How to Prolong the Lifespan of Your Lithium Battery

by Charles Timbang

Every lithium battery including Maxworld lithium battery and those from other top manufacturers requires proper maintenance. Without proper maintenance, such batteries will soon stop functioning efficiently. Hence, you should pay attention to these maintenance tips.

Lithium Battery Top Maintenance Tips

1. Do Not Charge To 100% Capacity

This can be achieved using a lower float voltage. When float voltage is reduced, the service life and cycle life of the battery will be increased. If the float voltage of a lithium battery drops by 100-mV or 300-mV, the life cycle of this battery will be doubled or even tripled. Also, note that the chemical makeup of the battery will determine the sort of treatment given to it. Compared to other types of battery chemistries, Li-ion cobalt chemistry reacts more to a high float voltage. Similarly, a lower float voltage is seen more in Li-ion phosphate batteries than in any other Li-ion batteries.

2. Use Partial Discharge Cycles

To prolong the lifespan of a lithium battery, always recharge after you have used 20% to 30% of the battery capacity. Generally, running a shallow discharge 5 to 10 times is equivalent to a single full discharge cycle. Avoid charging the battery completely at all times, this could be harmful to the battery life. Depending on the battery makeup, do not fully discharge down to 2.5 V or 3 V.

3. Avoid high charge and discharge currents

Do not charge or discharge at high currents. A high current lowers the cycle life of a battery because it places undue stress on the battery. Although some battery chemistries such as Li-phosphate and Li-manganese are more suited for high currents, it is generally not advisable to charge or discharge at high currents.

4. Use Correct Charge Termination Method

Choice of charger can also go a long way in prolonging the battery life. Some types of chargers use a minimum charge-current termination. What this charger does is terminate charging before it is fully charged. For instance, the charge cycle is terminated when the current gets to C/5. When this happens, the battery charges only approximately 85%.

5. Limit the battery temperature

This is yet another important factor to note if you wish to prolong battery life. Charging below 0°C should be prohibited. This is because charging at such a low temperature encourages metal plating, creates excessive heat, and destabilizes the battery. Modern chargers are designed to measure battery temperature to ensure that charging does not continue at very high or very low temperatures.

6. Avoid very deep discharges (below 2 V or 2.5 V)

Deep discharge is one of the major causes of damage in a lithium battery. It causes internal metal plating which in turn causes a short circuit to occur. All these destabilize the lithium battery and make it unsafe for use. To prevent this, most lithium batteries are built with protection circuitry. The function of this circuitry is to terminate the battery connection once the voltage drops beyond 2.5 V or when it rises above 4.3 V.

Conclusion

No matter how many years manufacturers promise a lithium battery will last, such a battery will not maximize its potential if it is not properly taken care of. Therefore, users are advised to take proper care of their lithium battery to promote efficiency.

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