Primary (Non Rechargeable) Batteries

Primary batteries are used once, then discarded. They have the advantage of convenience and cost less per battery, with the down side of costing more over the long term. Generally, primary batteries have a higher capacity and initial voltage than rechargeable batteries, and a sloping discharge curve . Most primary batteries do not presently require special disposal.

Advantages

High energy density since no design compromises necessary to accommodate recharging.

Best alternative for low cost, low drain applications such as watches or hearing aids.

The obvious choice for single use applications such as guided missiles and military ordnance.

Low initial cost

Convenient.

Wide availability of standard products

Shortcomings

Not suitable for high drain applications due to short life time and the cost of continuous replacement.

In terms of overall energy efficiency, single use, disposable, primary batteries are an extremely uneconomical energy source since they produce only about 2% of the power used in their manufacture.

They also produce much more waste than rechargeable batteries.

Applications

• Consumer batteries used in:-

Toys

Flashlights

Watches

Clocks

Hearing aids

Radios

 

• Specialist batteries used for:-

Implanted medical devices

Missiles

Weapons systems

Typical Battery Chemistries

• Alkaline

Leclanché

Lithium

Silver Oxide

Zinc Air

See also Secondary (Rechargeable) Batteries and Alternative Energy Storage Methods