BU-406: Battery as a Buffer
The main purpose of a stationary battery is to provide power during power outage. Battery banks are also designed to provide extra power during high-traffic periods when the AC power supply does not have sufficient capacity to feed the system. In this case, the battery acts as a buffer similar to the battery in a hybrid car that assists in acceleration.
Cellular repeater towers are an example where the backup battery serves as a buffer. The batteries get fully charged during off-peak periods and go into discharge mode to assist the AC power supply during the peak times.
When relying on the battery as buffer, make certain that the battery has enough time to charge between peak periods. The net charge must always be greater than what was drawn from the battery. Avoid deep discharges as this would wear down the battery prematurely. Note that stationary and starter batteries are not made for deep cycling. If periodic cycling is needed, choose a deep-cycle battery.
Last Updated: 25-Oct-2021
Batteries In A Portable World
The material on Battery University is based on the indispensable new 4th edition of "Batteries in a Portable World - A Handbook on Rechargeable Batteries for Non-Engineers" which is available for order through Amazon.com.
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Table of Contents
-
Introduction
- BU-001: Sharing Battery Knowledge
- BU-002: Introduction
- BU-003: Dedication
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Crash Course on Batteries
- BU-101: When Was the Battery Invented?
- BU-102: Early Innovators
- BU-103: Global Battery Markets
- BU-103a: Battery Breakthroughs: Myth or Fact?
- BU-104: Getting to Know the Battery
- BU-104a: Comparing the Battery with Other Power Sources
- BU-104b: Battery Building Blocks
- BU-104c: The Octagon Battery – What makes a Battery a Battery
- BU-105: Battery Definitions and what they mean
- BU-106: Advantages of Primary Batteries
- BU-106a: Choices of Primary Batteries
- BU-107: Comparison Table of Secondary Batteries
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Battery Types
- BU-201: How does the Lead Acid Battery Work?
- BU-201a: Absorbent Glass Mat (AGM)
- BU-201b: Gel Lead Acid Battery
- BU-202: New Lead Acid Systems
- BU-203: Nickel-based Batteries
- BU-204: How do Lithium Batteries Work?
- BU-205: Types of Lithium-ion
- BU-206: Lithium-polymer: Substance or Hype?
- BU-208: Cycling Performance
- BU-209: How does a Supercapacitor Work?
- BU-210: How does the Fuel Cell Work?
- BU-210a: Why does Sodium-sulfur need to be heated
- BU-210b: How does the Flow Battery Work?
- BU-211: Alternate Battery Systems
- BU-212: Future Batteries
- BU-214: Summary Table of Lead-based Batteries
- BU-215: Summary Table of Nickel-based Batteries
- BU-216: Summary Table of Lithium-based Batteries
- BU-217: Summary Table of Alternate Batteries
- BU-218: Summary Table of Future Batteries
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Packaging and Safety
- BU-301: A look at Old and New Battery Packaging
- BU-301a: Types of Battery Cells
- BU-302: Series and Parallel Battery Configurations
- BU-303: Confusion with Voltages
- BU-304: Why are Protection Circuits Needed?
- BU-304a: Safety Concerns with Li-ion
- BU-304b: Making Lithium-ion Safe
- BU-304c: Battery Safety in Public
- BU-305: Building a Lithium-ion Pack
- BU-306: What is the Function of the Separator?
- BU-307: How does Electrolyte Work?
- BU-308: Availability of Lithium
- BU-309: How does Graphite Work in Li-ion?
- BU-310: How does Cobalt Work in Li-ion?
- BU-311: Battery Raw Materials
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Charge Methods
- BU-401: How do Battery Chargers Work?
- BU-401a: Fast and Ultra-fast Chargers
- BU-402: What Is C-rate?
- BU-403: Charging Lead Acid
- BU-404: What is Equalizing Charge?
- BU-405: Charging with a Power Supply
- BU-406: Battery as a Buffer
- BU-407: Charging Nickel-cadmium
- BU-408: Charging Nickel-metal-hydride
- BU-409: Charging Lithium-ion
- BU-409a: Why do Old Li-ion Batteries Take Long to Charge?
- BU-409b: Charging Lithium Iron Phosphate
- BU-410: Charging at High and Low Temperatures
- BU-411: Charging from a USB Port
- BU-412: Charging without Wires
- BU-413: Charging with Solar, Turbine
- BU-413a: How to Store Renewable Energy in a Battery
- BU-414: How do Charger Chips Work?
- BU-415: How to Charge and When to Charge?
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Discharge Methods
- BU-501: Basics about Discharging
- BU-501a: Discharge Characteristics of Li-ion
- BU-502: Discharging at High and Low Temperatures
- BU-503: Determining Power Deliver by the Ragone Plot
- BU-504: How to Verify Sufficient Battery Capacity
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"Smart" Battery
- BU-601: How does a Smart Battery Work?
- BU-602: How does a Battery Fuel Gauge Work?
- BU-603: How to Calibrate a “Smart” Battery
- BU-603a: Calibrating SMBus Batteries with Impedance Tracking
- BU-604: How to Process Data from a “Smart” Battery
- Testing and Calibrating Smart Batteries
-
From Birth to Retirement
- BU-701: How to Prime Batteries
- BU-702: How to Store Batteries
- BU-703: Health Concerns with Batteries
- BU-704: How to Transport Batteries
- BU-704a: Shipping Lithium-based Batteries by Air
- BU-704b: CAUTION & Overpack Labels
- BU-704c: Class 9 Label
- BU-704d: NFPA 704 Rating
- BU-704e: Battery for Personal and Fleet Use
- BU-705: How to Recycle Batteries
- BU-705a: Battery Recycling as a Business
- BU-706: Summary of Do's and Don'ts
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How To Prolong Battery Life
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General
- BU-801: Setting Battery Performance Standards
- BU-801a: How to Rate Battery Runtime
- BU-801b: How to Define Battery Life
- BU-802: What Causes Capacity Loss?
- BU-802a: How does Rising Internal Resistance affect Performance?
- BU-802b: What does Elevated Self-discharge Do?
- BU-802c: How Low can a Battery be Discharged?
- BU-803: Can Batteries Be Restored?
- BU-803a: Cell Matching and Balancing
- BU-803b: What causes Cells to Short?
- BU-803c: Loss of Electrolyte
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Lead Acid
- BU-804: How to Prolong Lead-acid Batteries
- BU-804a: Corrosion, Shedding and Internal Short
- BU-804b: Sulfation and How to Prevent it
- BU-804c: Acid Stratification and Surface Charge
- BU-805: Additives to Boost Flooded Lead Acid
- BU-806: Tracking Battery Capacity and Resistance as part of Aging
- BU-806a: How Heat and Loading affect Battery Life
-
Nickel-based
- BU-807: How to Restore Nickel-based Batteries
- BU-807a: Effect of Zapping
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Lithium-ion
- BU-808: How to Prolong Lithium-based Batteries
- BU-808a: How to Awaken a Sleeping Li-ion
- BU-808b: What Causes Li-ion to Die?
- BU-808c: Coulombic and Energy Efficiency with the Battery
- BU-809: How to Maximize Runtime
- BU-810: What Everyone Should Know About Aftermarket Batteries
- BU-811: Assuring Minimum Operational Reserve Energy (MORE)
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Battery Testing and Monitoring
- BU-901: Fundamentals in Battery Testing
- BU-901b: How to Measure the Remaining Useful Life of a Battery
- BU-902: How to Measure Internal Resistance
- BU-902a: How to Measure CCA
- BU-903: How to Measure State-of-charge
- BU-904: How to Measure Capacity
- BU-905: Testing Lead Acid Batteries
- BU-905a: Testing Starter Batteries in Vehicles
- BU-905b: Knowing when to Replace a Starter Battery
- BU-906: Testing Nickel-based Batteries
- BU-907: Testing Lithium-based Batteries
- BU-907a: Battery Rapid-test Methods
- BU-907b: Advancements in Battery Testing
- BU-907c: Cloud Analytics in Batteries
- BU-908: Battery Management System (BMS)
- BU-909: Battery Test Equipment
- BU-910: How to Repair a Battery Pack
- BU-911: How to Repair a Laptop Battery
- BU-915: Testing Battery with EIS
- BU-916: Deep Battery Diagnostics
- BU-917: In Search for Performance Transparency with Batteries
- BU-918: Battery Endurance Plan
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Amazing Value of a Battery
- BU-1001: Batteries in Industries
- BU-1002: Electric Powertrain, then and now
- BU-1002a: Hybrid Electric Vehicles and the Battery
- BU-1002b: Environmental Benefit of the Electric Powertrain
- BU-1003: Electric Vehicle (EV)
- BU-1003a: Battery Aging in an Electric Vehicle (EV)
- BU-1004: Charging an Electric Vehicle
- BU-1005: Does the Fuel Cell-powered Vehicle have a Future?
- BU-1006: Cost of Mobile and Renewable Power
- BU-1007: Net Calorific Value
- BU-1008: Working towards Sustainability
- BU-1009: Battery Paradox - Afterword
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Information
- BU-1101: Glossary
- BU-1102: Abbreviations
- BU-1103: Bibliography
- BU-1104: About the Author
- BU-1105: About Cadex (Sponsor)
- BU-1106: Author's Creed
- BU-1107: Disclaimer
- BU-1108: Copyright
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Learning Tools
- BU-1501 Battery History
- BU-1502 Basics about Batteries
- BU-1503 How to Maintain Batteries
- BU-1504 Battery Test & Analyzing Devices
- BU-1505 Short History of Cadex
-
Battery Articles
- Perception of a Battery Tester
- Green Deal
- Risk Management in Batteries
- Predictive Test Methods for Starter Batteries
- Why Mobile Phone Batteries do not last as long as an EV Battery
- Battery Rapid-test Methods
- How to Charge Li-ion with a Parasitic Load
- Ultra-fast Charging
- Assuring Safety of Lithium-ion in the Workforce
- Diagnostic Battery Management
- Tweaking the Mobile Phone Battery
- Battery Test Methods
- Battery Testing and Safety
- How to Make Battery Performance Transparent
- Battery Diagnostics On-the-fly
- Making Battery State-of-health Transparent
- Batteries will eventually die, but when and how?
- Why does Pokémon Go rob so much Battery Power?
- How to Care for the Battery
- Tesla’s iPhone Moment — How the Powerwall will Change Global Energy Use
- Painting the Battery Green by giving it a Second Life
- Charging without Wires — A Solution or Laziness
- What everyone should know about Battery Chargers
- A Look at Cell Formats and how to Build a good Battery
- Battery Breakthroughs — Myth or Fact?
- Rapid-test Methods that No Longer Work
- Shipping Lithium-based Batteries by Air
- How to make Batteries more Reliable and Longer Lasting
- What causes Lithium-ion to die?
- Safety of Lithium-ion Batteries
- Recognizing Battery Capacity as the Missing Link
- Managing Batteries for Warehouse Logistics
- Caring for your Starter Battery
- Giving Batteries a Second Life
- How to Make Batteries in Medical Devices More Reliable
- Possible Solutions for the Battery Problem on the Boeing 787
- Impedance Spectroscopy Checks Battery Capacity in 15 Seconds
- How to Improve the Battery Fuel Gauge
- Examining Loading Characteristics on Primary and Secondary Batteries
-
Language Pool
- BU-001: Compartir conocimiento sobre baterías
- BU-002: Introducción
- BU-003: Dedicatoria
- BU-104: Conociendo la Batería
- BU-302: Configuraciones de Baterías en Serie y Paralelo
-
Batteries in a Portable World book
- Change-log of “Batteries in a Portable World,” 4th edition: Chapters 1 - 3
- Change-log of “Batteries in a Portable World,” 4th edition: Chapters 4 - 10