A Swedish engineer and inventor who was born on June 19, 1869, Ernst Waldemar Jungner’s most regarded inventions were the nickel-iron electric storage battery (NiFe) and the nickel-cadmium battery (NiCd).
He went to Uppsala University to study astronomy, botany, chemistry, geology, Latin and mathematics. He has also founded “Ackumulator Aktiebolaget Jungner” which is now referred to as “SAFT AB,” a company that produces high quality batteries around the world.
Nickel-Cadmium Battery
The first NiCd was made by Jungner in year 1899 where its biggest competitor was the lead-acid battery. The lead-acid battery of the time was experiencing major problems because it was not chemically and physically robust: it was too big yet its power was not enough to keep equipment from working long hours. Unfortunately, NiCd could not compete against other types of batteries because the materials being used in it were too expensive. Because of that, they were only used for special applications.
A nickel-cadmium battery has nickel as its positive anode, cadmium as its negative cathode and alkaline solution as its electrolyte. What is nice about NiCd is that it prefers fast charging. It is termed to be strong in terms of its performance yet it does not emit too much noise. It also prefers rigorous operations and it can pull through them smoothly.
Nickel-Iron Battery
Prior to Thomas Edison, NiFe batteries were initially invented by Jungner. The Cadmium in his nickel-cadmium battery was being replaced by iron in different percentage to assess how well it could perform. The nickel-iron battery has surpassed the cadmium version in terms of price, but not in performance. This type of battery is less efficient and gassing (the production of hydrogen) occurs. However, he has acquired several patents for this invention.
NiFe batteries were also used on mining operations because of its resistance to too much vibration.
Other inventions of Waldemar Jungner
Jungner didn’t stop with his battery development. He has also worked on other inventions which were:
- the rechargeable alkaline silver-cadmium battery (AgCd)
- diluted different metals to fabricate fire alarms
- electrolytic production of sodium carbonate
- rock drilling device
Waldemar Jungner’s batteries have only come into the limelight when they were used in 1940. Its production increased in the United States of America. The NiFe battery was also incorporated on Germany’s V-2 rocket during the World War II.
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