Ultra battery design

The Ultra battery design [2] substitutes a carbon electrode for a portion of each negative lead electrode. The combination of the carbon negative and the lead-dioxide positive electrode provides a pseudo-capacitor in parallel with a normal lead-acid battery in the same cell. The pseudo-capacitor can operate at high currents for short periods of time to reduce the stress on the battery. Meanwhile, the battery can store chemical energy and supply electrical energy for a longer period of time at a more moderate rate. 

The new lead/carbon acid battery design, called the Ultra battery, shows promise for use in HEV and other partial-state-of-charge applications. Scientists at CSIRO in Australia invented the Ultra battery, and Eurukawa in Japan has developed a manufacturing process that has been licensed in the United States and Europe. 

A flat-plate, gel battery has also been specifically designed for RAPS duty, especially in high-temperature applications [23]. The battery has thick positive plates (5.5 mm), has a large reservoir of moderate strength acid, and is constructed using an ultra-pure form of lead [28] that endows the battery with a high charging dfidency. It is claimed that the battery can provide over 1100 cycles to 100% DoD (3-h rate, 25°C) before the capacity decreases to 75% of the nominal value. 

Its specific resistivity should not exceed 20 ohm cm. This criterion is particularly important for large, rechargeable batteries (e.g. traction batteries) where high power levels are involved and electrical efficiency is a key parameter, but it may be less important for small, low power batteries, particularly those designs which utilise ultra-thin electrolyte layers. 

Lithium-thionyl-chloride batteries are most attractive for applications for which design objectives include an ultra-wide operating temperature range (from -55 to +150 C), high volumetric energy density, high pulse-power capability, and long shelf life. These batteries are widely used in commercial and consumer electronics, military communications, transportations, RFID, and memory backup. 

In the case of UAV and drone applications, rechargeable batteries must meet the most stringent design requirements under severe aerodynamic environments, namely compact packaging, minimum weight, ultra-high reliability, and safety. 

To provide ultra-high reliability and independent operational control, two thermal battery types were developed and refined for optimum and reliable performance. One thermal battery was to be used for the EHP application, which requires a square wave current pulse load for its entire operating life. The second thermal battery was designed to provide power to the DC emergency bus bar and was required to meet a constant power output for its entire operating life. The operating life requirement was the same for both thermal batteries. Both of these thermal batteries have met the vibration, shock, and all other applicable military specifications. Specific structural and critical performance parameters will be described in Section 7.8 on thermal battery classification. Ordinance and nonordinance applications wiU be identified with an emphasis on performance capabihties and limitations. No other battery can outperform the LiAlFeSj thermal battery... 

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