Pulse Technology Helps Fleets with a Green Program Meet Sustainability Goals While Extending Battery Life Cycles

Southlake, TX — DECEMBER 2014

Keeping lead-acid batteries operating far past traditional life cycles and out of waste stream, landfills and smelters, where they can result in long lasting legacies harmful to the environment if improperly recycled, is a challenge for fleet managers looking for Green Policy maintenance solutions.

There is, however, a US patented and scientifically validated process which has proven to prevent premature battery death and extend battery life up to five times its normal cycle — Pulse Technology. Used by the military as well as commercial fleet managers and private consumers, the technology has been vetted through battery charger and desulfator test studies conducted with Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan and Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio and through the peer-reviewed SAE technical paper.

Basically, a lead-acid battery will continue to store and supply energy if enough of the active plate material is available to allow an energy transfer to occur naturally. In theory, lead-acid batteries should last many years, but they usually don't because of a series of detrimental problems caused by "excessive sulfation buildup" related to the natural and necessary formation of sulfate crystals on the surface of lead battery plates.

As a battery ages through use or sits unused for periods of time, these lead sulfate crystals enlarge and can build up "excessively" to the point where they create a physical barrier across the surface of the plate. Before long, this buildup can become so dense that a battery is no longer able to accept or release energy.

Pulse Technology utilizes a strictly controlled waveform, comprised of rise time, pulse-width, frequency and amplitude of current and voltage pulse. Used as part of a routine maintenance program PulseTech chargers have delivered impressive results, improving battery performance and extending life cycles.

During University studies, these crystalline buildups (sulfation) were regularly investigated by X-ray diffraction methods. The X-ray diffraction data confirmed the positive effects of the application of Pulse Technology on the battery plate morphology. It shows a more even distribution of lead sulfate crystals over the surface area of the battery plates. It also revealed a significant reduction in the size of the lead-sulfate crystals. These microscopic changes, kind of an electro-mechanical "stirring" or "cleaning" action on the plate surface, greatly improve a battery's ability to accept and store more energy.

Consumer validation of Pulse Technology's performance is another confirmation of the performance of PulseTech's battery maintenance product lines.

In 2011, Steve Schultz, a reselling partner in Minnesota, conducted an independent test using PulseTech's XC100-P smart charger and a popular competitive brand. The test was conducted for 7-8 months with the assumption that 120 test cycles equaled one-year use for an average battery. The resulting 480 test cycles (comparable to 4 years use) clearly showed battery plates maintained by Pulse Technology were clean of sulfation buildup and able to hold full charges, while battery plates maintained by the competitive brand were highly sulfated and could not operate at peak efficiency.

The United States Air Force Management Equipment and Evaluation Program reports also show similar findings. Their findings were specific to the use of Pulse Technology stating: "This evaluation indicates that many batteries previously condemned could be reclaimed if Pulse Technology were used extensively; assuming there is no internal damage to the battery, i.e.: plates etc." The report goes on to state: "In conclusion, Pulse Technology worked by removing sulfation from the battery plates as the manufacturer claimed. It is unknown exactly how long a battery will last with Pulse Technology connected, but it is estimated at least eight to ten years of life can be added."

It's also important when shopping for battery maintenance products to understand that products branded as "pulsing" aren't actually cleaning battery plates of sulfates, which is the #1 reason for battery failure.

Even with routine maintenance through Pulse Technology lead-acid batteries will eventually need to be recycled, an energy intensive procedure of sorting batteries into chemistries, including lead, a very valuable material. The materials, according to the Basel Convention, also have been classified as hazardous waste.

It's estimated that batteries in vehicles on the road worldwide contain more than 4 million tons of lead. A substantial quantity of lead production comes from recycled batteries — a profitable and sometimes deadly business.

We salute those recyclers that continuously seek improvement in extracting lead from batteries, while adhering to safety standards in processing. We also fully support companies that employ lead-acid battery management programs keeping hundreds of thousands of batteries in service for longer periods of time.

The best maintenance formula — Test, Recover, Charge and Maintain — is a reliable and proven methodology to keep today's lead-acid batteries in peak condition.

The result of a maintenance program incorporating Pulse Technology is:

– Extended battery life
– Sulfation removal allowing more room to store energy/power within the battery
– Increased CCAs
– Increased battery voltage