Gas studied in lead acid batteries

A modern coal mine would be unrecognisable to a miner from the turn of the century, and the lead acid battery has made its contribution to the improved conditions now prevailing underground. Whilst the use of lead acid batteries has brought benefits they do themselves constitute a risk, albeit a small one, in hazardous areas. These risks have, in the past, been associated with arcing and with hydrogen evolution. The authors seek to show how progress in battery technology may introduce a hitherto unconsidered risk associated with the retention of flammable atmospheres inside the battery itself