Batteries support our daily lives everywhere around us, including in computers and smartphones.
When people think of batteries, dry cells and storage batteries may come to mind.
But there are many other types of batteries besides these two.
This article explains the different types of batteries.
The characteristics and strengths of each battery will also be explained.
What is a battery?
To begin with, a battery is a device for extracting electrical energy.
Batteries are utilized to extract electricity when and where it is needed.
Note that some batteries cannot store electricity.
Specifically fuel cell and solar cells.
These are batteries that produce electricity as a generating device, so to speak, similar to thermal and hydroelectric power generation.
Battery types can be divided into chemical and physical batteries.
The next section describes the different types of batteries.
Batteries can be divided into two main categories: chemical batteries and physical batteries.
Chemical batteries are batteries that convert the chemical energy of a substance into electricity through a chemical reaction.
Chemical batteries have a constant output voltage and can therefore provide a stable supply of power to on-board equipment.
Physical batteries, on the other hand, are batteries that convert heat or sunlight into electrical energy rather than chemical reactions.
Among physical batteries, solar cells have recently attracted attention as an example of an environmentally friendly use of renewable energy, as they utilize the inexhaustible sunlight that falls on the Earth.
Let’s take a closer look at what types of batteries are available for each of the chemical and physical batteries.
chemical battery
Chemical batteries are
- primary battery
- Rechargeable battery
- fuel cell
They can be divided into these three categories.
Each of these is explained one by one.
Primary batteries: batteries from which stored electricity can be extracted.
Primary batteries are batteries from which stored electricity can be extracted.
Once the electricity has been taken out of the battery, it cannot be stored and used again; it is, so to speak, a use-it-up type of battery.
Examples of primary batteries include
- Alkaline dry cell batteries (alkaline manganese dry cell batteries)
- manganese dry cell
- silver oxide battery
- primary lithium battery
These are primarily batteries.
The following is a brief description of the features and application scenarios for each of these batteries.
Alkaline dry cell batteries (alkaline manganese dry cell batteries)
Alkaline batteries, also known as alkaline-manganese batteries, are currently the most well-known dry cell batteries.
Due to their large capacitance and large current draw, they are used in devices that require large amounts of power during operation, such as digital cameras and electric toothbrushes.
manganese dry cell
Manganese batteries are reasonably and long-lasting dry cell batteries.
As the capacity is restored when the device is rested, it is mainly installed in devices that frequently require small outputs, such as flashlights and remote controls.
silver oxide battery
Silver oxide batteries are button-type batteries with a high energy density.
Although they cannot draw very large currents, they have a long life due to their large capacity and are used in watches and precision equipment because the output voltage remains constant until the battery capacity is depleted.
primary lithium battery
Primary lithium batteries are high-capacity and the highest output of all primary batteries.
Can be used in sub-zero temperatures due to the use of water-free electrolytes.
They are designed in a variety of shapes, including cylindrical, button-shaped and thin plate, and are used in a wide range of situations, such as back-up power supplies for storage media and electronic diaries.
Rechargeable batteries: batteries that store and retrieve electricity over and over again.
A rechargeable battery is a battery in which electricity can be stored (charged) – and taken out (discharged) – many times.
Unlike primary batteries, rechargeable batteries can be used over and over again, and their field of application is rapidly expanding.
Specific examples of rechargeable batteries are,
- lithium-ion battery
- Nickel-Metal Hydride battery (NiMH battery)
- lead-acid battery
These are rechargeable batteries.
Each of these is described, one by one, with their features and situations of use.
lithium-ion battery
Lithium-ion batteries are state-of-the-art batteries that are lightweight, ultra-long-lived and have the highest power output of any rechargeable battery today.
They are used in a variety of situations, such as PCs and mobile devices, as they have a high level of the characteristics required of batteries, and are now gradually being applied to electric vehicles (EVs).
Nickel-Metal Hydride battery (NiMH battery)
Nickel-metal hydride batteries have a relatively high capacity among rechargeable batteries and do not contain environmentally harmful substances
Until now, they have been used in situations where high output power is required, such as in machine tools, but since the rise of lithium-ion batteries, they seem to be playing an increasingly important role as a substitute for dry cell batteries.
lead-acid battery
Lead-acid batteries are inexpensive but rechargeable batteries with a relatively high output voltage and high current discharge.
Before the advent of lithium-ion batteries, they were installed in EVs, but today they are mainly used in medium and large energy storage devices, such as car batteries and backup power sources for emergency equipment.
Fuel cells: batteries that continuously generate electricity from a gas supply.
Fuel cells are batteries that are supplied with gaseous ‘fuel’ such as hydrogen or oxygen and generate electrical energy from the chemical reactions that occur within the battery.
Unlike the primary and rechargeable batteries introduced so far, electricity cannot be stored, and the main feature of these batteries is that they continuously generate energy.
A fuel cell differs from thermal or hydroelectric power generation in that it converts the supplied fuel directly into electrical energy without converting it into thermal, kinetic or other energy.
This means that the efficiency of electricity generation is very high and electricity is obtained with low energy losses.
The emissions from fuel cells are H₂O; they are environmentally friendly.
It is now gradually being applied to household power generation equipment and vehicles, and is also attracting attention in the military industry due to its low noise level.
physical battery
The physical battery includes
- solar battery
- thermionic battery
- nuclear battery
These are the three main types of physical batteries.
The characteristics and practical examples of each battery are explained.
Solar cells: cells that convert light into electricity.
Solar cells are electricity-generating types of cells that use light to generate electrical energy, such as sunlight and lighting.
The structure consists of two different types of semiconductors bonded together, and when exposed to light, electricity is produced when electrons and holes move in opposite directions at the junction surface of the semiconductors.
Solar cells are characterized by the use of an inexhaustible resource – sunlight – to generate electricity.
Because it can continue to produce electricity indefinitely as long as there is light, it is gaining prominence as an environmentally friendly way of generating electricity.
They are often seen around us on calculators and wristwatches.
The installation of solar panels is becoming popular as an example of effective use of vacant land in industrial terms.
Thermal batteries: batteries that convert heat into electrical energy.
Thermal batteries are primary batteries that incorporate a solid electrolyte (molten salt) that is melted by the application of high temperature.
As the temperature is high only when the battery is used, self-discharge does not occur, as is the case with dry cell batteries, even though they are primary batteries.
Thermal batteries are characterized by extremely high output in a short time
In addition to this, they have the added advantages of being able to be used in a wide range of temperatures and being resistant to shaking and shocks.
Thermal batteries are used in a wide range of situations, such as on board rockets and in space, in underwater equipment and as emergency power sources for aircraft.
Nuclear battery: a battery that converts the heat produced during the decay of radioactive elements into electricity.
Nuclear batteries convert the heat from radiation produced when radioactive elements, such as carbon-14 and plutonium-238, decay into energy.
It is mainly utilized in space, generating electricity from the temperature difference between hot radioactive material and cold space.
The main feature of radioactive materials is that they emit radiation for a long period of time and have a long lifespan of up to a hundred years.
They are used as power supplies for space equipment such as lunar and Mars probes, where the power supply cannot be easily replaced.
Lastly
This concludes the description of the various types of batteries.
We hope that we can clear up any doubts you may have about batteries.
References
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