Basics Of Battery Packs For Medical Equipment

By Deborah Roberts


Medicine has greatly benefited from cell innovations. Battery packs for medical equipment are meant to ease portability. They are also meant to act as backup power sources. In remote areas, they come in handy as some tests and life-saving procedures can be done en route to the hospital or nearest facility. They also come in handy in war and travel. Picking the right one can be tricky especially without guidance. Even with guidance, one should know what the professional is talking about.

How about a quick look at some of the common types? The first is Zinc air. This is not quite the standard option in medicine but it has been known to make an appearance. Many many years ago legislation banned the mercury zinc oxide cell. This has been found to be a suitable replacement for that. It has a short shelf and charges life but it has been found to be very affordable. The mechanism of action is oxidation of the zinc with O2 in the air.

A more standard type is the Lithium iodide. This is more commonly used in medicine. It uses lithium as an anode. Unlike the aforementioned type, it is fairly expensive. It is also very long serving. It is said that with proper use and maintenance, this cell can b used for up to 15 years. It also has a long charge life.

When determining the suitability of a specific type, one looks at the battery chemistry. This is all about the technical functionality of the batteries. It is about the chemical processes that occur once the cells are engaged. It may even extend to the possible processes after an engagement that could lead to degradation. One of these is the internal resistance. The internal resistance should be matched to the load requirement of the device for best performance.

Without a bit of tweaking, a cell will not be working at its best in very high ambient temperatures. Over time the cell structure will break down. In general, the cell will not give as much service as it would have an optimum temperature. In the short term, the contrary will be perceived. Optimum temperature is considered to be room temperature.

Ever had two different phones that charged at completely different speeds? One will be all filled up and ready to go within an hour. The other will take up to four hours to get to 100%. The same is true for these kinds of cells. Fast charging is good until the consequent chemical and physical changes cause a decrease in performance in the long term.

Away from the complicated stuff, look for battery life. This is the period during which the cells can run the device before requiring a recharge. It is always better to go with the highest charge life. Who knows what situations will come up? It would be very sad to lose a patient because the charge ran out.

Whatever cells must be manually charged should be kept fully charged at all times. Life in medicine is very unpredictable. The cells should be on standby at any time. There should also be as many extras as possible. Just keep an eye on the shelf life.




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