Effect of KOH concentration on LEO cycle life of IPVnickel-hydrogen flight cell-update II

For update I see Energy and Environment: A Continuing Partnership, vol.3, American Nuclear Society (1991). An update of validation test results confirming the breakthrough in the low-Earth-orbit (LEO) cycle life of nickel-hydrogen cells containing 26% KOH electrolyte is presented. The results are part of an investigation of the effect of KOH concentration on life cycle. The cycle life of boiler plate cells was about 40000 LEO cycles compared to 3500 cycles for cells containing 31% KOH. The cycle regime was a stressful accelerated LEO, which consisted of a 27.5 min charge followed by a 17.5 min discharge (2×normal rate). The depth-of-discharge (DOD) was 80%. The cell temperature was maintained at 23°C. Results for six 48-Ah recirculation design IPV nickel-hydrogen flight battery cells currently being evaluated to validate the above findings are reported. Three of the cells contain 26% KOH (test cells), and three contain 31% KOH (control cells). They are undergoing real-time LEO cycle life testing. The 31% KOH cells failed at cycles 3729, 4165, and 11355. One of the 26% KOH cells failed at cycle 15314. The other two 26% KOH cells have been cycled for over 16600 cycles without failure     

A nickel/hydrogen battery for PV systems

The nickel-hydrogen battery, developed in the early nineteen-seventies as an energy-storage subsystem for commercial communication satellites, is discussed. The advantages offered by nickel-hydrogen batteries, including long life, low maintenance and high reliability, make it very attractive for terrestrial applications such as stand-alone photovoltaic systems. The major drawback to the wider use of the nickel-hydrogen battery is its high initial cost. A 7-kWh battery has been on test since January 1988 using a flat-plate photovoltaic array for charging. The cell, battery design and test methods are briefly described, and the results of cycling and solar tests are presented. It is concluded that the battery is well suited for remote solar applications     

The Hy-StorTM battery

The Hy-Stor^TM Battery is a rechargeable battery being developed for electric vehicles and other large battery applications. The battery combines the high energy storage capability of metal hydride alloys with the high cycle life and discharge rate capabilities of nickel-hydrogen cells. It is a hybrid battery concept that offers potential performance, economic and safety advantages over other large battery technologies. Very recent developments indicate that much smaller batteries can also be produced to meet the needs of the portable computer and other portable electronic device markets. Initial tests demonstrated the ability of a metal hydride storage system to achieve high cycle life when absorbing hydrogen that was saturated with battery electrolyte solution and then passed through a purifier. Based on positive test results, a patent for the Hy-Stor battery was applied for and granted     

New maintenance free nickel-cadmium-traction-batteries in fibretechnology

The fiber plaque technology used in the alkaline Ni-Cd battery system known as FNC (fiber nickel cadmium) is discussed. An advanced design called FNC-Recom, which contains additional fiber plates that are used as a recombination device for rapid oxygen consumption, is described. The FNC-Recom cell design is explained, and performance data and experiences with their use in electric vehicles are reported     

Evaluation of nickel-hydrogen battery cells for space-based radar

A study conducted in 1991 on nickel-hydrogen (NiH₂) battery cells, to assess their use for space-based radar satellites, is discussed. Current NiH₂ and related programs were investigated. Cell performance data were assessed, focusing on pulsed-load operation, cell design factors, and life expectancy. A need for pulsed-load testing of candidate cells, especially to characterize their effective series resistance, dynamic impedance, and possible degradations, was identified. A NiH₂ cell test program was planned, and test preparations started in mid-1992     

Bipolar nickel-metal hydride batteries for aerospace applications

Electro Energy Inc. (EEI) is developing high power, long life, bipolar nickel-metal hydride batteries for aerospace applications. Bipolar nickel-metal hydride designs allow for high energy and high power designs with a 25 percent reduction in both weight and volume as compared to prismatic and/or cylindrical Ni-MH designs. Utilizing a sealed wafer cell design EEI has demonstrated a 1.2 kW/kg power capability. Prototype designs have achieved 70 Wh/kg. Designs studies show 80 Wh/kg are achievable with EEI's state-of-the-art technology. The sealed wafer cell is the building block for EEI's high power and high voltage bipolar batteries making the assembly easy and significantly lower in cost. Satellite and aircraft batteries are being developed which provide high power and long life. Sealed cells now show excellent rate capability and life. Cells tested in a low earth orbit (LEO) cycle have reached 9000 cycles and continue on test. High power, bipolar battery designs are ideal in applications where using conventional aerospace battery technology would require excessive capacity; weight and volume, thereby reducing usable payload on the vehicle     

Five-year update: nickel hydrogen industry survey

A 1984 survey of the nickel hydrogen (NiH₂) battery industry is updated. Late 1980s and early 1990s issues are identified, and usage and testing results of the survey are summarized. NiH₂ is the system of choice for new geosynchronous-earth-orbit (GEO) satellites and is being seriously considered for low-earth-orbit (LEO) applications. In five years, the annual cell production rate has doubled from approximately 1000 to 2000 cells. A number of cells under test have exceeded 20000 cycles at 40% DOD in LEO regimes, while other cells have achieved over 35 seasons in accelerated GEO regimes. The LEO database clearly indicates that NiH₂ performance is at least as good as the best conventional nickel-cadmium performance demonstrated under test     

Hubble Space Telescope at twelve years of age

The Hubble Space Telescope was deployed from the Space Shuttle Discovery into a 380-mile high Earth orbit on April 25, 1990. It subsequently made outstanding astronomical discoveries with its 8-foot (2.4-meter) telescope and other scientific instruments. Critical to the successful observations was continuous availability of power from its solar arrays during sunlit periods, and from nickel-hydrogen batteries when the satellite was in the Earth's shadow. The adopted nickel-hydrogen batteries were carefully selected and tested to confirm their depth-of-discharge and operating temperature that delivered the longest life in charge/discharge cycling service. These batteries had a design life of 7 years. At 12 years after launch the Hubble batteries have delivered more charge/discharge cycles than any other batteries in low-Earth orbit. However, the Hubble batteries have been subjected to many unexpected stresses, and peculiar reductions in battery capacity have been observed. Battery replacement requires a costly trip to the Hubble Space Telescope by astronauts, so the remaining useful life of the batteries must be predicted. Already in four servicing missions, astronauts have replaced or modified optics, solar arrays, a power control unit, and various science packages. A fifth servicing mission is scheduled in 2004. This paper discusses battery charging hardware and software controls, history of battery events in Hubble, cell performance model and spare battery tests, and capacity walkdown.     

Status of the Air Force nickel hydrogen low earth orbit life test

The US Air Force NiH₂ LEO (low earth orbit) life test consists of 200 cells undergoing real-time LEO cycling, pulse discharge testing, and storage testing. To date, three of the program's four objectives have been met: NiH₂ performance in LEO applications has been demonstrated. A significant number of cells have completed more than 20,000 cycles at 40% DOD. A database for cells of both 3.5 in. and 4.5 in. diameter has been generated. There have been no indications of any performance problems related to scaling up in terms of cell size. Initial data on the pulse discharge performance of a small number of cells has been demonstrated. Concerning the goal of achieving 20,000 cycles at 60% DOD, the data are mixed. Overall, it appears highly unlikely that cell designs such as those currently in the US Air Force test can achieve 20,000 cycles at 60%     

Methodological foundations and areas for improvement of the aircraft design process

The paper considers the methodological foundations of aircraft design facilitated by advanced information technologies. We outline some promising areas of project management perfection and methods of solving the problems at all stages of the aircraft life cycle.     

灯丝放电磁场约束型原子氧效应地面模拟试验设备

介绍了用于原子氧剥蚀效应研究的灯丝放电磁场约束型地面模拟设备 ( IFM)的构成及工作原理,简单阐述了装置的运行测量结果,分析了等离子体参数随试验条件的变化趋势。并用 IFM设备对 Kapton空间用材料进行了地面模拟试验,试验结果与国外空间飞行暴露试验结果相似     

Need and effect of reconditioning of nickel/hydrogen batteries

There has been a debate about the need for reconditioning nickel/hydrogen batteries in geosynchronous satellites. A study was done as part of life cycling, to determine the necessity of reconditioning and its effect on the cell performance. A 36 Ah nickel/hydrogen cell was put on a GEO simulated cycling at 15°C without reconditioning up to four eclipse seasons. The effect of reconditioning on the fifth and sixth eclipse seasons was studied. The study has conclusively proven the need for reconditioning and has shown the benefits of a high rate reconditioning. It has also been possible to draw some conclusions about the effect of a long duration trickle charge on the positive electrode     

Test sequencing problem arising at the design stage for reducing life cycle cost

Previous test sequencing algorithms only consider the execution cost of a test at the application stage. Due to the fact that the placement cost of some tests at the design stage is considerably high compared with the execution cost, the sequential diagnosis strategy obtained by previous methods is actually not optimal from the view of life cycle. In this paper, the test sequencing problem based on life cycle cost is presented. It is formulated as an optimization problem, which is non-deterministic polynomial-time hard (NP-hard). An algorithm and a strategy to improve its computational efficiency are proposed. The formulation and algorithms are tested on various simulated systems and comparisons are made with the extant test sequencing methods. Application on a pump rotational speed control (PRSC) system of a spacecraft is studied in detail. Both the simulation results and the real-world case application results suggest that the solution proposed in this paper can significantly reduce the life cycle cost of a sequential fault diagnosis strategy.     

航空装备全寿命周期费用多路径管控策略研究

航空装备作为高新技术复杂产品,其经济性设计越来越受到重视。在满足用户需求的前提下,如何控制并尽可能降低全寿命周期费用是航空装备研究的重点。通过对全寿命周期费用管控理论和方法的研究,总结以往航空装备研制中经济性工作的经验和教训,结合我国军工产品经费管理的特点,从思想观念、管理和技术等方面入手,提出一套在设计阶段适合我国航空装备全寿命周期费用多路径管控的策略,并在某型飞机研制中试点应用。结果表明:某型飞机研制费用管控效果较好,验证了该策略的合理性和有效性。     

真实爆震载荷作用下爆震室等寿命设计方法

结合内径为60mm的等壁厚爆震室,建立其有限元模型并施加真实爆震载荷,确定其疲劳载荷谱类型为周期性常幅谱。通过有限元模型和静态载荷作用下的解析模型分析得出爆震室壁厚和动力放大系数之间的相互影响关系,壁厚通过动力放大系数对自身进行调整,该过程中内壁的等效应力最大值逼近目标应力,以此为基础提出爆震室等寿命设计方法。根据计算结果设计加工变壁厚爆震室试验段,通过试验测量变壁厚爆震室外壁3个测点的应变,并估算3个测点内壁处的疲劳寿命,发现3个疲劳寿命最大误差为8.82%,考虑到试验与数值计算的工况误差可认为3个测点处寿命相同,验证了爆震室等寿命设计方法的正确性。      

DZ125定向凝固高温合金的研究

研究了可用作先进航空发动机定向薄壁空心叶片的DZ125合金,该合金具有高的综合性能,其力学性能水平高于国内外广泛应用的同类商用典型定向合金,同时具有良好的定向铸造工艺性能和高的薄壁力学性能.合金已用于铸造某航空发动机的具有复杂内腔的薄壁定向叶片,并已通过台架试车,投入小批量生产.     

Hubble performance on-orbit

A summary of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) nickel-hydrogen (NiH/sub 2/) battery performance from launch to the present. Over the life of HST vehicle configuration, charge system degradation and failures, together with thermal design limitations, have had a significant effect on the capacity of HST batteries. Changes made to the charge system configuration to protect against power system failures and to maintain battery thermal stability resulted in undercharging of the batteries. This undercharging resulted in decreased usable battery capacity as well as battery cell voltage/capacity divergence. This cell divergence was made evident during on-orbit battery capacity measurements by a relatively shallow slope of the discharge curve following the discharge knee. Early efforts to improve battery performance have been successful. On-orbit capacity measurement data indicates increases in the usable battery capacity of all six batteries as well as improvements in the battery cell voltage/capacity divergence. Additional measures have been implemented to improve battery performance, however, failures within the HST Power Control Unit (PCU) have prevented verification of battery status.     

天象一号低轨导航增强系统研究与在轨试验验证

如何实现GNSS全球瞬时高精度服务一直是GNSS领域的迫切需求和研究热点.采用低轨导航增强技术体制,利用低轨卫星运动几何变化快的特点,解决GNSS精密单点定位快速收敛问题和性能提升问题,是GNSS高精度定位服务未来发展的重要方向.从全球瞬时高精度服务内涵出发,阐述了天象一号低轨导航增强试验系统的技术体制,包括系统工作模...     

DZ125光滑试样与小孔构件低循环/保载疲劳寿命建模

依据定向结晶合金DZ125光滑试样的低循环/保载疲劳试验寿命数据,提出一种预测定向结晶合金低循环/保载疲劳寿命的模型.此寿命模型可以同时考虑材料的晶向、平均应力、应变范围、应变比、最大应力对寿命的影响.接着研究DZ125合金光滑试样低循环/保载疲劳寿命与小孔构件低循环/保载疲劳寿命的关系,提出一种从光滑试样低循环/保载疲劳寿命数据预测小孔构件低循环/保载疲劳寿命的方法.应用本文提出的寿命模型,预测DZ125带小孔构件的低循环/保载疲劳寿命,并将预测寿命与小孔构件试验寿命对比,误差在2倍分散带左右.      

Nickel-hydrogen multicell common pressure vessel batterydevelopment update

Flight qualification of the multicell common pressure vessel (CPV) nickel-hydrogen (Ni-H₂) battery is discussed. The battery has completed full flight qualification, including random vibration at 19.5 g for two minutes in each axis, electrical characterization in a thermal vacuum chamber, and mass-spectroscopy vessel leak detection. A first launch is scheduled in 1992. Several design variations, ranging from 9 Ah to 125 Ah and 12 to 32 V, have been developed and prototypes fabricated. Designs for smaller capacity, smaller diameter (6.4-8.9 cm), and higher voltage (up to 100 V) are in progress. The CPV battery offers cost and weight savings of up to 30% as compared to traditional nickel-cadmium (Ni-Cd) and individual pressure vessel (IPV) Ni-H₂ batteries. The fully qualified design provided a 50% weight savings over its Nd-Cd predecessor for the same application. Its reduced volume also provides a significant advantage over IPV technology. Resistance data show a further advantage