Some practical considerations of lithium thionyl chloride battery development

The authors present a practical overview of some problem areas that were encountered during design and development of Li/SOCl/sub 2/ batteries for communication applications. BA-6590, BA-6567 and pulse batteries are discussed. Each battery has a particular set of technical challenges associated with its development, though there are also some common issues such as capacity and load voltage at -30 degrees C and start-up voltages for rates between 1 mA/cm/sup 2/ and 20 mA/cm/sup 2/ over the temperature range of -30 degrees C to 55 degrees C. There are some common solutions for many of the batteries-such as using high surface area carbons to improve cold temperature capacity, using new separator materials to realize greater electrode areas and use of an electrolyte that allows cell/battery activation up to rates of 20 mA/cm/sup 2/. Some cell activation data are provided for a variety of storage conditions: 1 month at 55 degrees C, 45 days at 70 degrees C and three years at room temperature.<>