The Analysis of Battery Technical Terms(一)

AC:?Alternating current; current flows in both directions. Household current is AC.?

Acid:?Compound in a battery that promotes electrochemical reaction.

AGM:?Absorbent Glass Mat is a lead acid battery that uses a glass mat to promote the recombination of gases produced by the charging process.

Allotrope:?Two or more forms of the same element in the same physical state (solid, liquid, gas) that differ from each other in physical and sometimes chemical properties.

Ampere-hours:?Symbol Ah is a unit of charge. Example: Drawing a current of one ampere (1A) from a battery for one hour (1h) equates in one ampere-hour (1Ah).

Anode:?Electrode on which oxidation occurs; releases electrons on discharge. When applying power to a device (vacuum tube, diode, battery on charge), the anode is positive; taking power away on discharge turns the anode to negative.

Antimony:?Used in lead acid batteries to improve mechanical strengths of lead plates and enhances performance. Other uses are flame proofing, producing low friction applications, and building semiconductors.

ASoC:?Absolute state-of-charge; ability to take specified charge when the battery is new.

ASoH:?Absolute state-of-health; ability to store specified energy when the battery is new.

Barrel:?Measuring unit for liquids (oil); 1 barrel has 42 US gallons, 35 Imperial gallons, 159 liters.

Battery:?Electrochemical cell, or cells, connected in series (some in parallel); composed of the anode (negative electrode), cathode (positive electrode), separator and electrolyte as catalyst.

Battery cycle:?Charge followed by a discharge and recharge. No standard exists as to level of charge and discharge to constitute a cycle.

BESS:?Battery energy storage system (also known as ESS)

BMS:?Battery Management System used inside or outside a battery to manage charge, discharge and provide SoC; forms an essential part to assure battery longevity and safety.

Bluetooth:?Low-power radio communications up to 10 meters (30 feet). Bluetooth borrowed the name from Harald Bluetooth, a Danish king who lived more than 1,000 years ago.

Boolean bit:?System of symbolic logic devised by George Boole in the 1840s; used in computers.

Button cell:?Miniaturized battery also known as coin cell. Most are non-rechargeable.

Capacitance:?Unit measuring the electrical charge in a capacitor (condenser), measured in farad (f).

Capacitor:?Component consisting of two conductive surfaces separated by an insulator. Passes AC; indefinite resistance for DC; voltage lags behind the current (opposite of a coil).

Capacity:?Electrical energy of a battery in ampere-hours (Ah). The stored energy is measured by observing the elapsed time while discharging at a constant current to the end-of-discharge voltage. The capacity is the leading health indicator of a battery.