Lithium Battery Session. Evaluation of Designs for Safe Operation of Lithium Batteries.

摘要

Early in the ECOM lithium-organic electrolyte battery program it became apparent that design for safety would be one of the paramount factors in the development of batteries for military applications. In this early period, companies experienced fires and/or explosions which presented hazards to personnel and equipment. Most of these incidents were presumed to have been caused by short circuit conditions internal to the cell. Lithium cells, without a satisfactory safety feature, also exploded when short circuited or incinerated. In order to resolve this problem, ECOM initiated a safety program with three companies, Eagle-Picher Industries, Inc., Power Conversion Inc., and Mallory, who had demonstrated successful electrical performance with a lithium cell. The purpose of this program was to have each company design and incorporate safety features in their cells and batteries which would preclude an explosion, fire, or emission of noxious gases regardless of the condition to which the battery or cell was subjected. The test vehicles for this program were the D cell and the Battery BA-5590( )/U, a nominal 24 volt battery consisting of 10 lithium D cells.