I had some experience using Noalox, I hope the following is useful ...
Way back in my early EV years, when heard the snoWhite Electric race car
http://web.stanford.edu/dept/SUL/library/extra4/sloan/EVonline/evaosc/9404/page8.htm
http://www.cafeelectric.com/images/Snowhite1.jpg
was using Noalox
I think REAP's results speak for themselves. Brushing is quite a bit easier
than sanding but just watch you dont short a pair of terminals if you are using
a long steel-wired brush!
But as Michael suggests, in a damp environment, such as a marine application
for example, the Noalox might
REAP Systems in England did test that in a lab last year. You can see a
video presentation they did on the EVTV web site. Go to video archives,
August 16, 2013. A direct link is
http://media3.ev-tv.me/news081613-iPhone.m4v. The presentation starts at
23 minutes and the results are around 36
The theory that is being proposed is that the noalox or grease will provide
better results over some time in service - particularly where there are
dissimilar metals in contact. That makes sense to me. I like the idea of
brushing much better than sanding. But, fine grit polishing sounds OK to
Thanks for the level-headed reply Bill.
You described three functions - grease excluding moisture, zinc as a
sacrificial anode, and somehow removing aluminum oxide by sanding.
Here on this list I have been persuaded that the grease excluding moisture
is likely a good idea. Pick one that won't
That is the theory and it seems to be confirmed by two experiments.
When the cells arrive, the terminals are often noticeably covered
with corrosion. Perhaps this corrosion is due to prolonged exposure
to the sea environment during shipment, or to corrosive chemicals
used during manufacture.
My take on this is that the zinc is redundant. I use petroleum jelly.
Certainly not a conductor. At a microscopic level each metal surface in
the joint has pronounced peaks and valleys. Only the peaks touch. The
grease, being a fluid, displaces to fill the voids and the many localized
pressure
Michael Ross via EV wrote:
I can't for the life of me figure out why a highly resistive dielectric
grease (mentioned by others) is a better choice than a conductive grease...
The grease is only filling the gaps (asperities) between the two metals.
There is no grease at the contact points --
At 01:41 PM 7/31/2014, Lee Hart via EV wrote:
I find it depressing to see how badly designed the terminals are on
these cells. My first reaction was what idiot would use aluminum
for high-current connections in a high harsh automotive environment?
I agree totally.
However, you get what you
Remember that in almost any connection there is always an oxide layer. The
purpose of the sanding is to remove enough of this so that a reasonable
pressure between the wire/strap and the connection can break through this layer
and form a gas tight connection. The grease is just there to keep
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