Re: [PSUBS-MAILIST] Battery/motor pressurization

["Brian Cox" <ojaivalleybeefarm@dslextreme.com>]

Pierre,
               Have you decided on a upper hatch yet?

Brian
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Marie-Andrée et Pierre" <poulin.carrier@videotron.ca>
To: <personal_submersibles@psubs.org>
Sent: Thursday, January 27, 2005 2:53 PM
Subject: Re: [PSUBS-MAILIST] Battery/motor pressurization


> Hi guys,
> 
> So, is separating the pod from the rest a suficient way to ensure security? 
> Or can the battery still produce a spark that could ignite the hydrogen 
> inside the pod?
> 
> Pierre
> 
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: <SFreihof@aol.com>
> To: <personal_submersibles@psubs.org>
> Sent: Thursday, January 27, 2005 11:46 AM
> Subject: Re: [PSUBS-MAILIST] Battery/motor pressurization
> 
> 
> > Hi Bill;
> >
> > I agree, the hydrocaps are a must have, and thank you for the extensive 
> > information on them.  I think I'll still separate the electrical and 
> > pressure systems to isolate the elements and the components.
> >
> > Stan
> >
> > In a message dated 1/26/2005 3:45:01 AM Eastern Standard Time, "Akins" 
> > <lakins1@tampabay.rr.com> writes:
> >
> >>Hi Stan.
> >>
> >>In my system design, I am going to run flexible conduit containing the 
> >>wires from the battery pod directly to the hollow steering shaft of the 
> >>motor. I will attach the conduit to the steering shaft with a waterproof 
> >>connector. Tubing running through the steering shaft
> >>to maintain pressure in the motor will be unnecessary since the steering 
> >>shaft itself will be connected to the battery pod via conduit and the 
> >>battery pod will be air equalized, therefore the steering shaft will act 
> >>as its own tubing since the steering shaft interior is open
> >>to the inside of the motor housing's interior thus not only carrying the 
> >>wires from the battery pod to the motor, but also the equalized air from 
> >>the pod to the motor housing.
> >>
> >>I will not need anything other than a scuba tank and scuba regulator to 
> >>equalize my system. On descent, the scuba regulator will sense the 
> >>increase in pressure (via its purge valve) and open that valve and allow 
> >>air into the battery pod which is joined via the conduit
> >>to the motor's hollow steering shaft and will pressurize both the battery 
> >>pod and motor at the same time. When the inside pressure is equal to the 
> >>outside pressure the scuba regulator's purge valve will automatically 
> >>close and stop venting air into the battery pod and motor.
> >>
> >>On accent, the air exhaust valve on the scuba regulator will allow 
> >>expanding air from the motor and battery pod to exhaust out of the scuba 
> >>regulator. Simple yet effective.
> >>I don't need any other check valves nor tubes. As to hydrogen explosion 
> >>concerns I will be using a hydrolator and hydrocaps. See the article below 
> >>on hydrocaps.
> >>
> >>Kindest Regards,
> >>Bill Akins.
> >>
> >>
> >>Home Power tests the Hydrocaps
> >>One of the perpetual chores in home power systems is watering the
> >>batteries. These large lead-acid cells always seem thirsty for distilled
> >>water. As these batteries recharge, some of their water escapes.
> >>Periodic watering of these large cells is essential for battery survival.
> >>Failure to do so results in the early demise of these expensive batteries.
> >>Hydrocaps are devices which greatly reduce the battery's water consumption
> >>and also offer vital safety and operating features.
> >>The Lead-Acid Recharging Process
> >>The electrolyte in lead acid batteries is a dilute (Å25%) solution
> >>of sulphuric acid in water. As the lead-acid cell reaches a full
> >>state of charge, some the water in the electrolyte is broken down
> >>into hydrogen and oxygen gasses by the recharging current. These
> >>gasses escape from the vent on the top of each cell. This process,
> >>called "gassing", accounts for the water lost from the cells. The
> >>actual amount of water the cell loses during recharging depends on
> >>several factors. High temperatures (>90¡F), high rates of recharge
> >>(>C/20), and elevated voltage limits (>2.44 VDC per cell) all increase
> >>the amount of gassing that occurs during the recharging process.
> >>If all the cells in a lead-acid battery are to be totally refilled
> >>and equalized, then a certain amount of gassing will have to take
> >>place. It's up to us to deal with this situation. First, we must
> >>add distilled water to the cells to make up for the water hydrolyzed
> >>into hydrogen and oxygen. Second, we must deal with the potentially
> >>explosive mixture of hydrogen and oxygen being vented from the cells.
> >>Hydrocaps offer solutions to both these problems.
> >>Hydrocaps
> >>A Hydrocap is a catalytic gas recombiner than converts hydrogen and
> >>oxygen gasses into pure water. A catalyst is a substance which encourages
> >>other substances into chemical change without actually participating
> >>in that change, sort of a chemical ambassador. The process occurring
> >>in the Hydrocap is similar to that occurring in an automotive catalytic
> >>converter.
> >>The Hydrocap replaces the regular cell cap. When the cell is gassing,
> >>the hydrogen and oxygen gasses are vented into the Hydrocap. Inside
> >>the Hydrocap, a catalyst of platinum and other platinum group metals
> >>recombine the gasses into pure water. This water is then dripped
> >>back into the cell. The Hydrocap recycles the water that the cell
> >>gives off as hydrogen and oxygen gasses. This eliminates the danger
> >>posed by the hydrogen gas and vastly reduces watering the cells.
> >>When the cell is gassing, some of the recharging energy is not being
> >>stored in the cell, but is breaking down water into its constituent
> >>elements- hydrogen and oxygen. Some of the energy used in the conversion
> >>of water into hydrogen and oxygen is retrieved by the Hydrocap.
> >>When the Hydrocap is operating it gets warm. This heat energy is
> >>a by product of the catalytic recombination of the hydrogen and oxygen
> >>back into water. While this may seem just an interesting aside,
> >>we found the Hydrocap's warmth very useful as an indicator of the
> >>cell's state of charge.
> >>Testing the Hydrocap
> >>We installed 6 Hydrocaps on two Trojan L-16W batteries (350 Ampere-hours
> >>at 12 VDC) in the Plywood Palace on 9 March 1989. These batteries
> >>are recharged by a motley assortment of five PV panels (Å200 peak
> >>Watts) and our home made Mark VI engine/generator system (12 to 16
> >>VDC from 5 to 100 Amps). See HP2, page 25, for a description of
> >>this engine/generator system. I usually add about a pint of distilled
> >>water to each cell per month. Each cell (and this battery has six)
> >>has an electrolyte capacity of three quarts. We've been cycling
> >>this battery about three times a week; this means lots of recharging
> >>and its associated water consumption. Basically, this battery is
> >>consuming about $8 worth of distilled water a year.
> >>I removed the cell caps, filled the cells with water, and replaced
> >>the stock caps with Hydrocaps. I then fired up the Mark VI 
> >>engine/generator
> >>to recharge the battery and check out the Hydrocaps' operation.
> >>The battery was already just about full from the PVs' daily input.
> >>It only took a few minutes before the battery voltage rose to 14.5
> >>VDC at 17 Amperes input (about a C/20 rate for this battery). The
> >>battery was now gassing slightly. I raised the voltage limit on
> >>the Mark VI to 14.8 VDC and now I could hear the cells gassing violently.
> >>Each of the Hydrocaps was starting to get warm. I continued to recharge
> >>the battery for a while and found that for this particular battery
> >>the Hydrocaps stayed warm (but not hot) with a voltage limit of 14.6
> >>VDC. I found this fascinating. For the very first time I had some
> >>feedback on how much each cell was actually gassing. The more a
> >>cell gassed, the hotter its Hydrocap became. This battery is over
> >>9 years old and has one cell which is slightly weaker than the rest.
> >>I've determined this by long term voltage measurement of the individual
> >>cells during all sorts of charge/discharge rates. Sure enuff, the
> >>Hydrocap on that particular cell was the slowest to warm up.
> >>The heat output of each Hydrocap provides three valuable bits of
> >>battery information. One, it allows the user to accurately determine
> >>the voltage at which his battery gasses (a good voltage setpoint
> >>for regulators). Two, it allows early detection (and correction
> >>via equalizing) of a weak cell by its relatively cooler Hydrocap.
> >>Three, when all the Hydrocaps reach the same temperature, then all
> >>the cells are equalized (at the same state of charge). And accessing
> >>this information is low tech, just feel the temperature of the Hydrocaps!
> >>It's now been over two months since the Hydrocaps were installed
> >>on our L-16Ws. I checked the water before writing this and all of
> >>the cells are still full. I have not added a drop of water to the
> >>battery during this test period. Operation without the Hydrocaps
> >>would have consumed about 1.5 gallons of distilled water during this
> >>interval. I assume that I will have to eventually add some water
> >>to the battery, even with the Hydrocaps. From the virtually zero
> >>decrease in electrolyte level to date, I think that yearly watering
> >>of the cells is possible in well proportioned systems. Every time
> >>we open a battery's cell to add water we risk contamination of that
> >>cell. Batteries are chemical machines and depend on the purity of
> >>their reactants for longevity. Hydrocaps reduce the frequency of
> >>required water addition and thereby lessen the possibility of cell
> >>contamination.
> >>The top surfaces of our batteries are staying cleaner. During recharging
> >>without Hydrocaps, a fine mist of acid electrolyte is expelled from
> >>the cells along with the hydrogen and oxygen gasses. With the Hydrocaps,
> >>there is actually a negative pressure within the cap. The gas 
> >>recombination
> >>creates a slight vacuum within the Hydrocap, and the acid mist is
> >>washed back down into the cell by the recombined water. Slick.
> >>The process keeps the acid electrolyte from reaching the top of the
> >>battery's case and corroding everything. Cleaning the tops of our
> >>batteries is one of my least favorite chores. My nose always itches
> >>when I've got acid on my fingersÉ
> >>Based on a catalytic reaction, the Hydrocaps last a long time. The
> >>manufacturer says, and I quote, "The life expectancy of a Hydrocap
> >>is more than 5 years with overcharge rates below 3 Amperes for two
> >>hours each day." What this means to those of us using PVs as energy
> >>sources in properly proportioned systems, is very long lifetimes.
> >>If our power sources aren't grossly overcharging our batteries, then
> >>a set of Hydrocaps should last between ten and twenty years. Sizing
> >>Hydrocaps
> >>Since different batteries have different cap sizes and styles, the
> >>Hydrocaps must be fitted for a particular battery. The manufacturer
> >>aided us, as he does all his customers, in selecting the right size,
> >>shape and overcharge rate for our battery system. Fortunately, Hydrocap
> >>makes a specific model that will fit most any battery and situation.
> >>Hydrocap Cost
> >>The manufacturer sells Hydrocaps directly to the end user for $5.50
> >>each, delivered, in quantities of six or more. I figure that over
> >>the lifetime of a set of Hydrocaps I'll spend at least two times
> >>their purchase price on distilled water alone. And this doesn't
> >>include my time to refill and cleanup the batteries, or the added
> >>safety factor of greatly reduced explosive hydrogen surrounding the
> >>batteries during recharging, or the interesting and useful information
> >>offered the the cap's heat. The Hydrocaps are worth at least what
> >>they cost.
> >>Hydrocap Access
> >>Contact Mr. George Peroni at Hydrocap Corp., 975 N.W. 95 Street,
> >>Miami, FL 33150 ¥ telephone: 305-696-2504. George not only sized
> >>our Hydrocaps, but was very helpful in providing technical information
> >>about his product. Conclusion
> >>Hydrocaps are a must for lead-acid battery users. They increase
> >>the safety of the battery area by reducing explosive hydrogen gas.
> >>They are cost-effective by their savings in distilled water alone.
> >>They reduce battery maintenance while increasing battery longevity
> >>and reliability. They also offer direct tactile feedback regarding
> >>the state of charge of the battery's individual cells. We're now
> >>running Hydrocaps on all our cells and are specifying them on all
> >>the batteries that Electron Connection Ltd. installs. Hydrocaps
> >>should be considered necessary, basic equipment for any system using
> >>lead-acid batteries. RP
> >>
> >
> >
> >
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