Battery Developments?

[PaulG]

 

??

'Tom Scott, Professor in Materials in the University’s Interface Analysis Centre and a member of the Cabot Institute, said: “There are no moving parts involved, no emissions generated and no maintenance required, just direct electricity generation. By encapsulating radioactive material inside diamonds, we turn a long-term problem of nuclear waste into a nuclear-powered battery and a long-term supply of clean energy.”'

 

http://www.bristol.ac.uk/news/2016/november/diamond-power.html

[MtB]

I think Tony was meaning to highlight the contradiction between the claim there are 'no emissions' with the statement that they are radioactive. Radioactivity being the emission of all manner of rays and subatomic particles IIRC.

 

I'm surprised and curious though to read that diamonds constrain the radioactivity to within these batteries. We normally only hear of lead or thick concrete being used for that.

 

Edit to add:

 

Now I've skimmed through the paper nothing in the above is quite correct!

Edited December 15, 2016 by Mike the Boilerman

[WotEver]

I think Tony was meaning to highlight the contradiction between the claim there are 'no emissions' with the statement that they are radioactive. Radioactivity being the emission of all manner of rays and subatomic particles IIRC.

 

I'm surprised and curious though to read that diamonds constrain the radioactivity to within these batteries. We normally only hear of lead or thick concrete being used for that.

 

Yes and yes

[MtB]

 

Yes and yes

 

 

Have a read of the paper. It appears the diamonds are man made and actually produce a current in the presence of radiation. There is FAR more to it than the journalist-like misleading oversimplifications in PaulG's post.

[Keith M]

There is a new development which is already available Lead Crystal batteries

 

I had a selection of this batteries on my stand at Crick 2016.

 

In terms of price they are between Gel and lithium Ion

 

Keith

[mross]

Radioactivity has long been used to power Rovers. And Land rovers.

 

http://mars.nasa.gov/msl/mission/technology/technologiesofbroadbenefit/power/

[PaulG]

 

There is a new development which is already available Lead Crystal batteries

 

I had a selection of this batteries on my stand at Crick 2016.

 

In terms of price they are between Gel and lithium Ion

 

Keith

 

With the greatest of respect, that is not really a "new battery".

It's just an AGM battery.

[WotEver]

Reading the article it turns out that these batteries are (currently) tiny. Taking the example of the 1g battery that they give, you would require around 320,000 of them to give the same usable capacity as a single 110Ah LA battery. Okay, perhaps they could make 10g ones surrounded by correspondingly larger diamonds - you'd still require over 30,000 of them to equal a single battery from Halfords.

 

As the article states "Obvious applications would be in low-power electrical devices where long life of the energy source is needed"

 

Tony

[Keith M]

What is a Lead Crystal Battery?

It is a VRLA but with a special electrolyte that solidifies and doesn’t dry out giving much longer life and more cycles resulting

in less gassing and many other features resulting in greater benefits to users of batteries.

During the charge/discharge cycles the electrolyte solidifies and forms a white crystalline powder which results in a safer, higher

performing environmentally friendlier battery with much longer service life.

I was not aware that an AGM battery changed it's electrolyte in to a power

They also require slightly different charging characteristics

Keith

[PaulG]

 

What is a Lead Crystal Battery?

It is a VRLA but with a special electrolyte that solidifies and doesn’t dry out giving much longer life and more cycles resulting

in less gassing and many other features resulting in greater benefits to users of batteries.

During the charge/discharge cycles the electrolyte solidifies and forms a white crystalline powder which results in a safer, higher

performing environmentally friendlier battery with much longer service life.

I was not aware that an AGM battery changed it's electrolyte in to a power

They also require slightly different charging characteristics

Keith

 

I'd like to see the results of any independent tests that verify the claims that are made by the manufacturer.

Perhaps you can point us in the right direction?

 

Edited to say - from the manufacturers website: "Lead Crystal® technology consists of special features: A unique micro-porous high-absorbent mat (AGM), thick plates ...."

 

So they are AGM. The manufacturer says so.

 

http://leadcrystalbatteries.com/technology-lead-crystal-batteries/lead-crystal-technology-details/

Edited December 15, 2016 by PaulG

[cuthound]

I think that aluminium/air batteries will become popular in the near future.

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aluminium–air_battery

 

They have eight times the energy density of lithium ion batteries.

 

I have been aware of them for over 20 years now and they still haven't been productionised.

 

Unlike most batteries, they are primary cells, but the aluminium is recyclable.

 

I expect they will soon be used for electric cars, but to be viable, the petrol stations will need to replaced with battery exchange stations, so that when the battery is almost expired, you will swap it for a new one and the old one will be recycled.