Tadiran HLCs extend battery life for oceanographic deployments

Argo float manufacturers are transitioning to Tadiran's PulsesPlus batteries because they last longer and cost less. They also make Argo floats run better, more consistently, and with less aggravation. PulsesPlus battery packs replace high current primary lithium cells with a combination of low current cells and small rechargeable lithium ion cells called Hybrid Layer Capacitors or HLCs. One measure of a pack's performance is the energy it transfers to an instrument before it fails. PulsesPlus packs store a bit more energy (10-15%) than high current packs, and they get nearly all of that energy to an instrument. When HLCs are large enough to supply all the energy an Argo float needs for one dive, the pack gets more than 90% of its stored energy into the float during the life of a mission. A second measure of performance is the stability of the pack's voltage during operation. In high current battery packs, growing internal resistance and passivation cause large voltage drops under load. These voltage drops are aggravating, and operators resort to different strategies to keep floats running. However, HLCs do not passivate, and they enable PulsesPlus packs to sustain a steady high voltage. v PulsePlus packs should substantially increase the number of dives in Argo float missions and they should also lengthen mission durations.