Systemic Reliability Improvements for Rechargeable NiCD Battery Packs

Nickel Cadmium (NiCD) batteries have long been one of the best rechargeable battery chemistries due to high reliability and excellent energy density, especially for low voltage commercial products requiring a small number of series connected cells. For larger packs that require higher voltages and more series connected cells, and which must tolerate harsh conditions such as wide operating temperatures found in military equipment, reduced reliability and life expectancy become problems. Whereas low cost commercial products cannot justify investment in reliability improvements or sophisticated Battery Management Systems (BMS), mission critical military, biomedical, and space applications can benefit from this effort. We propose to determine the feasibility of developing methods for improving battery life expectancy and prediction accuracy by: (1) identifying improvements in product manufacturing methods and materials, and (2) developing a BMS which will improve energy density, reliability, and life expectancy. During Phase I our team will evaluate NiCD manufacturing processes and recommend improvements to be evaluated during Phase II, and develop a prototype BMS which can be used both for real time operation as well as quantifying performance improvements. During Phase II we will complete development and conduct field testing to evaluate these innovations with our commercialization partners.