the oxide will get thicker as the battery is used and the amperage will slowly rise. However there is an offset against the thickness of the lead and its structural integrity, again this is part of my test procedure.

 Eventually, 30 years or so, the lead positive plates will completely turn to mush lead oxide, and the lead plate will just collapse. Then its my intension to remove the plates and replace with new positive plates and start the charge and discharge process all over again.  Although in 30 years or so i may not be around.!!!! But my boys will be, so hence me doing a book about my batteries.

Most of you will know that its normally the Positive plates on any lead acid battery that just crumble away to nothing and the battery ceases to be useable battery.

Its the commercial boys and the consumer wanting high amp hour at minimum materials but then sacrificing longevity of the battery by using ready formed lead oxide in their lead matrix frames that is not very structural stable.

Those 30 to 40 Charge and discharge and reverse process with the PLANTE are very important and sets the final battery amp hour rate. Charge must be precise and discharge must be precise. Again i have some preliminary data on this, but at present will not give any figures until i have well tested the process.

Again these PLANTE batteries I am making need to be as efficient as possible, easy to make, but safe, with readily available materials. And any specialist bits like the stainless steel roller for the grooves in the lead plates must be easy to make and give consistency to each lead plate and yet require simple skills to operate.


Another of my replies to someone making a single cell.

There are a lot of things happening with the PLANTE cell.

Firstly, with a anode plate and a cathode plate, ie one lead plate and another lead plate facing each other this is called a single cell, the usable voltage of this cell will not exceed more than 2.3 volts, in practice its about 2.22volts.

Secondly, on bare lead when you first fill with acid solution the cell becomes live, the acid solution is fully charged ie, its specific gravity is up at the appropriate levels this will change as the cell is discharged.  Normally its about 1.265 and during discharge it will drop to about 1.150 and the electrolyte will only be 17%.
 When recharged the battery will rise again to 36% electrolyte and about 1.265 again. As the battery gets old in normal batteries, the specific gravity will drop as the internal plates deteriorate and the useful amp hour rates also drop.
 For our PLANTE its the other way around. Our initial Amp Hour rate is not as good as a modern commercial battery, ie only about 1/3rd but over the many years it will be used the battery gets better until eventually all the lead plates internally are just a oxide paste. So we need to hold that oxide as long as we can, and not allow it to short out the cell within the battery itself. 

Thirdly, when first filled you will see that the Cell is Bi- sexual, ie, put your voltmeter leads on each plate, then remove the leads and swap them around and hay presto it gives  voltage the other way around as well.

Okay so we need to form the correct oxides to form on the correct plates. So to form we  charge at 20% to 23% voltage of the 2.3 volt cell and at 10% to 13% amps of the rated Amp hour capacity of that cell.

12 volt batteries in general are normally 6off 2.22v voltage cells with each 2.22v cell have about 7off 2,22v cells parallel connected to get the Amperage out put up of each of the 2.22 cells in the 12v battery.

Rated Amp hour capacity of your 2.22v cell for a PLANTE battery is defined roughly by surface area of each POSITIVE plate in that cell. So for your plates of 270mm x 180mm and at say 2mm thick, we need to know the plate weight to get the surface area that we can form to get the amp hour.  However a rough guide for your plates of one cell would be very approx. about, 7 to 9 amp hour for a kg of your size.

Discharge rates for PLANTE battery plate oxide forming.

Each of the 30 times minimum charge and discharge should be the same rates to form the correct Oxide. And remember the polarity should be reversed on each charge.

On the 31st charge you will then make the positive plates positive from then on.

Discharge during the initial oxide forming procedure should be about 10% of the battery capacity in voltage and amperage.

Whoops i have the oxide forming rates slightly wrong when i went through my figures. Sorry about that, but i wont edit the above as this is very much an experimental procedure so i always like to show mistakes, as i believe it helps others, and no one is flipping perfect.!     and its good to see if Bruce is still awake, hahahaha

Charge rates are slightly wrong in my above posts, sorry.

For our PLANTE battery designated at 1.5volts we need to .........

CHARGING the PLANTE battery.

Okay so we need to form the correct oxides to form on the correct plates. So to form correctly for the best attributes for the oxide, we charge at 20% to 23% over the designated, designated voltage for each of our cells is 1.5v volt cell. And at 10% to 13% of the amperage of the calculated rated Amp hour capacity of that cell.

So for our battery we will charge at 2.43volts and at 57amps.

Remember change the polarity for each of the 30 plus charges as you form the plates.


Discharge at 10% of the cell capacity, so for our 2.22volt 550ah PLANTE battery thats,
2.442volts and 55amps.

Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: clockmanFRA on March 14, 2022, 04:05:49 AM

Sorry I know it is a dumb question, I just want to make sure I understand 100% because obviously it affects the numbers when figuring out what to build and the cost of what to build.
Thanks.

At present the experimental phase of a PLANTE battery does not make it cost effective against comercial battery manufactureres.

However for me i need 48 off these 2v PLANTE batteries to get up somewhere near the 1000ah at 48v battery bank. And by 48 i should have got the PLANTE battery build about correct.

You will also find very negative comments from the commercial boys who quote their specs etc and how wonderful there products are and folk who know all the tech numbers etc.

Me i will plod along and publish here and other forums and be dammed.

I have in the past and about to again, upset certain manufacturers and organizations and some have Courts papers against me to not talk about their rubbish concepts and products.

 I am also on other forums as i have been banned for saying what I am doing.
 
Fortunately, this forum has no connection to the commercial boys that put undue pressure on them.

Thanks Fieldlines.

Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: Astro on March 14, 2022, 02:31:44 PM

Sorry I know it is a dumb question, I just want to make sure I understand 100% because obviously it affects the numbers when figuring out what to build and the cost of what to build.
Thanks.

At present the experimental phase of a PLANTE battery does not make it cost effective against comercial battery manufactureres.

However for me i need 48 off these 2v PLANTE batteries to get up somewhere near the 1000ah at 48v battery bank. And by 48 i should have got the PLANTE battery build about correct.

You will also find very negative comments from the commercial boys who quote their specs etc and how wonderful there products are and folk who know all the tech numbers etc.

Me i will plod along and publish here and other forums and be dammed.

I have in the past and about to again, upset certain manufacturers and organizations and some have Courts papers against me to not talk about their rubbish concepts and products.

 I am also on other forums as i have been banned for saying what I am doing.
 
Fortunately, this forum has no connection to the commercial boys that put undue pressure on them.

Thanks Fieldlines.
 
 
 Which is exactly why I asked if you were going to plate with pb304. The reason they do it that way is two fold. #1 it forms the oxide faster and so you do not need 30-40 charge discharges, But also, that is how they get by with less lead. The reason it is not much more cost effective to build your project is because of the much larger amount of lead you are using compared to them. They use expanded lead or screen type lead, however you want to say it and not a solid sheet and so it greatly reduces the amount of lead needed. Playing with some lead oxide in your plating process can reduce the amount of lead and therefore the cost to build. You can still go with larger plates then they do. You can still go with thicker plates so they last longer.  All the lead oxide will do is bring your battery up to it's potential faster, instead of waiting for the lead oxide to build up over 700 charge/discharges over a long period of time. So instead of waiting 4 years for your batteries to reach peak efficiency, and that is the point you really will need to decide dollar for dollar how your batteries compared to commercial, you will reach peak efficiency much sooner. If you use thicker lead then what they use and allow enough room for shedding, that layer will just shed off exposing a new layer of lead oxide and since they are thicker plates, they will not break down as fast as a commercial battery will.
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: Astro on March 20, 2022, 12:12:55 PM
Been thinking a lot about this project recently, while waiting for parts for my project. I have a couple ideas about it all, but am just trying to sort through them and figure out if they are good ideas of not. I know this much, at 4lb  per sq ft sheet (which is about the thickness you are using) and 8.25 inches by 24.75 inches for plate dimensions (I think that is about what you said), you should have 70 pounds or so of plates in this cell (with the 6 pos and 7 neg plates). OR was the 6 pos plates you mentioned being one pos plate per cell? The avg car battery has about 20-30 total pounds of lead, or about 3.5 to 5 pounds per cell. Even large 6 volt batteries that weigh 125 pounds probably have around 70 pounds of lead, or about 11-12 pounds per cell.
 Like I said, it seems like 70 pounds is a lot of lead for one cell. I mean in a few years when you get the oxidation up on all that lead, I think you are going to have a much larger capacity battery then you have projected. If using no paste on the positive plates yields a battery that is only 25% as efficient until it builds up the oxidization on the pos plates, you would need 4 times the lead TO START WITH (like you said it is only going to get better with time). If a large 6 volt is using 11 pounds per cell, 4 times would be 44 pounds per cell and just over half of the 70 pounds you are building.
 I am just running the numbers here, so I understand completely.
 After much thought, I think the biggest obstacle I can find in all this is the cost of a power supply. Because finding something that can put out 2-3 volts at 50-100 amps is not cheap. If it was not for that, I would be more apt to start collecting parts and give it a go.
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: Bruce S on March 21, 2022, 02:35:00 PM
Astro;
I think maybe you're missing the point of how & why ClockmanFRA is doing this project the way he is, which certainly neither the cheapest or lightest way.

It's not to beat the major battery builders at their own game. It's not to hurry to get the batteries formed so he can get them connected to his system.

It's to Firstly build them as close to the original build plans as possible and post that information here too (when he finds time, which is why you will not see a rapid response most of the time), this also allows the home-based DIY person to follow along and replicate what he's currently doing.

Bruce S
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: Astro on March 21, 2022, 06:39:06 PM
Astro;
I think maybe you're missing the point of how & why ClockmanFRA is doing this project the way he is, which certainly neither the cheapest or lightest way.

It's not to beat the major battery builders at their own game. It's not to hurry to get the batteries formed so he can get them connected to his system.

It's to Firstly build them as close to the original build plans as possible and post that information here too (when he finds time, which is why you will not see a rapid response most of the time), this also allows the home-based DIY person to follow along and replicate what he's currently doing.

Bruce S

 I understand what he is trying to do. I also am not expecting a response at any given time. I have projects that have taken years. Heck by the time it goes from "I am going to do this" to flying is going to take all of a year just for my mill, not counting storage or anything else.
 That said, I would like to understand his plate plans better for several reasons. First being having very long strips and just 3 of them, cuts way down on fab time and skills, tools and such. Second reason is I think you are going to want to put as many amps into charging this battery as you can. That is going to not play well with long strips and will make them want to warp. Personally, I would throw almost enough amps at charging them as you can without boiling or cooking the acid. I would charge by acid temp to determine amps. That tweek in the plating process will form the oxides much faster as it places maximum stress on the surface area of the plates.
 Like I said I have some thoughts on the project, but only sporadic and not totally thought about, because........... it's not my project. I am building a mill. :).
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: Astro on March 21, 2022, 07:26:03 PM
Astro;
I think maybe you're missing the point of how & why ClockmanFRA is doing this project the way he is, which certainly neither the cheapest or lightest way.

It's not to beat the major battery builders at their own game. It's not to hurry to get the batteries formed so he can get them connected to his system.

It's to Firstly build them as close to the original build plans as possible and post that information here too (when he finds time, which is why you will not see a rapid response most of the time), this also allows the home-based DIY person to follow along and replicate what he's currently doing.

Bruce S

 I understand what he is trying to do. I also am not expecting a response at any given time. I have projects that have taken years. Heck by the time it goes from "I am going to do this" to flying is going to take all of a year just for my mill, not counting storage or anything else.
 That said, I would like to understand his plate plans better for several reasons. First being having very long strips and just 3 of them, cuts way down on fab time and skills, tools and such. Second reason is I think you are going to want to put as many amps into charging this battery as you can. That is going to not play well with long strips and will make them want to warp. Personally, I would throw almost enough amps at charging them as you can without boiling or cooking the acid. I would charge by acid temp to determine amps. That tweek in the plating process will form the oxides much faster as it places maximum stress on the surface area of the plates.
 Like I said I have some thoughts on the project, but only sporadic and not totally thought about, because........... it's not my project. I am building a mill. :).

 That said, we are going to have to design a power supply that puts out 100 amps or so at 0-6 volts or so.  Maybe a control board for an old dc welder????
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: aka47 on April 29, 2022, 07:01:29 AM
A quick departure from the discussion to say thanks for having this post and the contribution, especially the works of the original poster.

The days of readily available lead acid batteries are numbered. Their cost effective availability is predicated on mass manufacturing and mass demand. Mostly automotive.

I guess it doesn't take much to see that the way technology and automation is going this going to produce a knock on effect on their availability and pricing.

Similar is unfortunately going to happen to a bunch of electronics components. For the same reasons. There is sufficient demand though for other purposes to make this one less of a crunch issue.

On commercial lead acid batteries I fully agree the issue with these for energy applications is their poor lifespan. Although they are initially cheaper than alternatives, once you figure in their life span as a total cost versus storage etc calculation they start to look like a poor option. I did these estimates recently to decide on buying in a quickly available (ish) battery store to better match solar production to energy consumption at home. AN ended up biting the bullet for some large Lifepo4 cells with a higher cycle spec.

So for me personally because of the above, I am very interested in what you are doing here as it has promise to provide a route to self sufficiency both for me and for others, that is independent of the changes that are happening around us.

On volume comparisons ie actual volume versus storage volume, a DIY unit may not be the best, but for a static application it becomes irrelevant so long as there are accessible containers and materials.

I like the idea of the better (more lead) plates as it plays into simplicity, accessibility (Roof flashing) and produces a greater lifespan. I will take a hit on my time and financial expenditure If I don't have to replace it much or again in my life time. We should be lazy like fox's.

Reading through the work that is being done here, and having got a quicker hit on my storage needs to sort me for the interim. I could see me building my next store using the methods above or similar. The longer life makes a big difference once you do a total cost of ownership study versus capacity on any potential solution. Physical size and volume other than as a hit on a materials budget is almost a non issue for static energy storage.

So in summary thanks and keep on with the project and it shoudl take as much time as it needs, it looks awesome to me.
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: aka47 on August 03, 2022, 09:52:46 AM
BTW, where did this one get to.

I was excited by what was being achieved and it seems to have dropped a little quiet. Happy to accept it is me not quite driving the forum correctly tho.

Did it work ??

Cheers
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: clockmanFRA on August 04, 2022, 12:12:50 PM
Sorry folks been rather busy here.

Masses of priority projects that need my urgent attention.

The hand roller is real good and works well at producing the correct grooves in the lead sheet.

I am at this moment in my spare time making a simple Base jig and stainless steel strip arrangement for the hand roller tool to form the fine grooves that are constant parallel to each other.  Also for doing the 90 degrees cross grooves.

Have also fleashed out the lead plates holding connectors and the case design is nearly sorted out.

A few pics of the hand roller lead sheet groove tool.

[attach=1]

[attach=2]
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: SparWeb on August 06, 2022, 09:49:34 PM
"Manche" printed on the wooden handle...

Are the French in the habit of labeling everything they possibly can?
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: clockmanFRA on August 07, 2022, 04:24:22 AM
Local Hardware shop here in the 'country'.

Looking at the large stack of wood handles this Hammer, 'Marteau' handle was nice and long and could take my 12mm stainless steel bolt up it,  yet would fit in one hand and the other hand could press down firmly on the stainless steel roller end.

Loads of handles there, but one stand of handles made me smile, 'HICKORY handles MADE IN CANADA'.     hahahaha.!
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: MattM on August 07, 2022, 09:33:21 AM
Does it have to be lead sheet or could you dope other sheet material to get the same results?
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: SparWeb on August 07, 2022, 01:10:16 PM
Quote
'HICKORY handles MADE IN CANADA'.

The best choice, of course.
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: clockmanFRA on August 07, 2022, 04:30:16 PM
MattM,

If you read this thread topic you will understand where we are going with this project and how we are improving the surface area in a modern simple way and also getting a better physically holding plates, and hold the appropriate lead oxides as we form them.

Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: JW on August 07, 2022, 05:04:19 PM
The thing about LA the plates can have "calcium" on the surface.
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: MattM on August 07, 2022, 07:34:25 PM
If you could find somebody with a good Pexto or Roper Whitney slip roller than you could slowly thin out sheets to paper thin fineness with some patience.  Copper could be grown 15% or so before any sign of stress cracking using cold rolling.  You could go 50% with the same copper if you used added heat and a bit of patience.  I imagine that lead is easier.
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: aka47 on August 09, 2022, 05:45:45 AM
Sorry folks been rather busy here.

Absolutely no apology for being busy is necessary.

I guess we are all doing stuff in and around our usual day stuff. Great to see where it s at, at the moment.
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: aka47 on August 09, 2022, 05:53:03 AM
If you could find somebody with a good Pexto or Roper Whitney slip roller than you could slowly thin out sheets to paper thin fineness with some patience.  Copper could be grown 15% or so before any sign of stress cracking using cold rolling.  You could go 50% with the same copper if you used added heat and a bit of patience.  I imagine that lead is easier.

If my understanding from reading the whole thread is correct thin is the enemy of good
in this project. The thinking at the moment seems to be that the lead plates turn into a porus-ish lead/sulfur/oxide compound over time. If there is no lead in the core to hold it together and pass the electrons the resulting mush stops working usefully. So the thickness is directly related to lifespan.

Thick and with an increased surface area through embossing is the desired objective. Kind of makes you wonder if there was some mileage in using a hydraulic jack and half a waffle iron with a stiff enough hard rubber pad to push the lead sheet into the waffle pattern.
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: aka47 on August 09, 2022, 06:02:40 AM
Oh and while I remember, a cost effective source of expanded plastic mesh may be a Scuba supplier.

We used to use it a lot as a sock over diving cylinders to stop them knocking together and chipping the protective pain layer when they were being slung about or rolling about on the deck of a boat.

I don't remember it being expensive and it was hard wearing whilst allowing the sea water to drain and dry out from around the steel cylinder. Almost definitely worth shopping around though if you were intending to buy a quantity. Someone was making/supplying it to the dive shops.

Googling (other search engines apply) for "Heavy Duty Cylinder Mesh" should turn up enough hits to illustrate what I am referring to.
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: SparWeb on August 10, 2022, 09:14:43 PM
Thin plates are also a trade-off between more current (thinner = more surface area) and tolerance of overheating (thicker = less warping).
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: MattM on August 10, 2022, 10:20:27 PM
They make copper sheet coated in lead.  I don't think you can overheat that stuff.  But it does come in nice fine thicknesses.
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: clockmanFRA on August 31, 2022, 07:41:28 AM
Okay chaps, moving to production stage.

There has been lots of design changes to the lead plate arrangement and testing the holding concepts, but after many revisions we are ready.   

Getting at a good price 69kgs of 6m long by 440 wide pure lead, thats 24 battery lead sheets.

Each 2v battery will have 13 sheets of the identical size and fastening and connecting arrangements.
Each sheet costs about $7.

In the photo below there is a plywood template for the lead sheets.

On top of the ply template is the stainless steel cutting frame for the cutting of the lead sheet to exact size each time,  and for a 48v battery pack i need 312off lead sheets.
Cutting the lead is 3 passes with a sharp thin  Stanley 1992 blade, works well.
A A2 cutting self healing Matt underneath.

Still keeping the design simple but robust.
I have the  PVC for the case but these can only be manufactured to exact size once the true thickness of the plates will be, as each plate gets a polythene thick sock and a MDPE 12mm square Matt between each plate and cell.

The MDPE garden fence comes in various mesh sizes but 12mm  or 'half an inch' seems a good compromise  at this stage as its stiff so will keep the plates separated yet but will allow very slight movement due to heat, discharge and charge conditions.

Should start production next week.

[attach=1]

[attach=2]
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: clockmanFRA on September 07, 2022, 03:22:52 AM
Making the lead plates.

Each is 525mm x 220mm x 3mm thick.     20 1/2 inch x  8 3/4 inch by  about 1/8 inch thick.

A few hundred to go.....

[attach=1]

[attach=2]
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: clockmanFRA on September 21, 2022, 01:50:55 AM
Thank you 'Bruce'.

The PLANTE battery  project is  still in progress, but this is breaking new grounds in so  many ways,  so its a gentle design and make,  experiment and test at  every stage of manufacture.

No complicated stuff and i am endeavouring to keep the making process as simple  as possible and without loads of complicated equipment.

Each 2v battery has 13 sheets of lead and that's 38kg of just lead sheet, then we need to cast the simple main bus bars.

At the moment i have started using the hand roller to put those 0.5mm deep lines into the 13 lead sheets, each battery is 13 sheets, but i am  making a simple Jig to keep the roller process simple and accurate as each plate needs to be uniform in its matrix or one cell out of the 6 cells will be uneven in output of its ah.

So now the roller jig has to be thought out, and yet simple for anyone to make. Its done now, but needs testing over and over again, and that it stays where the roller is rolled. 13 sheets for one battery, 24 batteries for a 48v system, hmm that's 312 sheets need rolling accurately.

Actually its only the two end plates in each battery only need rolling on one side only so that's 288 times x 2 , both sides of each sheet giving the roller jig 576 times it will roll a side of lead for a 48v battery pack. So this roller jig is VERY important to get correct.
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: ruddycrazy on September 21, 2022, 06:04:56 AM
Hi Bryan,
              Making jig for imprinting the grid on the plates so a rinse and repeat method can be adopted isn't really rocket science and just a bit of thought is needed to nut out the design.

Now to drive the imprint roller it's going to need some grunt so a dual chain drive connected on a shaft at each end of the jig and the chain can be connected to a centre pad that holds the imprint roller. Just use a 24 volt DC truck wiper motor as the power source and speed control will be an easy task. At the end of each stroke we need to index the roller to the next position.

One end of the jig can be connected by a hinge set to the full imprint height and the other end can be an adjuster to set the roller pressure, so either light pressure can be used or heavier so the final pass height is determined.

Anyway first thoughts and in the morning I can sketch up a concept for you to follow, as we have to have a day off tomorrow the yard arm did arrive early this week.

Cheers Bryan
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: clockmanFRA on September 21, 2022, 11:11:04 AM
Hi ruddycrazy,

If you look earlier  in this  topic i  decided to do a hand roller at  about 25mm  wide, as at  this width and one hand pressing down firmly and the other on the handle the 0.5mm deep at 0.5mm wide and spaced at  2mm work well. Its just ensuring that the roller stays on course on each pass. Then you do the same at 90 degrees to create a grid .

This way its very easy to  do by hand and no big machines are used. Also lead is easy to deform and that's why i stuck with just 25mm widths with the roller, so deformation of the lead is minimum.

Its about  making these with very basic equipment for the ordinary RE person  wherever they are on this planet.

Mrs got me an old DEUTZ  D30S,  made 1963, 1700cc twin air  cooled diesel  Tractor, so i can now also cut our 8.5 acres of grass. As if i  haven't anything much  to do, yea right. lol
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: Bruce S on September 22, 2022, 10:19:20 AM
"Mrs got me an old DEUTZ  D30S,  made 1963, 1700cc twin air  cooled diesel  Tractor, so i can now also cut our 8.5 acres of grass. As if i  haven't anything much  to do, yea right. lol "

I thought you already had quadrupedal echo-friendly lawn munchers? They not holding up their end of the bargain?

 >:D
Bruce S

 
   
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: clockmanFRA on September 22, 2022, 11:27:31 AM
All got that dose of shollinberg lurgy and all offspring died at birth or soon after.

We will get some more, but what we want on our terms, the last lot of sheep were 'Rouge West' a french breed. But they were ruffians.
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: clockmanFRA on February 15, 2023, 11:33:54 AM
Feb 2023. How to make your own, 440amp hour, PLANTE lead acid batteries.

The more you use a PLANTE battery the better it gets, and it lasts many decades.

The project is still progressing.
Just a few photos and updates.

We have 14 lead plates in each battery the photos show the Lead plate surface roller making the 0.5mm depth  grid pattern into each surface and on both sides.

I am trying to keep this process simple and can be done with simple tools by anyone, anywhere on this Planet.

Remember we want the surface of the lead to turn to lead oxide so the amperage can be good from the word go, rather than awaiting many years for the battery cell to get to 440amp hour.

Also, as you can see with this simple modern method, we increase the surface-active area considerably by using the roller method.

[attach=1]

[attach=2]

[attach=3]



Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: clockmanFRA on February 15, 2023, 11:39:26 AM
Rolling the grid vertically.

[attach=1]

[attach=2]

[attach=3]
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: Bruce S on February 16, 2023, 09:03:36 AM
It's not until I took a look at the measuring tape that I realized just how big these are!

Nice layout too, looks easy enough to do

Cheers
Bruce S
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: clockmanFRA on March 07, 2023, 03:07:42 PM
Yes, they are a good size Bruce.

On average, using the rolling jig and tool, each plate takes about 30 minutes.

However, dont push down to hard or the lead plates get stretched by the roller action.
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: JW on January 30, 2024, 12:10:44 AM
this is advanced stuff
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: JW on January 30, 2024, 12:25:31 AM
Quote
https://www.fieldlines.com/index.php/topic,150445.msg1061563.html#msg1061563
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: clockmanFRA on March 22, 2024, 05:13:04 PM
March 2024.

Case design now confirmed.

Insulators and plate seperators now confirmed.

Battery terminals and plate connections now confirmed.
.....

Please find this simple reply regards what’s going on in a 2v cell at the active lead DIOXIDE level for the IFLA and PLante cells.


This will form, after re-editing etc, part of my ‘How to Make a modern Plante 2v 450ah lead acid battery’ book.
I always try to write and explain and show with picks what’s practically going on. I have concerns that some groups are guessing and starting to spout rubbish about the humble 2v lead acid cell, so hopefully my below comments will straighten a few folks out.

........... Each 2v volt cell has a charge and discharge rate and this depends on several factors.

1. The structure of the matrix grid plates and the ratio between the supporting lead that is a basic PLANTE forming, and the composition of the LEAD DIOXIDE that is already made and pasted into the lead matrix that gives a higher Amp Hour holding capacity from the word go.

2. It is very important to recharge and reform the lead oxide at a suitable rate.   Eg, like electroplating, to quick and the plating does not form and adhere well.   The same with lead dioxide, make it efficient and give good ah output, then its short lived. Make the dioxide paste longer lasting but less preforming ah output, and more stable, then welcome to the IFLA as the lead plate matrix is very, very thick and holds the Oxide paste firmly.
BUT excessive constant charge on a individual 2v cell and the lead oxide that is pasted into the grid matrix will be disrupted, especially where it rests in the lead matrix grid, and then the precious lead oxide paste will shed and drop out.

3. With the IFLA batteries the lead matrix grid plates hold the lead dioxide tight, but the lead dioxide is fragile. The lead holding grid it self will also form the correct dioxide over many (over 40) charge recharges, and slowly integrate with the dioxide pastes. BUT CONSTANTLY GETTING THE CHARGE RATE WRONG AND THE PŔECIOUS LEAD DIOXIDE PASTE WILL START SHEDDING as the bond will be broken.

IN CONCLUSION. Some of you are aware of my R&D experiments and builds on a new modern form of the old pure lead PLANTE lead acid 2v 450ah battery. Forming the pure lead sheet surface into a active lead dioxide mush, but making this surface dioxide mush stable and yet giving good AH output rates, is mind boggling, as the variables that require experimentation and calculation are vast.
Oh yea, and these 13 plate 2v PLANTE cells of mine are all designed around a DIY context and constructed with simple tools.

So bear with me guys as i examine and publish a useful definitive practical guide to the humble 2v lead acid cell.
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: MattM on March 23, 2024, 08:20:59 AM
Sounds pretty interesting.  Are you aiming for trickle charging or do these have a fair rate they can form the oxides?
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: clockmanFRA on March 23, 2024, 12:20:55 PM
2.47 is the charge voltage.

What the amps are for the new from of PLANTE battery 2v cell is not yet exactly defined until the cell is forming stage, then the amperage will slowly need to be advanced until around about 30 to 40 charges and discharges, as the lead dioxide is formed on the surface of each of the 12 cells that are in each 2v battery.

Discharge is also not perfectly defined yet.

So a fair bit of testing to do to correctly form a good lead dioxide that holds well in the surface structure.
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: clockmanFRA on March 24, 2024, 05:46:21 AM
New Modern version concept PLANTE.

The PLANTE method forms the lead surface, microscopic level, into a lead dioxide on each charge /discharge.

Subsequent charge /discharge builds up the lead dioxide. 30 to 40 charge/discharges builds sufficient dioxide for the battery to become sufficiently useful for full time use.

However, doing 0.5mm rolled groves into bare 98% pure lead sheet increases the active area of the created lead dioxide by over 100% surface area improvement.

I have, over the decades experimented building 2v lead acid cells. So gained a fair bit of active hands on experience.

Just having a deep grooved lead sheet plates is not helping us achieve a low cost PLANTE battery, so hence me making a judgment of lead sheet thickness for internal strength and support, plus sufficient depth of rolled grooves to form the lead dioxide and offer a larger surface area of the active cell and importantly these groves will hold the active lead dioxide in place.

Again, its getting the variables all to line up to create a cost effective battery that is simple to make by anybody

Eventually our new PLANTE battery will get better and better amp hours and the lead plates slowly all turn to lead dioxide active mush.
In Theory, and others reckon, at my thickness of plates then a 20 year life is expected. Make the lead plated to thick then the dioxide is slower to form.
Again, its the charge rate that is important as the lead dioxide is formed.

Modern IFLA have thick lead matrix plates into which the manufacturers paste the ready formed lead dioxide.
My new modern version of the PLANTE battery won't give the same amp hour output as a IFLA at first.
But because of me doubling the acting surface area of our lead sheet, then amp hour output will be very good compared to a simple standard PLANTE cell.

Modern IFLA thick lead matrix plates for holding the lead dioxide are normally cast formed, so that is just not possible to make simple lead molds for a DIY battery making

Also manufactures hide where and what is actually in the lead dioxide pastes. As i have said before "its chemists delight", and not easy for a DIY build.
 
Our modern version of the old PLANTE battery dioxide forming and using, should be a big leap forward.
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: MattM on March 24, 2024, 09:47:46 AM
Perhaps you need the equivalent of an expanded steel sheet but in lead?
Or maybe would a steel wool equivalent work better?  Lots of surface area I assume is important, but needs to be decently saturated or permeable by the electrolyte medium.
Title: Re: Making large PLANTE lead acid Batteries.
Post by: tanner0441 on March 24, 2024, 02:22:10 PM
Hi

I have been reading your post and I am impressed with your perseverance. you roll grooves into the plates to increase surface area and give a key for the lead oxides to adhere to, would sand blasting do the same thing? Careful experimenting with pressure and grit size i would imagine give comparable results.

Brian.