Pressure Tolerant Power Source for Off-Board Sensors

Proposed is the design, manufacture and test of a safe power supply with extremely high specific energy that is pressure tolerant to any sea depth. This pressure compensated battery cell will retain the present safety and performance characteristics of the Navy standard 16 inch diameter 2400 AH, 8 KWH, lithium-thionyl chloride cell. The cell AH capacity and energy will be enhanced to 2700 AH and 9.4 KWH through a previously demonstrated reduction in rate capability, and the pressure compensation modification will be reliable and rugged in design. The specific energy of the new pressure compensated cell should then exceed the present 550 WH/Kg at 7 W load, even after pressure compensation is designed in. A battery design concept, comprising 10 cells, is anticipated to deliver 94 KWH at 35 V and 35 W output. A shelf life of 10 years is expected by modification of the electrolyte formulation. This battery should be less than 18 inches in diameter for simple deployment. The commonality of this pressure tolerant cell to the Navy approved cell should expedite the eventual safety test program for production cells and battery systems. The proposed Phase II pressure tolerant battery is directly applicable to power Advanced Deployable System off-board sensors that are interconnected acoustic arrays for anti-submarine warfare.