Testing lifetime performance of primary batteries

Primary cells which convert chemical reactions to a continuous flow of electricity have been under improvement since the first battery was built hundreds of years ago, either the Baghdad Battery (circa 0 CE) or Alessandro Volta's voltaic cell (1800 CE). Designing and manufacturing improved batteries requires detailed data about their performance. Electrical measurements supply most of that data and the accuracy of electrical measurements is crucial to advancing the art of battery design. Assessing the immediate performance of a battery is straightforward - one simply applies a load and measures the output voltage. Predicting the reliability of a battery is a bigger challenge. It involves testing over long periods of time under controlled conditions. Having the ability to measure the accelerated lifetime performance of a battery design and the ability to measure indicative characteristics of each battery manufactured has contributed to superior battery lifetimes for pacemakers and implantable defibrillators at Boston Scientific (a medical device developer, manufacturer, and marketer).