A new thermal control system is being developed to support the development of a primary lithium/thionyl chloride (Li/SOCL2) battery designed for future space applications.
The aim of this study is to develop and to investigate a new thermal control concept to be used with U/SOCL.2 batteries. A thermal model of a grooved nickel(F11) heat pipe under uniform heat input is developed, and an experimental assembly is made to simulate the operating conditions in zero-G.
In the second part of this study we show how this new thermal concept can provide the following for electrochemical cell:
- Thermal cooling by heat pipe, mechanical reinforcement, and current collection.
Finally we compare the thermal behavior of a Li/SOCL2 cell under high rate discharge using this concept with that of a traditional concept (aluminium corset around the cell which is fixed to a coldplate). we have established a thermal model using ESACAP software including about 100 nodes to represent the cell and the aluminium pipe or the heat pipe. We are especially interested in the internal thermal gradient inside the cell as a function of the weight of each concept.
This paper is based upon work performed under the sponsorship of SAFT.