Battery charge management strategies should be developed for keeping batteries for lengthy periods of time, such as over six months, to prevent battery deterioration and capacity loss.
Fremont, CA: Batteries can develop various issues depending on how they are stored and how long they are left before being reinserted into the application. The battery's charge is affected by room temperature and other environmental conditions, which can lengthen or reduce the battery's life cycle. Extremely high temperatures will deteriorate the battery's chemistries, resulting in reduced battery life or permanent capacity loss. This is why different battery chemistries have different storage best practices.
Chemistry-based ideal battery storage
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Lithium-ion
Lithium-ion batteries can be depleted completely before being stored. They should, however, have a charge rate of around 40 percent. As previously stated, the cell voltage of lithium-ion batteries should never go below 2 volts per cell and should never exceed 4.1 volts. To avoid over-discharge, the voltage on this battery will need to be topped off from time to time throughout long periods of storage. Lithium-ion batteries can be stored for up to ten years without losing much capacity.
Nickel-based chemistries
Nickel-based chemistries, like nickel cadmium and nickel metal hydride, can be kept in either a discharged or a charged state. Both batteries will undergo an extremely high self-discharge range of 10-15 percent during the first 24 hours if stored with a charge. The batteries will then self-discharge at a rate of 10-15 percent per month while they are stored. When kept at low room temperatures for up to a year, nickel-based batteries will have a recoverable capacity of 97 percent to 99 percent, regardless of the charge. Additionally, some of the lost capacity can be reclaimed by priming the batteries. These batteries can be stored for three to five years.
Lead acid chemistries
Batteries with lead-acid chemistry must be fully charged before being stored. If not, sulfation will occur as lead sulfate crystals grow along the electrodes as the battery is stored for a long time. Lead acid chemistry, like other batteries, should be stored at optimal cool temperatures of 0 to 25 degrees Celsius. The higher the temperature, the less capacity that can be recovered from lead acid batteries.