Ford/ERDA sodium--sulfur battery development, Phase I. Final report, June 15, 1975--March 31, 1976

Technical Report · Thu Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1976

OSTI ID:7349830

Weiner, S A

The pre-pilot facility for the batch production of ..beta..''-alumina tubing was designed and remodeled. Critical items of capital equipment were specified and placed on order. Work began on the construction of the pre-pilot spray dryer and the batch and continuous sintering furnaces. Two cells incorporating high-power-density electrode design and stainless steel containers for sodium and sulfur were designed, constructed, and tested. The first cell delivered an average of 286 W/kg during one discharge cycle at 750 mA/cm/sup 2/. The energy density was 44 Wh/kg at this high current density, whereas at 50 mA/cm/sup 2/ over 80 Wh/kg could be reached. The cell became non-faradaic after 45 days because of ceramic failure. The second cell was put on test only recently. A cell with separate compartments for charging and discharging and with electrodes optimized for either task was tested successfully. Efforts to develop corrosion-resistant sulfur container materials were initiated. Static sodium tetrasulfide corrosion tests were conducted for 30 to 60 days at 400/sup 0/C on substrates of pure chromium and iron, nickel, cobalt, aluminum, titanium, niobium, tantalum, zirconium, and molybdenum base alloys. These substrates were tested with and without various surface treatments and protective coatings. The results showed that aluminum, molybdenum, ferritic stainless steels and Inconels show varying degrees of promise. The first cell tested under this program was thoroughly examined after failure. The coating of graphite-filled polyphenylene resin applied to the AISI 446 stainless steel container had not stood up satisfactorily, perhaps owing to overheating. There were no signs of degradation of any of the seals. 21 figures.

• Research Organization: Ford Motor Co., Dearborn, MI (USA)
• OSTI ID: 7349830
• Report Number(s): TID-27055
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

25 ENERGY STORAGE
250901* -- Energy Storage-- Batteries-- Design & Development
ALKALI METAL COMPOUNDS
AUTOMOBILES
CHALCOGENIDES
CONTAINERS
DESIGN
ELECTRIC BATTERIES
ELECTRIC-POWERED VEHICLES
ELECTROCHEMICAL CELLS
ELECTROLYTES
ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEMS
FAILURES
HIGH TEMPERATURE
MATERIALS
METAL-NONMETAL BATTERIES
PRODUCTION
SEALS
SODIUM COMPOUNDS
SODIUM SULFIDES
SODIUM-SULFUR BATTERIES
SULFIDES
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
TESTING
VEHICLES