A NOTE ON COMPARATIVE FEATURES OF LEAD-ACID AND NI-CAD

BATTERIES

The question is often raised as to which of the two battery systems, lead acid or nickel
cadmium is the better? It would be appropriate to point out that both have been around
for now more than 100 years and it is evident that these two systems would continue to
dominate the storage battery market for some more years in the future too.

This indicates that neither of the two is the ‘better’. It is from application to application,
from individual requirement to requirement that either of the two systems would offer ‘a
superior solution’

A basic comparison of the features of the two systems is given as follows:

1. Differences arising out of difference in individual cell voltage:

A Ni-Cd cell has an open circuit voltage of only 1.2 volts whereas that of a lead-
acid is 2.0 volts. The practical consequences arising out of this are :

a) Increased investment cost for Ni-Cd batteries of similar capacities vis-à-

vis that of lead-acid.
b) Increased maintenance cost with Ni-Cd because of the larger no. of cells
to be supervised.

2. Differences arising out of the difference in the basic electrochemical

reactions.

Without really going into much of the electrochemistry of the two systems, it
would be appropriate to point out the practical differences which arise out of them
as

a) Lead acid batteries do not require frequent equalization charge and in some
cases even require no equalization charge at least in standby application.
b) Lead acid system can reach full state of charge even at the float voltage
recharge level.
c) Ni-Cd systems can be fully charged only at an elevated recharged voltage of
1.55 volts per cell.
d) Ni-Cd systems require regular equalizing charge to maintain full capacity in
float conditions since charge retention of this system is rather poor.
e) Ni-Cd systems do not reach full capacity when recharged at elevated
temperature which is once again due to the fact that charge retention becomes
even poorer at higher temperatures.
3. Differences arising out of the difference in the role of electrolyte

In a lead-acid system the electrolyte i.e. sulfuric acid participates in the

electrochemical reaction whereas in a Ni-Cd the electrolyte remains passive. This
leads to the following practical consequences:

A certain minimum gap has to be maintained between the pos and neg
electrodes in order to accommodate a desired amount of electrolyte which
would be sufficient to carry out the electrochemical reaction. There is
obviously no such requirement in a Ni-Cd system. This increased gap
however leads to higher internal resistance in the lead acid and therefore a
marginally lower high rate discharge performance is obtained from the
lead acid.

On the other hand because of the participation of the electrolyte, the

sulfuric acid in a lead acid system goes through a variation of
concentration, and therefore its specific gravity, at various states of
charge. It is highest in the fully charged condition and lowest in the fully
discharged condition. This means that for a lead-acid system the
measurement of electrolyte sp. Gravity provides with an easy and accurate
tool for monitoring the state of charge of the battery. In a Ni-Cd system
because of the non-participation of electrolyte in the electrochemical
reaction there is no means to assess the state of health of an individual cell
whilst they are in service and on float charge.

4. Differences arising in charge/discharge profiles

The principal difference in the discharge profile of the two systems can be given
as follows:

Specific Energy Life (Cycles) Cost

(Wh/Kg) at 80% DOD

Lead Acid = 40 = 1500 Low

Ni-Cd = 45 = 2500 Med-High

In general therefore on discharge the basic features of both the systems are similar
except that Ni-Cd gives a longer cycle life and slightly improved high rate
performance

The principal difference arises in the recharge efficiency of the two wherein the
recharge of a Ni-Cd is fraught with risks. This is because Ni-Cd batteries require
more overcharge than lead-acid batteries and therefore more heat is generated.
 This means that Ni-Cd charging can only be done with very controlled charging
methods otherwise there is always a risk of thermal runaway.

5. Memory Effect

Of major significance is the so called memory effect of Ni-Cd systems. The

memory effect in a battery is the tendency of the system to adjust its electrical
properties to a certain duty cycle to which it has been subjected for an extended
period of time. For instance, if a battery has been cycled to a certain depth of
discharge over a large number of cycles, then on a subsequent normal discharge
the battery will not give more capacity than that corresponding to the previously
applied cycling regime. The memory effect becomes progressively more
pronounced as the number of charge/ discharge cycle increases. The effect is
more likely to occur when the amount of overcharge in each cycle is small and the
rate of discharge is high. Also, elevated temperature will accelerate the
development of the memory effect.

This so called memory effect can however be erased by a full discharge followed
by a full charge and is thus a temporary effect but the risk is that in between such
maintenance charge/discharge if an emergency occurs the Ni-Cd systems fails.
The question of reliability of Ni-Cd in critical applications has therefore always
remained as suspect.

6. Price : It is already mentioned that no technology is the perfect solution for all
applications. Besides other parameters as explained above, the price is also a very
important factor. We give below a comparison of cost of various types of batteries
of similar rating.

SMF VRLA Lead-acid HR Lead-acid Lead-acid Ni-Cd

Tubular OPzS Plante’
Price (Rs.) x 1.20x-1.40x 1.40x-1.60x 2.5x-3.5x 3x-5x