A Quantitive Analysis of the Recovery Effect in Batteries from Datasheets

Abstract:
Over the past decade, battery modeling using datasheets has been intensively researched due to the growing number of battery-powered devices. One of the typical non-ideal discharge behaviors of certain batteries is the partial recovery of their energy after a current pulse; this is known as recovery effect. Consequently, the battery runtime is generally longer in the case of a battery operating at pulsed current than at constant current of the same magnitude. This work demonstrates how to analyze the recovery effect simply by considering the manufacturer’s data. The proposed method was applied to the Energizer E91 alkaline cell. The results show that, as additional available capacity, the absolute recovered energy increases as the battery current magnitude becomes greater. In this case, the additional battery capacity can reach up to about 30% for medium currents. Direct experimental measurements validate the proposed methodology.