Pulse Power Electrical Energy Storage Device

Navy aircraft programs and upgrades will require advanced electrical energy storage devices that provide extraordinary power, for example one that can deliver 1500 W average power for 5 seconds at 1.5 V, be recharged at several hundred amps, then discharged and recharged repeatedly up to 10,000 times. The weight of this storage device should be less than one-half pound. State of the art commercial energy storage devices will not meet theses requirements. We propose to define, design, and construct an advanced electrical energy storage device that will reliably meet there requirements. Our approach is an asymmetric electrochemical capacitor having a lead oxide positive electrode, sulfuric acid electrolyte, and an activated carbon negative electrode. Although optimized for this Navy application, anticipated advances in electrical energy storage technology should assist a broad range of energy harvesting applications including hybrid and electric vehicles, and be suitable for internal combustion engine cranking particularly at low temperatures. Furthermore, the proposed approach should offer substantial cost savings over similar commercial products.