Global avionics in the future

The following topics are discussed: new batteries for old airplanes; new charge controls for lengthening battery life; fast methods for batteries charging; AC conductance measurement based battery testing; pulse power; bipolar lead-acid batteries vs supercapacitors; Ni electrode cells for spacecraft; worn-out battery disposal; recycling technology; vehicle batteries cost; high energy content batteries; and energy storage for electric utilities     

Advanced materials for next generation NiMH portable, HEV and EVbatteries

While Ovonic NiMH batteries are already in high volume commercial production for portable applications, advances in materials technology have enabled performance improvements in specific energy (100 Wh/kg), specific power (600-1000 W/kg), high temperature operation, charge retention, and voltage stability. Concurrent with technology advances, Ovonic NiMH batteries have established performance and commercial milestones in electric vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles, as well as scooter, motorcycle and bicycle applications. As important as these advances, significant manufacturing cost reductions have also occurred which allow continued growth of NiMH technology. In this paper, advances in performance, applications and cost reduction are discussed with particular emphasis on the improved proprietary metal hydride and nickel hydroxide materials that make such advances possible     

Artificial hearts, batteries, and electric vehicles

New battery applications ranged from an implanted battery that powers an artificial heart, to powering a seismic sensor behind an oil-well drilling bit as it grinds through rock looking for oil-bearing structure. These applications require high reliability that justifies the cost of thorough qualification testing, production control, acceptance testing of every cell, and tracking every cell by its serial number through its lifetime. Electric vehicle developments ranged from electric scooters for commuting to work in Europe to electric cars connected to the electric grid when not being driven. Availability of their battery energy for carrying load peaks is so valuable that the electric utility being supported could offer to replace the vehicles batteries whenever they wear out, with no cost to the car owner.     

Electric propulsion: fleet readiness at affordable costs

The successful development and demonstration of the Al-AgO primary battery system dramatically demonstrated the viability of electric power plants for torpedo propulsion. Present efforts are focused on the development and demonstration of very low cost, quiet, high performance, safe, environmentally compatible, rechargeable batteries for heavyweight and lightweight torpedoes and tactical-sized UUVs. Electric power plants consisting of a rechargeable battery and a high reliability motor must be affordable to own and operate and enable turn-around without teardown for today's Fleet assets     

9th Annual Battery Conference on Advances and Applications

The developments in batteries reported at the 8th Annual Battery Conference on Advances and Applications, are discussed. It was sponsored by the electrical engineering department of California state university, long beach, CA, with IEEE-AESS cooperation. Previous well-funded battery research had been directed toward getting low weight in spacecraft batteries, which had to be boosted into orbit with expensive rockets. Ni-H₂ batteries, even though costly, won the race. Their demonstrated life, like 30,000 charge-discharge cycles, gives an earth-orbiting satellite decades of usable life. Other types of batteries discussed are: aircraft batteries; electric vehicle batteries; Ni-Cd cells; Zn-Br batteries; industrial Pb-acid batteries; rechargeability; computer controlled charging; and small rechargeable and primary batteries     

Electric-vehicle batteries

Electric vehicles that can't reach trolley wires need batteries. In the early 1900's electric cars disappeared when owners found that replacing the car's worn-out lead-acid battery costs more than a new gasoline-powered car. Most of today's electric cars are still propelled by lead-acid batteries. General Motors in their prototype Impact, for example, used starting-lighting-ignition batteries, which deliver lots of power for demonstrations, but have a life of less than 100 deep discharges. Now promising alternative technology has challenged the world-wide lead miners, refiners, and battery makers into forming a consortium that sponsors research into making better lead-acid batteries. Horizon's new bipolar battery delivered 50 watt-hours per kg (Wh/kg), compared with 20 for ordinary transport-vehicle batteries. The alternatives are delivering from 80 Wh/kg (nickel-metal hydride) up to 200 Wh/kg (zinc-bromine). A Fiat Panda traveled 260 km on a single charge of its zinc-bromine battery. A German 3.5-ton postal truck traveled 300 km with a single charge in its 650-kg (146 Wh/kg) zinc-air battery. Its top speed was 110 km per hour     

Zinc-air batteries for forward field charging

In order to realize the operational and service cost savings through the use of rechargeable batteries, the dismounted soldier is burdened with the weight, volume and/or charging logistics of the batteries. By providing the soldier with a high energy density source and a lightweight compact battery charger, the burden imposed by rechargeable batteries in the forward field can be minimized. Zinc-air batteries have the potential for meeting the energy demands of forward battlefield charging. They are attitude insensitive, have a high specific energy and are inherently inexpensive, lightweight and safe     

Electric vehicles (EVs): `a look behind the scenes'

The author addresses and summarizes some of the broader issues relating to electric vehicles including legislation, regulation, funding, infrastructure, niche markets, safety, and the near-term need for lead-acid batteries. The impact of low emission requirements is examined. The principle hazards associated with lead-acid batteries and the attendant liability issues are identified. Federal safety requirements are discussed in some detail     

电动直升机概念设计与分析

根据当前电池与电动机特性分别建立适合电动直升机的能源与动力系统数学模型,提出满足电动直升机的3种能源方案,构建出一套适合电动直升机概念设计的总体参数选择与优化方法,并结合任务剖面需求对采用3种能源方案的电动直升机展开总体参数的选择与敏感性分析。受当前电池技术水平发展,电动直升机的久航性能与燃油动力直升机相比有较大差距。通过参数敏感性分析方法得出,电动直升机具有与燃油直升机不同的设计特征,电动直升机应结合动力及能源系统特征进行针对性设计。     

Electric power. [A century of powered flight: 1903-2003]

The following topics are dealt with: magnetos; batteries; starting and powering electric loads; WW II aircraft; distributed power; and tomorrow's airplanes.     

Progress in the development of Ovonic nickel metal hydridebatteries

Performance data for batteries based on multicomponent hydrogen storage alloys using the principles of atomic engineering are presented. In particular, the successful scale-up of this technology for electric vehicle applications is shown     

Segmented battery charger for high energy 28 V lithium ion battery

Since they were first introduced in the early 1990s, lithium ion batteries have enjoyed unprecedented growth and success in the consumer marketplace. Combining excellent performance with affordability, they have become the product of choice for portable computers and cellular phones. Building on the same energy and life cycle attributes, which marked their consumer market success, but adding new high power storage capability, lithium ion technology is now poised to play a similar role in the transportation, military, and space sectors. With major program in various aspects of electric and hybrid electric vehicles, Saft has developed a family of battery products that address the power and energy storage where lightweight, long life, and excellent energy or power storage capabilities are needed. Significant progress in the packaging and control of high power, yet compact, batteries has been accomplished for a variety of vehicle applications. This paper discusses the charger and balancing strategies of one of this family of products     

基于AT89C2051的超声波测距仪设计

介绍了一种以AT89C2051单片机为核心,利用超声波的特性设计出低成本、高精度测距仪的方法.给出了这种测距仪的硬件原理电路和主要的软件设计思路,用Pspice对硬件的主要部分进行了模拟仿真.根据理论分析和试验统计对设计进行改进,电路达到了预期的效果.     

Advances in the development of ovonic nickel metal hydridebatteries for industrial and electric vehicles

The environmental advantages of ovonic NiH₂ batteries, due to the nontoxicity of ovonic alloys, are briefly discussed, and their general performance is described. Commercial progress in their development is summarized. Their use in electric vehicles is examined     

US Army small fuel cell development program

This presentation includes results of fuel cell research activities sponsored by the US Army for the last three years, It outlines current efforts and future plans. The soldier's increasing power demands dictate that alternatives to batteries be exploited wherever possible. Fuel cells promise significant advantages in terms of weight, coupled with cost and/or logistics benefits. Considerable progress has been made in reducing size and weight of proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells. The supply of hydrogen to PEM fuel cells has been one of the key barriers to introducing fuel cells to the military. The discussion will focus on several approaches being pursued     

Applications of aluminum-air batteries

Advances in aluminum-air batteries are described. These include alloys that show higher efficiencies and therefore lower hydrogen evolution, low-cost air cathodes that can be fabricated in production quantities, and methods for handling the aluminum hydroxide reaction product. Emphasis is placed on the advances in air cathodes. The application of this technology to new products and the implications for electric vehicles are discussed     

Perspective on ultracapacitors for electric vehicles

Recent advances in performance of chemical double layer capacitors (DLC) with aqueous and non-aqueous electrolytes have made it possible to seriously consider them for commercialization. Non-aqueous (organic) carbon based laboratory monopolar devices have recently met key U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) mid-term specifications (> 5 WNkg, >500 W/kg and >100,000 life cycles) for load-leveling electric vehicles batteries. All DLC technologies currently under development by DoE are discussed. Each technology has distinct advantages and none are clear winners at this time. A study has been completed by the General Electric Company on the interface electronics needed to best utilize the energy of capacitors for load-leveling batteries. System costs are presented based on this study, several battery technologies, and capacitor projections     

一种电动飞机电推进系统的能效优化方法

电动飞机依靠电推进系统为飞机提供所需的动力,而电动飞机蓄电池的能量密度制约了飞机续航能力的提升。在蓄电池能量密度受限的条件下,进行电推进系统能效优化,提高电推进系统效率,降低电推进系统损耗,对增加飞机的续航时间具有重要意义。以某双座可调定桨距螺旋桨电动飞机电推进系统为例,依据飞机的飞行任务剖面搭建了飞机电推进系统在起飞及巡航阶段的系统损耗模型,以可调定桨距螺旋桨桨矩角为优化变量,以飞机完成一次飞行任务剖面能耗最小为目标,提出一种适于可调定桨距螺旋桨电动飞机电推进系统的能效优化方法。为了验证该方法的有效性,搭建样机测试平台,进行了样机试验,试验结果表明：该能效优化方法能够有效提高飞机电推进系统效率,使飞机完成一次飞行任务剖面的系统能耗降低了8%以上。     

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     

Electric car progress

Our global temperature's rise is caused by our atmosphere's ever-increasing content of carbon-dioxide, most of which comes from the exhaust of transportation vehicles. This has resulted in a worldwide search for alternatives to the high-powered gasoline fueled automobiles in wide use today. Replacing gasoline-powered cars with electric and hybrid-electric vehicles has become the most popular tool for reducing carbon-dioxide emissions into our atmosphere. Evaluation of electric alternatives to gasoline-engine propulsion of cars covers such topics as the efficiency, weight, and lifetime of fuel cells, and increasing the charge/discharge life of the new lightweight lithium and nickel metal-hydride batteries. A summary of the work currently being carried out on battery and hybrid vehicles is included here