Constant current charging is a method of continuously charging a rechargeable battery at a constant current to prevent overcurrent charge conditions.
How do you charge a battery?
There are three common methods of charging a battery: constant voltage, constant current and a combination of constant voltage/constant current with or without a smart charging circuit. Constant voltage allows the full current of the charger to flow into the battery until the power supply reaches its pre-set voltage.
Constant voltage method. In this method the batteries are charged at a constant voltage. The voltage is given to the battery by means of the d.c. shunt generator or rectifier. With this charging method the time of charging is reduced considerably. (a) Initial charging. It is the first charge given to the new battery after purchasing.
Constant current (CC) charging initially allows the full current of the charger during the BULK stage to flow into the battery regardless of the battery state of charge or the temperature until the battery terminal voltage reaches a pre-set steady state. The battery is now in a state of charge of >80%.
What are the different methods of charging a battery?
There are two main methods of charging a battery: Constant current method. In this charging method the batteries are charged at a constant current. The charging current is set by introducing some resistance in the Circuit. This method has its own drawbacks because the state of charge Of the battery is not taken into account.
What is the difference between constant current charging and constant voltage charging?
Constant current charging is a method of continuously charging a rechargeable battery at a constant current to prevent overcurrent charge conditions. Constant voltage charging is a method of charging at a constant voltage to prevent overcharging. The charging current is initially high then gradually decreases.
Constant current is a simple form of charging batteries, with the current level set at approximately 10% of the maximum battery rating. Constant current/constant voltage is a combination of the above two methods. The charger limits the amount of current to a pre-set level until the battery reaches a pre-set voltage level.