Discharge and Maintenance of Primary Batteries

One of the important advantages of primary batteries eonsists of very simple maintenance procedures. Most such batteries require no servicing. Before a battery is switched on, its appearance and the remaining service life are checked sometimes actual parameters are measured (open-circuit voltage (OCV) and the initial discharge voltage). Correct polarity and reliable contacts must be ensured a violation of polarity correspondence may result in serious disorders and even in the breakdown of load circuitry, especially circuits involving transistors and electrolytic capacitors. 

The electrical conditions of cell operation are determined by the load schedule. Typically, primary batteries are used with complicated, and often arbitrary, loading schedules. The current drain of a transistor radio battery, for example, is a function of the volume setting the times of turning the set on and off are arbitrary. Batteries in electronic watches and pacemakers are loaded continuously but the discharge current is pulsed. The cases of continuous discharge to a constant load are rather infrequent. 

Electrochemical Power Sources Batteries, Fuel Cells, and Supercapacitors, First Edition. Vladimir S. Bagotsky, Alexander M. Skundin, and Yurij M. Volfkovich 2015 John Wiley Sons, Inc. Published 2015 by John Wiley Sons, Inc. 

Most of the primary batteries have high internal resistance, so that brief external short-circuiting is unlikely to produce extensive damage. 

Certain types of primary batteries require more complicated handling. Thus, reserve batteries need to be activated before discharging may begin. In low-temperature conditions, a battery often has to be warmed up. Detailed manuals are supplied with cells and batteries for all these situations. 

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