Is Peukert's Law Applicable for Calculating Battery Life at Microampere Levels?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers on the applicability of Peukert's Law for calculating the battery life of a 9V pp3 battery when used with devices that operate at microampere levels. Participants explore whether Peukert's Law is relevant for such low current applications and consider alternative methods for estimating battery life.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • One participant questions the applicability of Peukert's Law for a 9V pp3 battery at microampere levels, suggesting that a battery with a 1200mAh capacity might discharge too quickly.
  • Another participant asserts that Peukert's Law is primarily relevant to lead-acid batteries and may not apply to 9V alkaline batteries, particularly at low current levels.
  • A different viewpoint emphasizes the importance of considering the battery's self-drain rate and shelf-life for accurate battery life estimation, noting that a 10 micro-amp load would take a significantly long time to drain a 1200 mAh battery.
  • It is mentioned that Peukert's Law is generally applicable when the drain rate exceeds 1A, indicating uncertainty about its relevance at microamp levels.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing opinions on the applicability of Peukert's Law for low current scenarios, with some asserting it is not suitable while others highlight the need for additional considerations like self-drain rates. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the best approach to estimate battery life in this context.

Contextual Notes

There are limitations regarding the assumptions made about battery behavior at low discharge rates and the specific characteristics of 9V alkaline batteries versus lead-acid batteries. The discussion does not resolve these complexities.

frenchero
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Hi everybody,

I would like to use a 9V pp3 battery with a device with a rate of order of µA. Iwanted to use Peukert's law to calculate the duration of my battery but I am not quite sure if it is applicable for such low current... Won't a battery with 1200mAh capacity discharge too fast?

Thanks

Damien
 
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frenchero said:
Hi everybody,

I would like to use a 9V pp3 battery with a device with a rate of order of µA. Iwanted to use Peukert's law to calculate the duration of my battery but I am not quite sure if it is applicable for such low current... Won't a battery with 1200mAh capacity discharge too fast?

Thanks

Damien

Peukert's law appears to apply to lead-acid batteries, like car batteries, not to 9V alkaline batteries.

To calculate battery life, look at the battery datasheet (get it from the manufacturer's website), and look for the discharge time line for that low current.
 
You will have to look at the battery's self-drain rate and shelf-life, because just taking into account the load by itself won't give you an accurate estimate. For example, 10 micro-amps at 9V (90 micro-watts) would take 5000 days (13.7 years) to drain a 1200 mAh 9V battery.
 
berkeman said:
Peukert's law appears to apply to lead-acid batteries, like car batteries, not to 9V alkaline batteries.

It also appears that Peukert's law is meant to be applied to when the drain rate on a battery is larger than 1A, but not necessarily the micro amp range.
 
Last edited:

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