For many decades, the lead-acid battery has been the most widely used energy-storage device for medium- and large-scale applications (approximately 100Wh and above). In recent years, the traditional, flooded design of the battery has begun to be replaced by an alternative design. This version - the valve-regulated lead-acid (VRLA) battery - requires no replenishment of the water content of the electrolyte solution, does not spill liquids, and can be used in any desired orientation. Since the VRLA battery operates in a somewhat different manner from its flooded counterpart, considerable technological development has been necessary to meet the exacting performance requirements of the full range of applications in which rechargeable batteries are used.
The valve-regulated design is now well established in the industrial battery sector, and also appears set to be adopted widely for automotive duty.
This book provides a comprehensive account of VRLA technology and its uses. In the future, all industrial processes - including the manufacture of batteries - will be required to conform to the conventions of sustainability. Accordingly, the crucial areas of the environmental impact associated with the production and use of VRLA batteries and the recycling of spent units are also treated thoroughly.
Valve-Regulated Lead-Acid Batteries gives an essential insight into the science that underlies the development and operation of VRLA batteries and is a comprehensive reference source for those involved in the practical use of the technology in key energy-storage applications.
- Covers all major advances in the field
- Provides a comprehensive account of VRLA technology and its uses
- First book dedicated to this technology
Pat was awarded a Ph. D. for crystal structure analysis in 1968 by the University of Durham, U.K., and a D. Sc. for research publications in materials science, by the same university, in 1994. He worked for 23 years at the Harwell Laboratory of the U.K. Atomic Energy Authority where he brought a background of crystal structure and materials chemistry to the study of lead-acid and other varieties of battery, thus supplementing the traditional electrochemical emphasis of the subject.
From1995 he was Manager of Electrochemistry at the International Lead Zinc Research Organization in North Carolina and Program Manager of the Advanced Lead-Acid Battery Consortium. In 2005 he also became President of the Consortium.
Dr. Moseley was one of the editors of the Journal of Power Sources for 25 years from 1989 to 2014. In 2008 he was awarded the Gaston Planté medal by the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences.
Jürgen Garche, graduated in chemistry at the Dresden University of Technology (DTU) in Germany in 1967. He was awarded his PhD in theoretical electrochemistry in 1970 and his habilitation in applied electrochemistry in 1980 from the same university. He worked at the DTU in the Electrochemical Power Sources Group for many years in different projects, mainly related to conventional batteries, before he moved 1991 to the Centre for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research (ZSW) in Ulm, where he was, until 2004, the Head of the Electrochemical Energy Storage and Energy Conversion Division.
He was Professor of Electrochemistry at Ulm University and Guest Professor at Shandong University – China, 2005, Sapienca University Roma - Italy, 2009, 2013, 2016, and 2023, TUM-CREATE – Singapore, 2014, 2015, 2016- 2016, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics - China, 2016, CNR Institute for Advanced Energy Technologies, Messina - Italy, 2019. After he retired from the ZSW he founded in 2004 the consulting firm Fuel Cell and Battery Consulting (FCBAT). Since 2015 he is senior professor at Ulm University. He has published more than 300 papers, 10 patents, and 11 books, among others as editor-in-chief of the first edition of Encyclopedia of Electrochemical Power Sources. He is listed in “World’s most Influential Scientific Minds” by Thomas Reuters (2014) and in the book “Profiles of 93 Influential Electrochemists” (2015).
