Validation test of advanced technology for IPV nickel-hydrogen flight cells: Update. [Individual Pressure Vessel]
Individual pressure vessel (IPV) nickel-hydrogen technology was advanced at NASA Lewis and under Lewis contracts with the intention of improving cycle life and performance. One advancement was to use 26 percent potassium hydroxide (KOH) electrolyte to improve cycle life. Another advancement was to modify the state-of-the-art cell design to eliminate identified failure modes. The modified design is referred to as the advanced design. A breakthrough in the low-earth-orbit (LEO) cycle life of IPV nickel-hydrogen cells has been previously reported. The cycle life of boiler plate cells containing 26 percent KOH electrolyte was about 40,000 LEO cycles compared to 3,500 cycles for cells containing 31 percent KOH. The boiler plate test results are in the process of being validated using flight hardware and real time LEO testing at the Naval Weapons Support Center (NWSC), Crane, Indiana under a NASA Lewis Contract. An advanced 125 Ah IPV nickel-hydrogen cell was designed. The primary function of the advanced cell is to store and deliver energy for long-term, LEO spacecraft missions. The new features of this design are: (1) use of 26 percent rather than 31 percent KOH electrolyte; (2) use of a patented catalyzed wall wick; (3) use of serrated-edge separators to facilitate gaseous oxygen and hydrogen flow within the cell, while still maintaining physical contact with the wall wick for electrolyte management; and (4) use of a floating rather than a fixed stack (state-of-the-art) to accommodate nickel electrode expansion due to charge/discharge cycling. The significant improvements resulting from these innovations are: extended cycle life; enhanced thermal, electrolyte, and oxygen management; and accommodation of nickel electrode expansion. The advanced cell design is in the process of being validated using real time LEO cycle life testing of NWSC, Crane, Indiana. An update of validation test results confirming this technology is presented.
- Research Organization:
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Cleveland, OH (United States). Lewis Research Center
- OSTI ID:
- 7178434
- Report Number(s):
- N-92-27878; NASA-TM--105689; E--7069; NAS--1.15:105689; CONF-920801--; CNN: RTOP 506-41-21
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Validation test of 125 Ah advanced design IPV nickel-hydrogen flight cells
Related Subjects
250901 -- Energy Storage-- Batteries-- Design & Development
250902* -- Energy Storage-- Batteries-- Performance & Testing
ALKALI METAL COMPOUNDS
BATTERY SEPARATORS
CATALYSIS
CONTAINERS
CONTROL
DESIGN
ELECTRIC BATTERIES
ELECTROCHEMICAL CELLS
ELECTRODES
ELECTROLYTES
ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT
ENERGY STORAGE
EQUIPMENT
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROXIDES
LIFETIME
METAL-GAS BATTERIES
MODIFICATIONS
NICKEL-HYDROGEN BATTERIES
OPTIMIZATION
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PERFORMANCE
POTASSIUM COMPOUNDS
POTASSIUM HYDROXIDES
POWER SUPPLIES
PRESSURE VESSELS
SERVICE LIFE
SPACE FLIGHT
SPACECRAFT POWER SUPPLIES
STORAGE
TEMPERATURE CONTROL