The use of more powerful and sophisticated electronic devices on today's military and commercial aircraft has increased demands on the aircraft electrical system. These devices place additional loads on the main aircraft battery during preflight systems checkout and during an electrical power emergency. The maintenance-free Sealed Nickel-Cadmium (SNC) battery has demonstrated high reliability, high power capability, and increased energy storage for these applications.
Electro Energy, Mobile Products (EEMP) Inc, (formerly the Power Systems Department of Eagle-Picher Technologies, LLC) has developed and manufactured sintered plate nickel cadmium (NiCd) batteries for several flight programs. The sintered plate construction in NiCd's allows for high power density, long cycle life, and good low temperature performance. Nickel based batteries continue to play a significant role in the aircraft battery industry; therefore, it is important to review the benefits of this battery chemistry.
This paper includes a review of flight programs and important information for use in selection of battery chemistries for various applications. Several platforms have adopted this technology for flight and historical data will be presented that will identify the benefits of sintered plate NiCd batteries. Because reduction of maintenance and service costs continues to be a topic of significant importance, information on the sealed maintenance-free (SMF) aircraft battery and the variations in battery design for specific applications will be provided.