Did you know that a 24V Lithium Battery Chart can help you monitor your battery and ensure it serves you long enough? Well, it’s true, and we’ve written this guide to explain all the crucial information about a battery voltage chart to you.
Reading through, you’ll master concepts like how to use a 24V Lithium Battery Voltage Chart, its benefits, and the most common applications of 24-volt battery packs in everyday life. Now, let’s get into the refined details of a battery voltage chart and find out more for ourselves.
Mastering The Basics of 24V Batteries
Unlike in the past, we have many battery options today. Your choice depends on what you want to do and, sometimes, the amount you want to spend on the power installation project.
One of the most popular battery packs is the 24-volt Lithium battery. It’s referred to as a 24-volt battery because it exhibits a nominal voltage of 24. The nominal voltage of a battery is the magnitude of the voltage across its terminals when it supplies power to a circuit.
So, a 24-volt battery may read 27V on full charge but drops to its nominal voltage of 24 immediately after we connect a load across its terminals. Regarding size, 24V Lithium batteries are usually smaller than their Lead-acid counterparts.
The significantly smaller size is due to the Lithium battery’s higher voltage rating per cell than the Lead-based batteries. Therefore, a 24V Lithium battery has fewer cells than a 24V Lead-acid battery, which explains the more compact design and generally smaller size. The voltage of 24-volt Lithium batteries lies between 20V when completely drained and about 29V when on full charge.
Popular Uses of 24-Volt Batteries
Despite brand or chemistry variations, 24V batteries boast numerous applications in real life. In this section, we describe the 4 most popular uses for you.
Powering Electric Vehicles (EVs)
EVs are progressively becoming the new norm on our roads. The increase in popularity of Electric Vehicles is due to advancements in technology and the availability of 24-volt battery packs. In EVs, 24V batteries provide power for two primary roles. First, the electricity runs the motor that propels the Electric car. The current from 24-volt batteries also powers the onboard electronics that are vital for the normal functioning of an EV.
Powering Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) Systems
Places with sensitive electronics or critical digital infrastructure, such as server rooms or data centers cannot afford even a minute outage. To achieve that, data centers always have UPS systems, which rely on the DC power from 24V batteries for uninterruptible operations. The 24V option is ideal in this case because it can supply the needed adequate electric power.
Storing Power In Solar Systems
Solar systems rely on electrical energy from the solar panels. Unfortunately, the sun does not shine the whole day, calling for robust power storage mechanisms. So, for solar systems to be fully functional and reliable, they use 24-volt batteries to store electrical energy, which an inverter converts to AC for various uses.
Used In Marine Vessels & Recreational Vehicles (RVs)
For RVs to be comfortable and offer you the best experience, the music system, TV set, safety mechanisms, and kitchen equipment must work correctly, and that’s possible because of the power coming from an onboard 24V battery pack.
Marine vessels, such as fishing boats, also constantly need electricity to operate various onboard fishing equipment, such as trolling motors. 24V batteries, with their ability to deliver more power, keep marine vessels powered and alive no matter how far offshore they are.
Battery Voltage Levels & State of Charge (SOC)
To understand this section well, you need to know that the State of Charge (SOC) of a battery is the amount of charge it has accumulated if it’s in charging mode or the amount of charge remaining if the battery is supplying power to an electrical load.
For simplicity, manufacturers express the SOC of a battery as a percentage of the maximum capacity. For instance, if a Lithium battery has a total capacity of 28v, and the current-voltage reading is 26.5v, the SOC = {(26.5/28)*100}. This gives us approximately 95% State of Charge, meaning the battery is almost fully charged.
As you can see, the information regarding voltage levels is important when determining various battery parameters, which in turn, helps us establish the overall health of a given pack. When you know what various battery levels mean, you can avoid things like overcharging your 24V Lithium battery.
Understanding the basics of State of Charge also ensures you don’t over-drain the battery, thus increasing its durability. Below is a summary of voltage levels and their corresponding SOC percentages for a 24V Lithium battery to facilitate seamless monitoring.
|
Categories |
Voltage Level (v) |
State of Charge (SOC) (%) |
Interpretation |
|
1 |
20.0 |
0% |
Battery Fully Drained |
|
2 |
24.0 |
10% |
Battery about 10% of its maximum capacity |
|
3 |
25.6 |
20% |
20% Full, 80% to maximum capacity |
|
4 |
25.8 |
30% |
30% Full, 70% to maximum capacity |
|
5 |
26.0 |
40% |
40% Full, 60% to maximum capacity |
|
6 |
26.1 |
50% |
50% Full, 50% to maximum capacity |
|
7 |
26.1 |
60% |
60% Full, 40% more to hit total capacity |
|
8 |
26.4 |
70% |
70% Full, 30% more to hit total capacity |
|
9 |
26.6 |
80% |
80% Full, almost hitting total capacity |
|
10 |
26.8 |
90% |
90% Full, just 10% more to be fully charged. |
|
11 |
29.2 |
100% (But Still On Charging) |
Maximum capacity reached, though the battery is still connected to the charger. |
|
12 |
27.2 |
100% (Disconnected From Charging) |
Fully charged, though still connected to the charger. (This is the floating voltage) |
Understanding Voltage Drops
Voltage drop is common in most batteries, and the 24V Lithium batteries aren’t an exception. It is the reduction in the voltage of a battery when it’s running a load. Voltage drop in batteries may occur due to several reasons. Some of the primary factors causing voltage drop in 24-volt Lithium batteries include;
The Internal Resistance of The Battery
A battery’s internal resistance is its tendency to oppose the flow of current from its cells to an electrical load connected to the terminals. While Lithium batteries generally exhibit a lower internal resistance compared to Lead-acid accumulators, the effect is still significant.
For most battery technologies, including the 24V Lithium batteries, the internal resistance increases as you connect more load. That means you can minimize the internal resistance of your Lithium battery by keeping the total load reasonably down whenever possible.
The Total Length of The Wiring
The total length of a conductor directly affects its resistance. A longer conductor has a higher resistance to the current flow than a shorter one. Therefore, if your wiring isn’t properly planned, it likely comprises many wires. But including more wires increases the resistance of your wiring system, which in turn, causes significant drops in battery voltage.
So, to minimize voltage drops and improve the efficiency of your 24V Lithium battery, design your wiring system efficiently to shorten the length of the wire used. If you lack the relevant skills, you can hire an expert to help with wiring.
The Battery’s State of Charge
The State of Charge (SOC) of your 24-volt Lithium battery can encourage its voltage drop unless you know what’s happening. That takes us back to the concept of internal resistance. The internal resistance of a battery usually increases with a decrease in the SOC. So, as your battery continues to supply current to power your appliances, its SOC drops with time.
The low State of Charge increases the internal resistance, which then causes a fall in voltage level. To avoid voltage drops, we recommend monitoring your battery’s voltage using the 24V Lithium Battery Voltage chart so that you can disconnect the load timely and avoid dangerously low states of charge.
Surrounding Temperatures
Batteries generate electrical energy through chemical reactions, therefore, any temperature fluctuations greatly affect your battery’s performance.
Even though Lithium batteries generally exhibit incredible performance within a wide temperature range, the extremes lower their efficiency, leading to significant voltage drops. Therefore, you need to install your 24-volt Lithium battery in a place where it’s not exposed to direct high heat or low temperatures to curb voltage drops.
Practical Applications of Battery Voltage Chart
Using a Lithium battery voltage chart can prevent many potential battery problems before they occur. Here are some of the most popular ways a voltage chart may be useful.
The main purpose of a battery voltage chart is to monitor the battery’s health. This is because the health of your Lithium battery may deteriorate over time, and you need a reliable way of finding out whether there’s a problem. You can ensure this by regularly comparing the battery voltage readings with the manufacturer-specified ones. Any significant variations would mean your battery requires adjustments or a complete replacement.
Besides monitoring health, a battery voltage chart allows checking the voltage levels when charging your 24V Lithium battery so it doesn’t overcharge. Similarly, you can monitor the voltage levels when discharging so you disconnect the load to prevent over-discharging the battery.
Generally, a voltage chart is an efficient mechanism for determining if your battery has any problems and taking appropriate steps promptly. Additionally, you use the chart to monitor the voltage characteristics and initiate actions that protect your battery against damage. By monitoring health and avoiding damage, the battery’s lifespan lengthens, with a significantly lower total cost of ownership.
Key Takeaways
A battery voltage chart is one readily available mechanism for monitoring the voltage characteristics of a 24-volt Lithium battery. Knowing the battery's voltage levels and the corresponding State of Charge enables you to establish the battery’s health status and take any necessary corrective steps.
Voltage awareness also lets you know when your battery is nearing the minimum state of charge so you may disconnect any active load. This helps to avoid excessive discharge, which could be destructive to the battery. Begin using a voltage chart today for desired health and durability.
