Thermal Battery Mechanical Modeling and Simulation

Thermal batteries are mission critical components which provide power to military weapon systems for electronics, fusing, sensing and actuation. They are typically custom designed and qualified for each specific application. ENSER has developed electrochemical and thermal models to accelerate this development process, but lacks a means of evaluating the effects of the relatively high levels of dynamic loading prior to, during and after activation. The effects of these mechanical environments are generally seen during DVT testing, where problems identified may require an expensive redesign. The design process could be greatly enhanced by the development and use of a mechanical analysis model. The objective of this effort is to identify modeling technique for development of a modular modeling tool whereby various mechanical design parameters can be modeled and traded based on the requirements of the mission. A review of mechanical analysis options is being conducted by Raytheon Missile Systems and Prairie View A&M University through a DOD-sponsored Mentor-Protégé program. ENSER will collaborate with these partners to evaluate the best commercially available finite element analysis software. Evaluation will include: modeling/ analysis complexity, limitations relative to thermal battery environments, input data required and cost.