Nickel/cadmium aircraft batteries: rapid electrolyte exchange technique. Technical note

Technical Report · Fri Apr 01 04:00:00 EST 1977

OSTI ID:7215265

Feldman, K; Hayashi, R M

The potassium hydroxide electrolyte in nickel/cadmium aircraft batteries may become increasingly more contaminated by carbonate with battery use. When the carbonate concentration exceeds certain limits, it is advisable to exchange the electrolyte. However, most of the electrolyte in a cell is soaked into the separator materials and plate pores, and is held in the pack, so only a small portion of it may be poured out. Repeated removal and replacement of these small amounts can accomplish the desired exchange if the clean added electrolyte is adequately mixed with the contaminated electrolyte each time. In the normal procedures, mixing is accomplished by discharging and recharging the battery after each small exchange and hence is very time consuming. This paper discusses the various factors involved and presents a vacuum technique for mixing the added with the retained electrolyte in each cell. The method presented reduces the time required for the above operation from a week or more to a day or two. (Author)

• Research Organization: Defence Research Establishment, Ottawa, Ontario (Canada)
• OSTI ID: 7215265
• Report Number(s): AD-A-039335; DREO-TN-77-8
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

25 ENERGY STORAGE
250903* -- Energy Storage-- Batteries-- Materials
Components
& Auxiliaries
AIRCRAFT
ALKALI METAL COMPOUNDS
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBONATES
ELECTRIC BATTERIES
ELECTROCHEMICAL CELLS
ELECTROLYTES
ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEMS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROXIDES
IMPURITIES
METAL-METAL OXIDE BATTERIES
NICKEL-CADMIUM BATTERIES
OPERATION
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
POTASSIUM COMPOUNDS
POTASSIUM HYDROXIDES