PS Magazine - TB 43-PS-720
PS, The Preventative Maintenance Monthly
ISSUE 720
NOVEMBER 2012
53
PS 720
NOV 12
Energy density:
amount of energy stored in a given space per unit volume
Capacity:
amount of energy a battery can deliver in a single discharge
(normally expressed in ampere hours)
•
As the temperature falls, chemical reactions in batteries slow. A cold-soaked battery
takes a sharp drop in energy. Depending on how much power your equipment draws,
a battery may be too weak to power or even start equipment. Also, a cold battery
recharges slowly because of the slowed chemical reactions.
•
Compared to a charged battery, a
discharged
battery is more likely to
suffer damage because of freezing.
Never try to recharge a frozen battery.
Thaw it completely before recharging.
•
When discharged, a
lead–acid battery
becomes vulnerable to freezing. It
doesn’t charge well when cold, and
it loses power at low temperatures.
But a lead-acid battery is cheap. And
it’s widely used in the Army’s vehicles
and construction equipment in cold
weather.
Make it a practice to warm up a
lead–acid battery before cold starting
an engine or charging the battery.
Check your equipment TM and
operator’s manual for cold weather
starting instructions. Also check the
manuals to see if your equipment
comes with a heating blanket. If you
don’t have a heating blanket, remove
the battery and bring it indoors to
warm up.
Keep your batteries fully charged
to lower the freezing temperature of
the battery acid. That helps prevent
damage from freezing.
•
At low temperatures, a
nickel–cadmium
(NiCd)
battery works better than a
lead–acid one. It’s not likely to freeze,
and it has better cranking power.
But it costs more. NiCd batteries are
commonly found on aircraft.
Batteries…
Baby,
It’s
Cold
Outside!
Lead-acid batteries…
NiCds
resist
freezing
…are widely used in Army vehicles
arm
yourself
with cold-
weather
knowledge.
ponder a
few battery
principles as
you ride out
the winter…
it’s
cold
out
there…
…and we don’t mean
‘brisk autumn
afternoon break out your varsity
sweater and pom poms’
cold.
we’re talking
‘dead of
winter, icebound, deep freeze,
brutal, howling wind, driven
snow, numbing, bitter, bone-
chilling, I want my mommy!’
cold.
the kind of
cold that can
drain the
life
out of your
batteries.
720 52-53.indd
1-2
10/2/12
5:11 PM
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