Thermally Stable High Energy Lithium-Ion Batteries for Naval Aviation Applications

Lithium-ion batteries (LIB) have been widely used and intensely investigated for the last decade. However, commercial cells have several problems in trying to meet the performance requirements typical of military applications. Most notable is impedance growth and capacity loss upon storage or prolonged at temperatures above 60oC.1,2 In order to develop more durable, high-energy power sources for Navy aircraft applications elevated temperature performance must be improved. Yardney Technical Products, Inc. and researchers at the University of Rhode Island have been working on the development of innovative technologies and systems with the goal of increasing the life and viable operational environment of Li-Ion batteries. Previous work, and work completed in Phase 1 of this effort can be directly applied to batteries for naval applications. It is noted that the Phase 2 effort includes an evaluation of “less reactive” cell chemistries (e.g. Iron Phosphate) that reduce the vigor of a cell event and thus reduce the risk of cell fratricide.