Nickel-hydrogen batteries design

D. E. Nawrocki, J. D. Armantrout, et al., The Hubble Space Telescope Nickel-Hydrogen Battery Design, Proc. 25th lECEC, Reno, Nev., 1990, vol. 3, pp. 1-6. 

Figure 19.19 Eagle Picher nickel-hydrogen battery design (Courtesy of Eagle Picher)...

THA03] Thaller L.H., Zimmerman A.H., Overview of the design, development, and application of nickel-hydrogen batteries , NASA/TP-2003-211905,2003. 

A modified version of this system is the low pressure nickel/hydrogen battery. It is in principle the same design, but the hydrogen (H2) is stored as a metal hydride in alloys as they are used in nickel/metal hydride batteries. The advantages are that the container must not withstand high pressure and the rate of self-discharge is lower. This system, however, did not achieve a significant market position. 

Of the conventional secondary systems, the nickel-iron and the vented pocket-type nickel-cadmium batteries are best with regard to cycle life and total lifetime. The nickel-hydrogen battery developed mainly for aerospace applications, has demonstrated very long cycle life under shallow depth of discharge. The lead-acid batteries do not match the performance of the best alkaline batteries. The pasted cells have the shortest life of the lead-acid cells the best cycle life is obtained with the tubular design, and the Plante design has the best lifetime. 

Figure 19.18 Prismatic spheroid cell design of Eagle Richer nickel-hydrogen battery, 20Ah capacity (Courtesy of Eagle Richer)...

Sandia National Laboratories (1986) Design and Development of a Sealed 100-Ah Nickel Hydrogen Battery. Includes solar energy information. 

Lawrence HT, Albert HZ (1996) Electrolyte management considerations in modem nickel/hydrogen and nickel/cadmium cell and battery designs. J Power Sources 63 53-61... 

Nickel-cadmium (Ni-Cd) batteries were widely deployed by earlier communication satellites and spacecrafts from I960 to 1995. When advanced designs of nickel-hydrogen (Ni-Hj) batteries were available in early 2000, most of the satellites and spacecrafts preferred to use Ni-H2 batteries. These batteries will be described in detail with an emphasis on reliability and improved electrical performance. For short mission satellites and LEO communication satellites, both the Ni-Cd and Ni-Hj batteries are still being used. 

Studies performed by the author on rechargeable batteries specifically designed for spacecraft operations must meet not only the electrical performance requirements but also the safety and reliability requirements of the devices while operating under severe space environments. The studies further reveal that interphase conversion provides a reliable method for aging cell predictions. Sodium sulfur, sealed Ni-Cd, and nickel-hydrogen (Ni-Hj) rechargeable batteries have been approved by NASA administration for deployment in spacecraft. 

The most expensive of the conventional-type secondary batteries are the silver batteries. Their higher cost and low cycle life have limited their use to special applications, mostly in the military and space applications, which require their high energy density. The nickel-hydrogen system is more expensive due to its pressurized design and a relatively limited production. However, their excellent cycle life under conditions of shallow discharge make them attractive for aerospace applications. The cost of cylindrical lithium ion batteries has been decreasing rapidly as production rates have increased and has recently been stated to be S1.22/Wh. ... 

Various Ni-H2 battery designs have evolved through the years. They are tailored to the specific application and interface with the particular satellite. Mechanical and thermal requirements are the primary drivers for the configuration and interface of each battery. The nickel-hydrogen system is sensitive to temperature and performs best between - 10°C and -H 10°C. Thus, thermal control of the battery is important to minimize size and weight. 

P. Duff, EUTELSAT 11 Nickel-Hydrogen Storage Battery System Design and Performance, 25th lECEC, 1990, voL 6, p. 79. 

Figure 2.6 shows the typical structural design of a cylindrical nickel-cadmium battery. It has a safety vent, as illustrated in Figure 2.7, which automatically opens and releases excessive pressure when the internal gas pressure increases. Formation of hydrogen is avoided by extra Cd(OH)2 oxygen is removed by reaction with Cd. 

As an indication of possible future developments in nickel—cadmium sealed battery design, there follows a brief discussion of one such design under development by Eagle Picher in the USA. This cell incorporates the superior recombination design provisions of the nickel-hydrogen system. The evolution of this hybrid... 

Of the various designs. Eagle Picher appear to have made most progress with the modular cylindrical design (A in Table 19.4). They report that the performance recorded for this type of nickel-hydrogen cells and batteries is very encouraging. Such systems have successfully completed thousands of cycles under both static and dynamic environmental conditions, under both simulated low Earth orbit and synchronous orbit cycle regimens. In addition, to... 

A low-cost nickel-hydrogen system proposed by Eagle Picher is based on the multiple cell per single battery pressure vessel concept. Additional system cost reduction is proposed through use of standardized components, ease of manufacture and an inherent design versatility able to meet various voltage and capacity requirements with only minor modifications. 

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