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Title: Nickel--cadmium battery reconditioning circuit. [24-cell, 20-Ah batteries]

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:5380919

The circuit presented is simple and small enough to be included in a typical battery charge/power control assembly, yet provides the advantage of a complete ground-type battery reconditioning discharge. Test results on the circuit when used to recondition two 24-cell, 20 Ah nickel--cadmium batteries are given. These results show that a battery reconditioned with this circuit returns to greater than 90 percent of its original capacity (greater than nameplate capacity) and follows a typical new battery degradation curve even after over 20,000 simulated orbital cycles for a 4 year period. Applications of the circuit are considered along with recommendations relative to its use. Its application in low-voltage (22 to 36 Vdc) power systems and in high voltage (100 to 150 Vdc) power systems is discussed. The implications are that the high-voltage systems have a greater need for battery reconditioning than their low-voltage counterparts, and that by using these circuit techniques, the expected life of a battery in low Earth orbit can be up to 5 years.

Research Organization:
National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Huntsville, Ala. (USA). George C. Marshall Space Flight Center
OSTI ID:
5380919
Report Number(s):
N-77-25630; NASA-TN-D-8508; M-221
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English