Health, Safety, and Environment of Batteries

Definition and function of a battery A battery is in fact an electricity-storage device and the only portable source of electric-power generation. In general, a battery is a device that stores energy for use in the future. The word battery is exclusive to the electrochemical device that converts chemical energy into electricity (electrical energy), or power, using a galvanic cell. A battery is in fact a device for storing electricity; in other words, a battery does not produce electricity but rather stores it. The function of all batteries is almost similar to one another. So by understanding what happens inside one of them, one can gain a suitable understanding of the way all batteries work. Types of batteries Batteries are classified in various ways. The most important classification methods are presented below: 1_ In terms of the state of the electrolyte a) Dry battery: this term is applied mostly to sealed batteries that do not need distilled water added during use. b) Wet battery: these have a liquid electrolyte, like the batteries used in cars. 2_ In terms of the type of electrolyte and plates a) Acid battery b) Nickel-cadmium battery c) Zinc-air battery d) Alkaline battery and so on... There is also another, more general classification for batteries, based on the battery's mode of operation and whether it is rechargeable. This type of classification is divided into two categories: 1_ Non-rechargeable (primary) battery 2- Rechargeable (secondary) battery Hazards of electric shock and electrical shocks in batteries Some batteries have a suitable terminal voltage and can cause shock currents to be produced in the body. The two necessary conditions for the production of these dangerous currents are: 1- Connecting at least 20 batteries in series to one another 2- Physical contact with the electrical parts of the battery circuits Definition of the hazards of electric shock and the factors affecting them Electric shock and electrical shock: perhaps the hazards of this energy can be placed in the following two categories: Primary hazards: Electric shock, electrical shock, burns, fires, explosions resulting from this energy Secondary hazards: Small shocks that cause momentary muscle contractions in people, the consequences of which are clumsiness, etc., and there is the possibility that the person suffers a second accident, such as colliding with machinery that operates on electric current. The most important factors that play a role in causing electric shock: 1- Voltage 2- Current 3- Resistance 4- The path of current flow 5- Duration of the electric shock 6- Frequency In general, the following factors are effective in the amount of resistance of the human body against electric current: 1- Skin thickness 2- The amount of moisture, temperature, and salt content of the skin 3- The contact pressure of the skin with the electrified part 4- The intensity of the current 5- The path of passage 6- The duration of the current passing through 7- The type of electric current and its frequency In general, the goal of this article is to minimize the accidents that, in the area of working with batteries, threaten humans and keep them away from the home environment. It is obvious that not all the hazards arising from batteries can be presented in this article. Therefore, you, dear readers, can, by obtaining the book "Health, Safety, and Environment of Batteries", translated by Mr. Arash Ghasemi, Morteza Rafi, Mehrdad Afshar, Hossein Hashempour, and Dariush Naghavi, obtain complete information about battery safety in facing its hazards.