Jun 05, 2020 Pageview:2096
Who would have believed in olden days when the charging of batteries would become a critical task in people’s everyday lives, both privately and professionally. This is due to the reason that we have become accustomed to sophisticated batteries in vehicles and other electronic items. These vehicles and machines are in demand in terms of services, and we enjoy their performance thoroughly.
It is not only charging a battery that is necessary, but what is essential is the right battery charger. Most of us not engineers or technically sound people, but still, the minimum we can do is to charge the battery in proper time so that to get the uninterrupted supply of services.?
Why is it necessary to charge the batteries?
The lead-acid battery needs proper charging to maintain it so that one can expect a good battery life.
It’s a good investment, monetarily. So to replace the charger is less costly than replacing the battery.
If we want our car or other machine starts as and when needed, regular charging is the way to do so.
It is environmentally friendly as unnecessary buy, and increasing waste collection is not good.
Many vehicles and modern equipment get discharged when not in use. So charging is necessary.
What are the main safety requirements of the battery charging room?
Battery room safety is everyone’s business who so ever is using the battery. You need to understand a few things about battery charging, and the charging area should be safe and sound. Here are some safety tips that you can adopt so that there are occupational safety and health administration.?
1.Design feature
The first thing to be careful about is the battery room is designed for safety. It should be airy with a proper air ventilation system. The battery stand should be coated to withstand acid, and rollers should be spark-proof. The floor of the room should be flat with level concrete, with acid and impact resistant coating. Safety requirement items like eye precaution kit and personal protective gear should be handy and also labeled clearly.
2.Material handling equipment’s
The weight itself is the battery’s greatest hazards. Use specially designed battery handling equipment like battery cart or carriage, which should be present in your battery room.?
3.Lift trucks necessary during change-out
Make sure that when the transfer of battery is done, lift trucks are used for safety. Battery should be kept appropriately and transferred during the change-out process.
4.Personal protective gears
Battery room staff or members should wear protective clothing to avoid any risk of contact with the electrolyte. The activities required are battery watering, washing battery case, and mixing electrolyte. Please remember to pour acid in water and NEVER water into acid.
5.Training
There is specific training that is provided by professionals who handle the battery. They can tell you the safety tips and also knowledge about maintaining a safe workplace for the battery.
You must learn how to handle batteries as there is a lot of inconveniences that can be there if you dropbox of acid and lead. The electrolyte that provides the electrochemical process is dangerous stuff. It mainly comprises of sulphuric acid. If you have enough knowledge, you can avoid accidents or mishandling.
How much ventilation does a battery need?
So by now, we know that battery stores electricity in the form of chemical energy. This chemical energy is converted to electrical energy as and when required by us. These batteries consist of plates that are filled with acid electrolyte. When we charge the battery, it emits hydrogen gas through small pours in battery. In normal circumstances, the hydrogen gas emission is relatively small, but when we are talking about heavy recharge periods, battery room ventilation is a must.
Hydrogen, when gets mixed with oxygen, is a very explosive reaction. The lightweight accumulates above the oxygen, and there is no proper ventilation, a build-up can occur. In extreme conditions, there can be a battery room explosion in case of insufficient ventilation of the battery room. Hydrogen is also hazardous to health. It may cause skin burns and eye issues.
So the explosion occurring depends on how many batteries are present, the charging rate, the size of the room where batteries are kept, and the ventilation available. So it is advised that the hydrogen concentration level should be kept below 1% to avoid the risk of explosion. Even mechanical ventilation by using of exhaust fan is recommended.?
Ventilation should be ideally placed at high points and also low points in the battery room to encourage forced ventilation. A corrosion-resistant good branded exhaust fan is ideal for the battery room.
What gas is released during battery charging?
Power batteries produce hydrogen gas at an 80 % recharge point, making proper ventilation in the battery charging area extremely crucial. Hydrogen is a colorless gas, and lighter than air, causing the gas to rise to the top of the battery room. So the concentration of hydrogen should be kept below 1% to reduce the risk of explosion.
Sulphuric acid has hydrogen sulfide, which is a by-product of overcharging and battery decomposition. If during the process or before you find the odour of rotten egg in the charging area, this is a hazardous gas. Any person in the area should immediately leave the battery room. It would be best if you stepped in after using a gas detector that there is no presence of hydrogen sulfide gas.
Especially when the battery is old, heavily corroded, or damaged can produce hydrogen sulfide gas. So deteriorated, old and damaged batteries should be replaced. During charging batteries produces oxygen and hydrogen. These gases are produced by electrolysis of water from an aqueous solution of sulphuric acid. You need to add water to wet, non-sealed batteries. It can produce the formation of hydrogen in large quantities that is hazardous. That is why proper ventilation in the room where batteries are kept should be there. Also, the room should additionally have an exhaust fan to promote removing of hazardous gas. Also, proper monitoring should be done while there is charging taking place.
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