The characterization of high rate batteries

A general method of characterizing batteries of all types over their complete range of power delivery is described. The method removes very little charge and is shown to correlate with the performance of the batteries in high-power applications. It is also shown that this power characteristic is accurately predicted by a simple electrical model of the battery, consisting of an effective source voltage in series with an internal resistance. In the measured systems the effective source voltage was always below the open-circuit voltage, sometimes by quite a large margin. This significantly reduces the power which can be delivered. Four chemical systems are characterized: Zn/MnO/sub 2/, LiFeS/sub 2/, LiMnO/sub 2/, and Li/CF/sub x/.<
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