In order not to lose touch with the fast-paced rhythm of modern life, we are using more and more mobile and compact devices that give a feeling of individuality and freedom. But such “autonomous flight” is impossible without miniature and reliable power sources, otherwise telephones, players, cameras, watches and other modern electronic toys will freeze without movement.
We would like to thank the staff of KVANT Research and Production Association for their help in conducting comparative tests.
Modern CITs, ready for the test!
Currently, chemical current sources CPS are divided into 3 types: galvanic cells, batteries and fuel cells FC . Galvanic cells and batteries made up of them are the primary sources of current.
They directly generate current through irreversible internal chemical processes, so they can only be used once. In contrast, secondary sources batteries do not produce electricity themselves: they first receive energy from the outside charge and then give back the energy they have accumulated. Such charge-discharge cycles can be up to several hundred times.
Fuel cells are promising developments of HIT, though their principle of action was suggested by William Grove back in XIX century. Just like regular batteries they give current through chemical reactions oxidation-reduction , but the source of free electrons is fuel hydrogen, methanol , and the electrodes only serve as catalysts of the process.
That is why such elements have practically no wear and tear, and their efficiency reaches 50%. All that remains is to refuel them in time. Despite the widespread introduction of batteries and the prospects of TE, galvanic cells have not given up their positions and are still the most popular current sources.
Voltaic pole – the origins of the test
The history of food cells begins with the experiments of Italian Alessandro Volta, who disproved the “animal electricity” theory of natural scientist Luigi Galvani.
Experiments with copper and zinc arcs immersed in hydrochloric solution proved that it was not animal physiology at all, but rather a chemical reaction that produces electricity. Continuing his research on increasing the galvanic effect, in 1800 Volta created the first chemical source of direct current Volta Pillar , which gave an “indestructible charge” in contrast to the then disposable Leiden jar.
Further developments by scientists Cruikshank, Daniel, Grove, Bunsen, Grené, et al. were aimed at increasing the life span of galvanic cells and batteries, using different electrodes and electrolytes. George Leclanchet’s 1865 design, which is the prototype of today’s zinc-carbon cells with saline electrolyte salt batteries , is still in use, often called Leclanchet cells.
It was Carl Gassner’s development of dry salt cells, the industrial production of which first began over 100 years ago in 1896 by National Carbon, that allowed him to do away with the inconvenient use of liquid electrolyte.
Where did the finger energy come from?
From a physical point of view, the battery converts energy from one kind chemical to another electrical . Charge transfer occurs due to a change in internal energy. And if you look at it through the eyes of a chemist, there is a reaction of oxidation of one of the electrodes and reduction of the other. Metal ions transfer from the oxidizing electrode into the electrolyte carrying away the positive charge.
Nevertheless, it is customary to classify batteries not by the reaction that takes place, but by the substances that participate in it, that is, by the electrochemical system. Now there are several types of electrochemical systems: lithium, manganese-zinc, mercury-zinc and silver-zinc.
The most widely used cells for powering consumer devices and electronics are manganese-zinc cells. This is a generic name that includes several types: saline, chloride, alkaline, and air-depolarized cells.
For consumers, the most interesting are alkaline cells Alkaline , in which alkali in the form of an aqueous solution of potassium hydroxide is used as the electrolyte. Thanks to their good performance characteristics, they are gradually replacing other types of cells.
They work well at high discharge currents, have a better hermeticity and a lower self-discharge current. Highly effective for medium and long duration discharges. Alkaline cells can operate at temperatures from -25 ° C to +55 ° C and satisfactorily withstand lower temperatures.
The autopsy revealed
During Soviet times, over 1 billion galvanic cells of various sizes and purposes were produced in the country. But after the fall of the Soviet Union, some of the plants with modern equipment went abroad Georgia, Lithuania, etc. .d. , and zinc deposits in Kazakhstan.
The usual economic ties have been broken, but the need for cells has only increased, and America has rushed flood of imported batteries and accumulators, which are now dominating the market.
For the sake of comparison we bought alkaline batteries of the most popular size, which in the European IEC standard are designated as LR6 1.5 V , but popularly aptly called “finger cells”.
1 The geometric dimensions of the batteries were checked. After all, if they are smaller than allowed, there will be a bad contact, and if more – the batteries may simply not fit in the socket for the batteries. Measurements showed that the cell manufacturers are trying to use the maximum possible size, but, nevertheless, no one went beyond the standard.
2 LR6 batteries have a weight limit of 25 g or less. This is natural since they are mostly used in portable devices. But even in this case none of the cells had any complaints – all weights were within the norm.
3 In addition, each sample was opened to investigate its construction, and the weight of the active materials was weighed. The Duracell Basic and Duracell Turbo have the heaviest positive electrode mass. The experts also noted the good filling of the negative electrode of the Cosmos and GP.
This was also confirmed by x-ray pictures taken to evaluate the location of active materials inside the case. It must be admitted that the quality of workmanship of all the samples is of a very high standard.
Use less and play longer
When buying alkaline batteries, the consumer has a right to expect that they will last a long time. True, the duration of operation depends largely on where they are used and with what intensity.
With this in mind, all samples were tested on special stands in four modes, simulating the operation of radios, motors and toys, players and flash photography, as required by the international standard IEC.
1 LR6 batteries should give at least 60 hours of run time to transistor radios, but the samples we tested exceeded that figure by more than a third. If you turn on your receiver for 4 hours a day, then it will last 87 hours on Cosmos cells and almost as long on Duracell Turbo 86 hours .
And although the Sony batteries silence the radio before anyone else, 75.5 hours is good. It should be said that the work of the cells in “radio” mode turned out to be the longest and it took 5 weeks of laboratory tests.
2 Most parents are probably well aware that there aren’t enough batteries for children’s electric toys, robots and cars. Therefore, it is especially nice to report that modern alkaline cells are able to spin electric motors twice as long as required by the standard 4 hours . Cosmos batteries lasted more than 8 hours, the rest of the cells a little less. For example, the Philips batteries powered for 7 hours and 15 minutes, which is a very good result.
3 Each of the tested samples can provide a stable power supply for the currently so popular players. Average run time was 19 hours Sony’s was a little less . But the longest-lasting batteries in this mode were Duracell Turbo 21 h 40 min and Duracell Turbo 14 h 40 min ., “Cosmos” 21 h 15 min. and Duracell Basic 20 h 45 min. .
4 When used in cameras, almost all the energy of the batteries is used for the photoflash. So it wasn’t the run time that was measured, but the number of pulses 1000 mA needed for the flash. They should be at least 200. The Ðhillips cells produced 220 pulses and met the standard requirements, but the Sony ones managed to produce 420 pulses, and the GP ones even more – 470. But the Cosmos batteries were the best with 520 AAh.
Cosmos has more free energy
Knowing the operating time of batteries in different modes, we can calculate the electric capacity of these cells, measured in Ampere-hours Ah . Simply speaking, how much “reserve” of energy does each battery have?. Calculations showed that Cosmos and Duracell Turbo batteries have the highest average capacitance see “Battery capacity” . table 3 . A little worse this index for PHILIPS and Sony 2.27 Ah .
If you compare the capacity of a battery with its cost, it turns out that the cheapest 1 Ampere-hour is Cosmos 5 Dollars per hour . 73 cp. and GP 6 Dollars . 77 kop. . The capacity of other cells is noticeably more expensive, especially for Duracell Basic 12 Dollars per battery . 13 kopecks. and Duracell Turbo 14 Dollars . 44 kop. . By the way, the price difference between Duracell Basic and Duracell Turbo cells is quite big, and the average capacity difference is only 3.65%.
You can evaluate the batteries in the “photo” mode, based not on their capacity, but on the number of flashes. So, for every ruble you spend on a Philips or Duracell Basic battery, you could get 11 flash units. Whereas GP cells will give more than 29 flashes, and Cosmos will give more than 34.
Can batteries explode??
Even a small battery can cause a lot of trouble, for example, if you accidentally stick it in your pocket along with your keys. The terminals of the electrodes can short-circuit, and then the cell will undergo a chemical reaction with abundant outgassing, it begins to get hot, and eventually it can explode.
To prevent explosion, there are special “thins” in the sealing gasket, which should burst when there is excess pressure inside the cell.
Test of the cells showed that none of them exploded in a short circuit, they only got very hot. However, in addition to shorting, there is a more dangerous case of abnormal operation – it is polarity reversal.
Some devices such as lanterns, portable stereos, and floor scales require several batteries to power them. And if just one of them is installed incorrectly, mixing up the plus and minus, an explosive situation can occur.
Fortunately, the batteries tested were reliable. All samples opened the safety valve, releasing the accumulated gases and some electrolyte. Otherwise, safety assessment, including rated voltage fluctuations, insulation strength and electrolyte leakage were also satisfactory.
Test Leaders
Comparative tests showed good quality of modern LR6 alkaline batteries, far exceeding standard requirements.
– The best discharge characteristics were shown by Cosmos batteries in various modes of operation, t.e. they are universal.
– Good results were shown by Duracell Turbo cells, which keep the player powered for longer than others.
– Cosmos and Duracell Turbo batteries can turn miniature electric motors and toy mechanisms longer than others.
– Cosmos and Duracell Turbo batteries provide long-lasting performance for portable radios.
– Cosmos, GP and Sony cells can produce the highest flash output.
– The cheapest cost per Ampere-hour is for Cosmos cells . They also have the best price/quality ratio. So we can say that Cosmos batteries are the best in terms of energy efficiency.
Read more
Test of COSMOS Alkaline AA batteries
Test of SONY batteries AA
Test of PHILIPS Power Life AA batteries
Duracell Turbo AA battery test
DURACELL batteries test AA
What are the advantages of finger cell batteries compared to traditional batteries, and how effective are they in terms of battery life and performance?
This article seems interesting but I’d like more information. How do finger cell batteries work and what tests are being conducted on them? Are there any advantages or disadvantages compared to traditional batteries?
Finger cell batteries, also known as sodium-ion batteries, work by using sodium ions as the charge carriers instead of lithium ions. This allows them to be a lower-cost alternative to traditional lithium-ion batteries. Tests being conducted on finger cell batteries include evaluating their performance, lifespan, safety, and efficiency. Some advantages of finger cell batteries include their abundance of raw materials (sodium is more readily available than lithium), lower cost, and potentially higher energy density. However, they may have lower energy density and slower charging rates compared to lithium-ion batteries. Further research is needed to fully understand the potential of finger cell batteries.
Could you please provide more information about finger cell batteries? What are the HITs that hit the test? Are they a specific type of finger cell batteries? How do they perform compared to traditional batteries?
Finger cell batteries, also known as button cell batteries, are small round batteries commonly used in devices like watches and calculators. Unfortunately, there is no information available about “HITs” specifically related to finger cell batteries. However, these batteries come in various types such as lithium, silver oxide, and alkaline. Their performance compared to traditional batteries depends on factors like capacity, voltage, and discharge rate. Generally, finger cell batteries have a long shelf life, low self-discharge, and are compact. They are suitable for low-power devices but may not be as powerful as larger traditional batteries used in high-drain devices. Ultimately, the performance of finger cell batteries will vary depending on the specific type and intended use.