Mg/FeS/sub 2/ system for thermal batteries. [440 to 600 C, 25 min life 50 mA/cm/sup 2/]

Technical Report · Sat Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 1978

OSTI ID:6938261

Bush, D M

Sixty-minute thermal batteries that use the Ca/CaCrO/sub 4/ system have been developed at Sandia, but this system has two drawbacks for long-life applications. A liquid alloy forms after activation that can short the cells, and there are side chemical reactions which generate an unpredictable amount of heat. Argonne National Laboratory is working on molten salt secondary cells, and one of the most promising systems in LiAl/FeS/sub 2/. To adapt iron disulfide as a cathode material in pellet-type thermal batteries, magnesium was chosen as the anode because of its ease of handling and known performance. Once this is accomplished, LiAl or another anode material can be substituted for the magnesium. Mg/FeS/sub 2/ cells were developed that had lives of 80 minutes to 80 percent of peak voltage at 50 mA/cm/sup 2/. This is twice that obtained with Ca/CaCrO/sub 4/, but cell voltage is lower. There was no loss in capacity at the higher current densities of 100 and 150 mA/cm/sup 2/. Cells were tested over a temperature range from 440/sup 0/ to 600/sup 0/C. Performance was good above 480/sup 0/C with shorter life at 460/sup 0/C and below. Eighty-four batteries with ten 50-cm/sup 2/ cells were assembled and tested. Typical life to 75 percent of peak voltage was 25 minutes at 50 mA/cm/sup 2/. While this is respectable performance for a thermal battery, the single-cell results indicate that considerable improvement is possible. 11 figures, 8 tables.

• Research Organization: Sandia Labs., Albuquerque, NM (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: EY-76-C-04-0789
• OSTI ID: 6938261
• Report Number(s): SAND-78-0084
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

25 ENERGY STORAGE
THERMAL BATTERIES
CATHODES
PERFORMANCE
DESIGN
HIGH TEMPERATURE
MAGNESIUM
PYRITE
ALKALINE EARTH METALS
CHALCOGENIDES
CONVERSION
DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION
ELECTRIC BATTERIES
ELECTROCHEMICAL CELLS
ELECTRODES
ELEMENTS
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ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEMS
IRON COMPOUNDS
IRON SULFIDES
METALS
MINERALS
ORES
PYRITES
SULFIDES
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
SULFUR ORES
THERMOELECTRIC CONVERSION
TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS
250902* - Energy Storage- Batteries- Performance & Testing
250903 - Energy Storage- Batteries- Materials
Components
& Auxiliaries