[Physics] Internal resistance in batteries in parallel

batterieselectric-circuitselectrical-resistance

I am doing an experiment where I measure the internal resistance of two battery cells. I've measured the internal resistance of both of the cells, and when they were in series. The series internal resistance was the resistances summed. However, when I connected them in parallel, the result was unexpected.

By connecting two battery cells in parallel you should be able to calculate the internal resistance to the equivalent battery if you know the internal resistance of both of the battery cells by $\frac{1}{R}=\frac{1}{r_1}+\frac{1}{r_2}$? Am I wrong here? Because the internal resistance I measured was higher than the single battery cells' resistances.

Best Answer

The discrepancy is possibly related to different internal voltages $V_1$ and $V_2$ of the cells (e.g., by one being older than the other) which, when putting the batteries in parallel, already produces a current $\frac {V_1-V_2}{r_1+r_2}$ without a load, so that the equivalent Thevenin voltage $V_{th}$ of the parallel battery circuit is lower than the battery voltage $V_1$ and is given by $$$V_{th}=V_1-r_1\frac {V_1-V_2}{r_1+r_2}$$ Thus, when in the determination of the equivalent Thevenin resistance $R_{th}=(1/r_1)+(1/r_2)$ of the parallel battery circuit (e.g. by measuring the short circuit current $I_s=V_{th}/R_{th}$) you erroneously assume that both batteries have the same Thevenin voltage $V_b=V_1=V_2$ which is higher than the correct $V_{th}$, you would get the wrong Thevenin resistance $$R_{th, wrong}=\frac{V_b}{I_s}>R_{th}$$ which is higher than the actual Thevenin resistance $R_{th}=(1/r_1)+(1/r_2)$.

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