NiMH Batteries: Back to Basics

 As far as eco-friendliness is concerned, Nickel Cadmium cells and batteries are your best bet for a number of reasons. Also known as NiMH, these units are known for their optimal performance. Like Nickel Metal Hydride, they offer almost the same charge and voltage features. Therefore, they can be used in place of each other. However, there are a couple of differences to take into account. In this article, we are going to find out more about this technology. Read on to find out more.

First of all, these power packs are your best bet if you are looking for something environmentally friendly. Therefore, they can be used in place of D, C, AA ones.

NiMH Battery Technology: Some Basics

The good thing is that NiMH cells and batteries are used across the globe for a number of reasons. The reason is that they have several great features. Given below are some of the primary features of these power packs:

1. Environmental Impact

First of all, NiMH runs circles around NiCd batteries as they are the least damaging to the environment. For instance, NiCd units contain cadmium, which is bad for the environment. In the EU, the law called the Battery Directive requires that the use of NiCd units must be terminated as far as portable use is concerned.

Although cadmium is not used in NiMH cells anymore, the mining or processing of a lot of other metals does impart some threats to the environment. The good thing is that when these units reach the end of their life, it's possible to recover most of the nickel without any problem.

2. Specific Energy Density

A Nickel Metal Hydride battery offers a higher level of energy density. In other words, this phenomenon refers to the amount of energy that you can store in a battery with a specific volume. Typically, it's between 60 and 100W/h per Kg. On the other hand, NiCd has a capacity between 40 and 60. Again, this is another great feature of these powerhouses.

3. Output Voltage

Another great feature of these units is that they have 1.2 volts per cell just like a NiCd one. Therefore, you can use these units in place of other older units.

4. Charging

A lot of NiCd chargers make use of a higher terminal voltage in order to figure out the charge level. But the good thing is that this voltage boost is negligible. And another great thing is that NiMH is prone to overcharging. Therefore, more care must be taken in order to charge these cells and battery packs.

5. Self-Discharge Rate

As far as the discharge rate is concerned, these NiMH cells have a self-discharge rate of just 3% per week if stored in an ideal environment.

Long story short, these are just some of the basics of a NiMH battery pack. You can see that these batteries have some great features that set these units apart from other alternatives.