Lithium primary batteries performance characteristics

Linden D, McDonald B (1980) The lithium—sulfur dioxide primary battery — its characteristics, performance and applications. J Power Sources 5 35, Elsevier Sequoia, Lausanne... 

Lithium primary batteries, with their outstanding performance and characteristics, are being used in increasing quantities in a variety of applications, including cameras, memory backup circuits, security devices, calculators, watches, etc. Nevertheless, Uthium primary batteries have not attained a major share of the market as was anticipated, because of their high initial cost, concerns with safety, the advances made with competitive systems and the cost-effectiveness of the alkaline/manganese battery. World-wide sales of Uthium primary batteries for 1999 have been estimated at 1.1 billion. ... 

A listing of the major lithium primary batteries now in production or advanced development and a summary of their constmctional features, key electrical characteristics, and available sizes are presented in Table 14.6. The types of batteries, their sizes, and some characteristics are subject to change depending on design, standardization, and market development. Manufacturers data should be obtained for specific characteristics. The performance characteristics of these systems, under theoretical conditions, are given in Table 14.4. Comparisons of the performance of the lithium batteries with comparably sized conventional primary batteries are covered in Secs. 6.4 and 7.3. Detailed characteristics of some of these batteries are covered in Secs. 14.5 to 14.12. 

The lithium/sulfur dioxide (Li/S02) battery is the most advanced of these lithium primary batteries. These batteries are typically manufactured in cylindrical configurations in capacities up to about 35 Ah. They are noted for their high specific power (about the highest of the lithium primary batteries, high energy density, and good low-temperature performance. They are used in military and specialized industrial, space and commercial applications where these performance characteristics are required. 

D. Linden and B. McDonald, The Lithium-Sulfur Dioxide Primary Battery—Its Characteristics, Performance and Applications, J. Power Sources 5 35 (1980), Elsevier Sequoia, Lausanne, Switzerland. 

Lithium Primary Cells, Liquid Cathodes, Fig. 10 Performance characteristics of Li/SOCh with BrCl additive. D-size batteries. Discharge characteristics at 20 °C [6]... 

Low-Power Batteries and Their Applications 335 Table 8.3 Performance Characteristics of Primary Lithium-Based Batteries... 

Important performance characteristics of primary lithium batteries are briefly summarized in Table 8.3. 

Increases in the energy density of primary hatteries has tapered off during the past decade as the existing battery systems have matured and the development of new higher energy batteries is limited by the lack of new and/or untried battery materials and chemistries. Nevertheless, advances have been made in other important performance characteristics, such as power density, shelf life and safety. Examples of these recent developments are the high power zinc/alkaline/manganese dioxide batteries for portable consumer electronics, the improvement of the zinc/air battery and the introduction of new lithium batteries. 

As with primary lithium batteries, a number of different approaches have been taken in the chemistry and design of rechargeable lithium batteries to obtain the desired performance characteristics. These are summarized in Fig. 34.1a for batteries with lithium metal negative electrodes (the anode during discharge) and in Fig. 34.1fc for batteries with other materials, such as lithium alloys and lithiated carbon. ... 

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