http://www.windsun.com/Batteries/Battery_FAQ.htm#AGM, or Absorbed Glass Mat
Batteries
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absorbed_Glass_Mat
Is this the technology behind Optima batteries?
From: Casey Hicks
Sent: Thursday, March 06, 2008 3:33 PM
To: DTC DL Maintenance Breakdown Employees
Subject: AGM Batteries
AGM, or Absorbed Glass Mat Batteries
A newer type of sealed battery uses Absorbed Glass Mats, or AGM between the
plates. This is a very fine fiber Boron-Silicate glass mat. These type of
batteries have all the advantages of gelled, but can take much more abuse. We
sell the Concorde (and Lifeline, made by Concorde) AGM batteries. These are
also called starved electrolyte, as the mat is about 95% saturated rather
than fully soaked. That also means that they will not leak acid even if broken.
AGM batteries have several advantages over both gelled and flooded, at about
the same cost as gelled:
Since all the electrolyte (acid) is contained in the glass mats, they cannot
spill, even if broken. This also means that since they are non-hazardous, the
shipping costs are lower. In addition, since there is no liquid to freeze and
expand, they are practically immune from freezing damage.
Nearly all AGM batteries are recombinant - what that means is that the Oxygen
and Hydrogen recombine INSIDE the battery. These use gas phase transfer of
oxygen to the negative plates to recombine them back into water while charging
and prevent the loss of water through electrolysis. The recombining is
typically 99+% efficient, so almost no water is lost.
The charging voltages are the same as for any standard battery - no need for
any special adjustments or problems with incompatible chargers or charge
controls. And, since the internal resistance is extremely low, there is almost
no heating of the battery even under heavy charge and discharge currents. The
Concorde (and most AGM) batteries have no charge or discharge current limits.
AGM's have a very low self-discharge - from 1% to 3% per month is usual. This
means that they can sit in storage for much longer periods without charging
than standard batteries. The Concorde batteries can be almost fully recharged
(95% or better) even after 30 days of being totally discharged.
AGM's do not have any liquid to spill, and even under severe overcharge
conditions hydrogen emission is far below the 4% max specified for aircraft and
enclosed spaces. The plates in AGM's are tightly packed and rigidly mounted,
and will withstand shock and vibration better than any standard battery.
Even with all the advantages listed above, there is still a place for the
standard flooded deep cycle battery. AGM's will cost 2 to 3 times as much as
flooded batteries of the same capacity. In many installations, where the
batteries are set in an area where you don't have to worry about fumes or
leakage, a standard or industrial deep cycle is a better economic choice. AGM
batteries main advantages are no maintenance, completely sealed against fumes,
Hydrogen, or leakage, non-spilling even if they are broken, and can survive
most freezes. Not everyone needs these features.
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Luther KB5QHUAlma, Ark
'87 300SDL (272,xxx mi) head case
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