Many of us
know the sight of a mobile phone battery swelling after a period of use, and
some may have seen it more than once during their lives, which may mean that
the life of the battery is about to expire, but the scene that is somewhat less
common is a battery swelling. Laptops are supposed to last longer, as
manufacturers test their batteries to work efficiently for up to three or four
years.
Also, laptops
are not supposed to work continuously and without stopping for long periods of
time compared to phones, but with the increased use and the need to carry out
various tasks continuously throughout the day, some may notice that the laptop
battery has become somewhat bloated or has a slight or noticeable dent. What is
the problem with an inflated or swollen laptop battery? And what are its
causes? How can it be avoided in laptop batteries? Can it be treated as soon as
it occurs? This is what we will explain in the following lines.
Most laptops
and smartphones today use rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, which have many
advantages in addition to their small size compared to other types. It can also
be used to power advanced electric vehicles such as the Tesla electric car.
Lithium-ion
batteries also have low self-discharge rates, when not in use, they lose only
about 5% of their charge per month, while other types, such as nickel-hydride
batteries, lose up to 20% of their charge per month, and lithium-ion batteries
do not suffer from the memory effect as well. It occurs in nickel batteries,
especially the nickel-cadmium battery, whose efficiency decreases and the
amount of energy it stores when charging each time, it is charged.
How does a lithium-ion battery work?
A lithium-ion
battery consists of negative electrodes made of carbon and positive electrodes
made of lithium cobalt oxide, which contains the lightweight element lithium, a
chemically highly active element that contains one electron in its valence
shell, which makes it highly reactive, and this property gives it the ability
to storing a lot of energy in its atomic bonds; Therefore, lithium-ion
batteries have the ability to store energy at a very high density, as a
standard lithium-ion battery can store up to 150 watts of electricity per hour
of charge, while a standard nickel-hydride battery stores in the same volume
about 100 watts/hour From electricity only.
The battery's
positive and negative electrodes are immersed in an organic solvent that acts
as an electrolyte and is separated from each other using a very thin,
perforated plastic sheet to allow ions to pass through. The mechanism of action
of the lithium-ion battery is that the lithium ions when charged flow through
the electrolyte and move from the positive electrodes to the negative
electrodes to bond with carbon, and this process is reversed when the battery
is discharged, so the lithium ions move again from the negative carbon
electrodes to the positive lithium cobalt oxide electrodes.
Causes of swollen laptop battery
The swelling
of the lithium-ion battery used in laptops is due to the decomposition of the
electrolyte between the electrodes, which results in the formation of gas
bubbles, usually carbon dioxide, but may sometimes be accompanied by the
formation of other more dangerous gases, and the accumulation of these gases
causes the battery to swell. The battery then becomes unable to carry out the
chemical reactions needed to properly charge and discharge energy, and this
problem may develop and exacerbate at times to result in a heat leak that
eventually leads to a fire. Electrolyte breakdown occurs due to a number of
reasons, the most important of which are the following:
Battery overcharging
Overcharging
and the continuation of electricity flow to the laptop battery even after its
capacity is full are the most common causes of laptop battery swelling. After
that, the battery continues to be charged with energy for a certain period
until the charging is complete, but if the electricity is not disconnected
after the charging process is completed, more electrical energy will continue
to flow into the battery, which will cause an increase in the value of the
voltage inside the cells, and more electricity generates more heat inside the
battery.
This rise in
temperature stimulates chemical reactions inside the cells that lead to the
dissolution of the electrolyte located between the electrodes and the formation
of some gases that expand, causing a rise in pressure inside the battery,
causing it to swell.
Many
manufacturers of laptops and electronic devices such as Dell and Lenovo have
been working for years to solve the problem of overcharging in their computers
by manufacturing a smart battery that can regulate the process of charging and
discharging throughout the day to avoid the battery ever reaching a full state
And stop drawing more power from the power socket once the battery reaches 80%
or 90% of its maximum capacity.
Overheating
Of course,
the chemical reactions that occur inside lithium-ion battery cells are affected
by temperature. Running the device for long hours, especially in hot weather
and environments, leads to a high temperature, and over days and years, the
battery will be more likely to be affected by excessive heat, which may eventually
cause it to swell.
Battery deep discharge
Lithium-ion
batteries do not suffer from memory effects unlike some other types of
batteries such as nickel-cadmium batteries, thus; There is no need to fully
discharge the battery power before recharging it. Rather, deep discharging the
battery and depleting its energy by one hundred percent before recharging it is
one of the most important reasons that generate high temperature and high
pressure inside the battery cells, which leads to battery swelling. Therefore,
it is preferable to recharge the lithium-ion battery as soon as its energy
content drops below 20% to avoid deep discharging of the cells, the power
socket is disconnected and the charging process is stopped as soon as its
energy content reaches 80-90% to avoid overcharging.
mechanical damage
Sometimes the
laptop itself hits a hard surface, hits the ground, or damages some parts of
it, causing damage to the battery as well, raising its temperature
significantly, which leads to swelling.
The effect of battery swelling on laptop performance
The effect of
the laptop battery swelling may not be as great as it may be felt at first, but
little by little you will notice that the shape of the device has slowly
started to change. If you place it on a flat surface, or you notice that your
device no longer stabilizes, the lower part of the case has bulged out and got
a little dented.
Battery
swelling also affects the performance of the laptop, reducing its operating
efficiency while continuing to use the same battery, and you may eventually
need to connect it to the mains continuously to ensure that it does not stop
working suddenly. The effect of the laptop battery swelling may be more
dangerous at times. When trying to replace it, non-professional methods of removing
it from the device may cause the battery to explode or puncture, which may
cause fires or the leakage of some chemicals and harmful gases from it, as well
as if it is not replaced. Over time, it will lead to damage to the device as a
whole and the occurrence of irreparable deformations in its external structure
and various parts.
How to prevent laptop battery swelling and how to treat it
There is no
known way yet to treat a swollen laptop battery, as the dissolution of the
electrolyte between the electrodes in lithium-ion battery cells is a one-way
reaction that cannot be reversed once it began, and the only solution, in the
end, is to replace the battery after it swells and is damaged by one. New. But
this bloating can be avoided or prevented by taking care of some correct usage
habits, and here are some tips that may help you maintain the integrity of the
lithium-ion battery used in your laptop to work longer and avoid getting
bloated:
● Be
careful not to keep the device connected to the power socket after the battery
is fully charged to avoid problems caused by overcharging, and to maintain a
correct charging cycle for the battery as it must be discharged and then
recharged in order to operate efficiently.
Using the
right charger for your laptop can help you avoid overcharging issues.
● Some
operating systems help laptop users to avoid problems with overcharging or deep
discharge, for example, the Mac operating system provides its users with the
free coconutBattery tool to remind the user when it is time to disconnect the
power socket from the device and allow the battery to complete the discharge
and charging cycle. Windows Similar tools like the free BatteryCare tool and
the paid BatteryBar Pro tool.
Avoid the
high temperature of the device during operation, and keep it in a cool and dry
place as much as possible, as high temperature and a humid surrounding
environment reduce the battery life and its operating efficiency over time.
● The damaged
battery should be removed and replaced whenever it begins to swell, and not
continuing to use it will eventually cause distortion and damage to the frame
and parts of the laptop as a whole.
● When
replacing the battery of your damaged device with a new one, make sure to buy
it from a company with a good reputation in the market, and avoid buying
low-quality types that are made from low-cost materials that do not withstand
normal operating conditions, and it is definitely preferable to buy an original
battery from the same manufacturer of the device.
Finally, always remember that you should dispose of damaged or swollen lithium-ion batteries carefully and safely so that you do not open them, puncture them with anything metal, or bend them, as this may cause them to explode and start small fires or leak some chemicals and gases with a strong smell from them.