Alkaline Storage Battery
alkaline storage battery
[′al·kə‚līn ′stȯr·ij ‚bad·ə·rē]Alkaline Storage Battery
an electrical accumulator in which the active mass of the negative electrode is a plate made of porous iron or cadmium; the positive electrode is a nickel body filled with nickel(III) oxide, and the electrolyte is a 20-percent solution of potassium hydroxide. The transformation of electrical energy into chemical energy (charging) and the reverse process (discharging) occur as a result of a reaction such as
The emf of an alkaline storage battery is 1.3 V. The specific capacity of such a battery is less than in a lead-acid storage battery, but it sustains overloads well and is insensitive to surplus charge and to strong discharge. Alkaline storage batteries are preferable for use under difficult conditions, for example, in power trucks and in the start-up of large diesel engines.