A Novel High Energy Density Primary Battery for Military Applications

Affordability, safety and reliability are major objectives of Navy Strategic System Program for continued life extension of the D5 Trident Missile. Currently, silver zinc reserve batteries are being employed in those missile systems. Silver zinc batteries have the advantage of high energy density, high power density and excellent safety. However, silver zinc batteries have the drawbacks of short shelf life (7+ years) and very high cost (up to $20,000/kWh). Submarine launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) have storage lives of more than 25 years, so it is desirable to develop a battery that can last as long as the SLBMs without maintenance issues and capacity loss. Therefore, there exists a strong market pull for the development of a high energy density battery for SLBM applications. In this SBIR program, a novel high energy density reserve battery is proposed. In the Phase I program, the feasibility of this battery system will be confirmed. Analysis based on our preliminary data indicates that this novel battery can meet the energy density and power requirements of this solicitation; it can also have over 25 years of maintenance-free shelf life and cost from 1/20 to 1/10 of current silver zinc reserve batteries.