Lead acid battery de-sulfation

• US 20100117604A1
• Filed: 11/09/2009
• Published: 05/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bravo Zulu International Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Bravo Zulu International Ltd.
• Inventors: Zeier, Bruce Eric
• Granted Patent: US 8,330,428 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/166
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/06 Lead-acid accumulators semi-lead accumulators H01M10/20
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/4242 Regeneration of electrolyte or reactants
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0069 Charging or discharging for charge maintenance, battery initiation or rejuvenation
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries

Abstract

A de-sulfating device including a plurality of capacitive discharge channels selectively activatable by a control board to provide a pulse wave modulated de-sulfating current to a lead-acid battery. Some exemplary embodiments may provide a de-sulfating current comprising a repeating pattern including an about 0.75 ms ON pulse followed by an about 4.5 ms OFF period, which may be applied to the battery at an operator-adjustable peak amperage of about 0-350 amps. The extent of sulfation of the battery may be ascertained by measuring the impedance of the battery.

Claims

1. A method of de-sulfating a battery comprising:

connecting a de-sulfating device to a battery;

applying electrical pulses to the battery using the de-sulfating device, the pulses including a repeating pattern including an about 0.1-1.5 ms ON pulse followed by an about 1-6 ms OFF period.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the ON pulse is about 0.4-0.85 ms and the OFF period is about 2.5-5.5 ms.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the ON pulse is about 0.75 ms and the OFF period is about 4.5 ms.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the operation of connecting the de-sulfating device to the battery comprises electrically connecting conductors between the de-sulfating device and at least one of an individual cell of the battery and terminals of the battery, wherein the terminals are electrically connected across a plurality of cells of the battery.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the operation of applying electrical pulses to the battery using the de-sulfating device includes selectively repeatedly activating a plurality of channel power pack modules electrically connected between an alternating current source and the battery;

wherein, when activated, an individual channel power pack module provides one ON pulse to the battery.

6. The method of claim 5,

wherein the plurality of channel power pack modules includes a first channel power pack module and a second channel power pack module;

and

wherein the operation of applying electrical pulses to the battery using the de-sulfating device includes alternately activating the first channel power pack module and the second channel power pack module.

7. The method of claim 5,

wherein the individual channel power pack module includes a rectifier electrically connected to the alternating current source, a capacitor electrically connected to the output of the rectifier, a switching device electrically coupled to the capacitor, and a diode electrically coupled to the switching device, the diode being electrically connected to the battery;

and

wherein the operation of applying electrical pulses to the battery using the de-sulfating device includes

rectifying, using the rectifier, alternating current supplied by the alternating current source to produce direct current;

charging the capacitor using the direct current; and

discharging the capacitor to the battery by selectively allowing conduction through the switching device.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the operation of discharging the capacitor to the battery by selectively allowing conduction through the switching device includes

determining, by a master control board, that the switching device should allow conduction, including ascertaining that a plurality of safety conditions are satisfied and is based at least partially upon a pulse signal received from a frequency generator;

and

signaling, by the master control board, the switching device to allow conduction.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the alternating current source includes a variable voltage alternating current source;

and wherein the method includes adjusting an output voltage of the variable voltage alternating current source to obtain a desired peak amperage of the pulses.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining that de-sulfation of the battery is substantially complete by measuring an impedance of the battery.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the impedance of the battery is determined at least in part from a difference between a root-mean-square amperage of the pulses and a peak amperage of the pulses.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the operation of applying electrical pulses to the battery using the de-sulfating device includes applying an ON pulse having a peak amperage of about 20-30 amps.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the operation of applying electrical pulses to the battery using the de-sulfating device includes applying an ON pulse having a peak amperage of about 40-90 amps.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the operation of applying electrical pulses to the battery using the de-sulfating device includes applying an ON pulse having a peak amperage of about 40-150 amps.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the operation of applying electrical pulses to the battery using the de-sulfating device includes applying an ON pulse having a peak amperage of about 130-350 amps.

16. A battery de-sulfation device comprising:

an alternating current source;

output conductors configured for electrical connection to a battery;

a plurality of channel power pack modules electrically interposing the alternating current source and the output conductors, each channel power pack module including

a rectifier electrically connected to the alternating current source,

a capacitor electrically connected to an output of the rectifier,

a switching device electrically connected to the capacitor, and

a diode electrically connected to the output of the switching module; and

a master control board operative to control a conduction state of each of the switching devices;

wherein the master control board is configured to control the conduction states of the switching devices to provide a pulsed direct current output to the battery.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein the alternating current source is a variable voltage alternating current source, and wherein a voltage output from the variable voltage alternating current source is adjustable by an operator.

18. The device of claim 16, wherein the master control board is configured to control the conduction states of the switching devices to provide a pulsed direct current output to the battery including a repeating pattern including approximately 0.75 ms ON pulses interposed by approximately 4.5 ms OFF periods.

19. The device of claim 16, further comprising

a peak amperage indicator providing an indication of a peak amperage provided to the battery;

an average amperage indicator providing an indication of a root-mean-square amperage provided to the battery; and

an impedance indicator providing an indication of an impedance of the battery;

wherein the impedance is determined at least in part by ascertaining a difference between the peak amperage provided to the battery and the root-mean-square amperage provided to the battery.

20. The device of claim 16, wherein the master control board is configured to control the conduction states of the switching devices associated with the first channel power pack module and the second channel power pack modules alternately such that each of the first channel power pack module and the second channel power pack module outputs a repeating pattern including an about 0.75 ms ON pulse followed by an about 9.75 ms OFF period and, together, the first channel power pack module and the second channel power pack module provide to the battery a repeating pattern including an about 0.75 ms ON pulse followed by an about 4.5 ms OFF period.