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Drake, Here's the only HP article I could find in HP's online search: Battery Reconditioning Dear Richard, I had an accident here and some of my nickel iron batteries lost their electrolyte. I need to know how to recondition them and where to purchase the electrolyte. Thanks for your help. Bob Feyen, Muscoda, Wisconsin Hello Bob, Reconditioning alkaline cells (either NiCd or NiFe) means cleaning them out, replacing the old electrolyte with new electrolyte, and charging the hell out of them. Safety first! Use rubber gloves and goggles! Have a supply of vinegar on hand in case you spill electrolyte on yourself. While alkaline electrolyte is not as fierce as the sulfuric acid used in lead-acid cells, it can still burn, especially if it gets into your eyes. Rinse the emptied cells with distilled water until they are clean. Dispose of this wash water, and any spent electrolyte, in a responsible manner. In NiCd cells, the electrolyte can contain minute amounts of cadmium, so handle it as hazardous waste. In NiFe cells, the electrolyte is easier to dispose of—just neutralize it with vinegar (or hydrochloric acid, HCl, available from any pool supply house) and you can compost it. Mix the new electrolyte using technical grade potassium hydroxide (KOH). This is available from most chemical supply stores. Stir the KOH into distilled water in a large plastic container. I use a clean, 32 gallon, heavy duty, plastic trash can. Keep adding KOH until the specific gravity of the electrolyte is between 1.2 and 1.25. This amounts to about 1 pound of KOH to 1 gallon of distilled water. If you add too much KOH, simply bring the specific gravity down by adding more distilled water. Use a clean (never used with a lead-acid battery), temperature-compensated hydrometer to measure the specific gravity of the new electrolyte. When the KOH dissolves, it will give off heat, so add the KOH slowly (about a pound at a time), mix thoroughly (I use a hunk of clean plastic conduit to stir the mixture), and wait for everything to cool off before making the specific gravity measurement. Mix all the electrolyte you will need at the same time if possible. This assures uniformity in the electrolyte. When the electrolyte is cool and at the proper specific gravity, refill the cells. Add a thin (1/8 inch thick) layer of pure (USP) mineral oil (from any drug store) to the top of each cell and you’re ready to put the cells back in service. Expect the cells to take five or six cycles before coming up to full capacity. Richard Perez • Home Power
Allan Sindelar
al...@positiveenergysolar.com NABCEP Certified Photovoltaic Installer NABCEP Certified Technical Sales Professional New Mexico EE98J Journeyman Electrician Positive Energy, Inc. 3201 Calle Marie Santa Fe, New Mexico 87507 505 424-1112 www.positiveenergysolar.com
On 5/1/2011 8:43 AM, PRP wrote:
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