Frequently Asked Question(s)
Frequently Asked Question (FAQ)
A battery can be any device that stores energy for later use. The word battery is limited to an electrochemical device that converts chemical energy into electricity, by use of a galvanic cell. A galvanic cell is a simple device consisting of two electrodes – positive & negative and an electrolyte solution. Batteries consist of one or more galvanic cells with a potential difference between the electrodes.
There are Basically two types of batteries.
- Primary (non-rechargeable) - A Primary Battery is one of the simple and convenient sources of power for several portable electronic and electrical devices like lights, cameras, watches, toys, radios etc. As they cannot be recharged electrically, they are of “use it and when discharged, discard it” type.
- Secondary (rechargeable) - A Secondary Battery is also called a Rechargeable Battery as they can be electrically recharged after discharge. The chemical status of the electrochemical cells can be “recharged” to their original status by passing a current through the cells in the opposite direction of their discharge.
Common Secondary Battery Types
Two of the oldest batteries are in fact secondary batteries called the Lead – Acid Batteries, which were developed in late 1850’s and Nickel – Cadmium Batteries, which were developed in the early 1900’s. In the recent decades, two new types of rechargeable batteries have emerged. They are the Nickel – Metal Hydride Battery and the Lithium – Ion Battery. Of these two, the lithium – ion battery came out to be a game changer and became commercially superior with its high specific energy and energy density figures (150 Wh / kg and 400 Wh / L).
There are some other types of Secondary Batteries but the four major types are:
- Lead – Acid Batteries
- Nickel – Cadmium Batteries
- Nickel – Metal Hydride Batteries
- Lithium – Ion Batteries
