Thermal Dissipation of a Nickel-Hydrogen Battery Cell

The thermal dissipation of a 48-Ah nickel-hydrogen (Ni/H₂) battery cell has been derived by testing it in a controlled radiative environment. Temperature profiles and corresponding cell thermal dissipations are presented for different battery discharge/charge cycles. A comparison between test results and theoretical predictions for battery dissipation is presented. The thermal capacitance of a Ni/H₂ cell is computed from both test data and tabulation of individual cell component weight and specific heat.