Re: Re: [PSUBS-MAILIST] Battery explosions

["Dave Altis" <dabe@fidnet.com>]

Just a few more rambling thoughts on the subject of battery explosions:

1.  The electrolysis of water in a battery occurs as a result of current
flow between the plates and the electrolite which is mostly water.  Since
current flows during discharge as well as charging, hydrogen and oxygen are
released in both cases.

2.  Hydrogen and oxygen form a very explosive mixture, but so does oil and
oxygen!  This is why oil is a no-no around oxygen lines, valves, regulators,
etc.  Is there a chance the oxygen released from a battery could be disolved
in the oil to create another potential hazzard?  This is a question, if
anyone knows the answer please share your thoughts.

3.  Most refined oils are poor conductors of electricity and therefore make
good insulation,  the current drain on a battery would be rather negligable.
Many, like mineral oil, are much beter insulators than air which usually
occupies the space above the electrolite.

4.  Most explosive gas mixtures can detonate upon compression.  Some, like
oxygen and acetylene, can do this at a fairly low pressure like maybe 50
psi.  Does anyone on the list know if this can happen with battery gasses
exposed to ambient pressures?  Does anyone know of this ever occuring?

5.  As a child I tried to fill a baloon with hydrogen and oxygen by doing an
electrolysis of water.  I reasoned that such a baloon would be lighter than
air and would float like helium.  Try as I might though, I could not get the
baloon to fill up!  I theorized that the hydrogen and oxygen were simply
combining back into water in the pressure of the baloon.  Does anyone here
know if this theory is correct?  If so, would it be reasonable to expect
battery gases exposed to ambient pressure to simply combine harmlessly back
into water?

Dave Altis


----- Original Message -----
From: "Roger June" <rjune@fuse.net>

> Mineral oil is not environmentally safe and peanut oil along with all of
the other vegitable base oils that I know of will turn ranced over time.
>
> Also most oils cunduct some electricity which might resulting in trickle
draining of the batteries
>