Evaluation and Implementation Guide Development of Betavoltaic Hybrid Power Sources for Milliwatt to Microwatt Applications

摘要

The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division (NSWC Crane) is testing and evaluating betavoltaics and hybrid designs using lithium solid-state rechargeable (Li-SS) batteries for insertion into military and other government agency platforms. Unlike electrochemical batteries, betavoltaics have been demonstrated to operate continuously over decadal time-periods in extreme temperatures (-50°C to 150°C) without affecting performance. Solid-state batteries operate in a smaller temperature range (-20°C to 70°C) but offer long operating and cycle lives, and low degradation due to the solid electrolyte; they can be stored under exposure to a temperature range of -40°C to 125°C and intermittently operated up to 80°C. It should be noted, that the combination of a betavoltaic trickle charging a Li-SS battery significantly extends the capacity of the hybrid system. NSWC Crane has procured betavoltaics (Model P100a NanoTritium) from City Labs, Inc. and lithium solid-state rechargeable batteries (EnerChip) from Cymbet Corporation. The betavoltaics and batteries will be evaluated separately first to assess individual performance under temperature, and then evaluated together in a hybrid design at temperatures ranging from -40°C to 80°C. A betavoltaic/Li-SS battery hybrid can provide continuous, uninterrupted power in the microwatt range with burst power in the milliwatt range. Applications intended for insertion of the betavoltaic-battery hybrid design include autonomous wireless sensors, continuous health monitoring of missile platforms, miniature bio-implant sensors, and anti-tamper sensors for weapons platforms. The results for the individual and hybrid evaluations will be discussed along with an overview of the betavoltaic and Li-SS battery technologies; a roadmap will be presented for insertion pathways for betavoltaic hybrid designs in applications. In addition, a preliminary outline of a betavoltaic implementation guide for DoD program managers, and validation and verification community will be highlighted. The implementation guide will serve as a manual for application insertion, specification in application, performance measurement, handling, and disposal for betavoltaic based power sources.