Are you striving to produce high performing starter batteries?
In recent years, the trend is to produce lead oxide with about 73 or 74% oxidation, but until about 10 years ago, the preferred level was around 72%. The main reason for wanting the higher oxidation is to attain a higher acid absorption for greater starting power.
How can you increase acid absorption?
The acid absorption of oxide from Barton pot reactors is only between 160 and 180, whereas ball mills produce a dust with a higher acid absorption: 220-260 mg of sulfuric acid per gram of oxide.
Therefore, the solution is to produce lead oxide with ball mills, right? Correct, but let’s look a little more deeply into this matter.
Beware of orthorhombic crystals
In oxide production, there is sometimes an underestimated chemical phenomenon where, under certain conditions, a small percentage of orthorhombic lead oxide crystals can form, which, no matter how small, can cause imperfect paste/grid adhesion. This reduces the life cycle of the battery, an effect that is usually discovered later, rather than sooner.
In the early years of experimenting with ball mill engineering, CAM designed an internal cooling system which sprays water directly on the dust, instead of external mantle cooling. This allowed us to accurately control the temperature of the mass, without risking peaks that can occur with external cooling methods, therefore effectively preventing the formation of orthorhombic crystals and producing more homogeneous and stable lead oxide.
This is one of several reasons CAM MOP ball mills are considered best in class by some of the most important manufacturers in the industry.
