MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
Sure glad WW II submarines had pulse desulfation technology. Oh wait, they didn't press a button to do that - when Japanese destroyers depth charged them the high frequency vibrations knocked all the sulfate off the plates, and maybe the plates too.
BATTERIES MUST SULFATE THE POSITIVE PLATE OR IT IS NOT A LEAD ACID BATTERY. When electrons flow the sulfur in SULFURic acid gets deposited on the positive plate. Got it? Natural, inevitable, and positively necessary. When sulfur is extracted from H2SO4 H2O is left which is lighter, less dense.
Sulfation coating is not an even wonderful patina on the positive plates. It is uneven, patchy, and nonuniform,the DENSER the sulfate the THICKER the sulfate, and the longer the sulfate remains on the positive plate the easier it is for the sulfur compound molecular structure is to "lattice". Interlock. Bind. Glue. Stick. Harden.
So it is like radiation. Intense short term is hazardous. Less intense long term is just as hazardous. Super deep discharging lays the sulfate on THICK. It also leaves very little REACTIVE COMPONENT left in the electrolyte to dissolve the sulfation and put it back into solution (recharging). When sulfate gets X microns "thick" on a plate it is a real bear to remove. Because in attempting to charge and remove latticed sulfation innocent bare positive plate material gets shedded by process of overheating and acid overprocessing because of high heat. You may see 120F electrolyte temperature while the plate may see 140F. It is insulated.
If the thought of playing a Pied Piper frequency tune to your batteries appeals to you, then you are the person you are trying to satisfy. Never attempt to screw with the tranquility of a satisfied customer.
Good stuff, Mex.
FWIW, in '92 or so a guy showed up at my shop hawking the pulse reconditioning technology. He had a few ways to implement it, from dashboard mounted chips to fleet charging. He claimed to hold a patent on this process and had reams of paper with graphs and studies concluded that showed the process to add a large % to battery life (33%, IIRC). At that time, we were charging more than 800 batteries so longevity was of interest. We gave it some thought and concluded the price, even if it worked, was not worth it.
I am still at a loss as how a higher voltage delivered at low amperage in any sequence can make any material difference other than adding charge to the cells. The materials involved, lead, antimony, H2SO4, all have their electrons at a certain potential, interacting with each other in the presence of a charge voltage. How can the introduction of a small charge current, even if sequenced, significantly alter the state of the materials? I don't believe it can.
