Abuse Testing of Sodium Nickel Chloride Batteries

Inhalt:
Electrical Energy Storage Systems used in the telecommunications industry are subject to many stresses, both as part of their operating environment and as a result of abusive conditions. These stresses are generally mechanical, electrical or environmental. Typical abusive conditions routinely seen in the field include the following: accidental drops; over-charging and short circuiting by damaged or failing battery chargers; and exposure to natural events or disasters. This paper outlines and reviews recent abusive and destructive testing of Sodium Nickel Chloride batteries marketed as the GE Durathon* Battery. Many of these tests are based on industry standards for Electrical Energy Storage Systems as well as real-life abuse use cases including: 1. Complete submersion in salt water, 2. Fire exposure and water hose down, 3. Bullet impacts by various types of munitions, 4. High-speed impact in both as-installed and as-shipped conditions, 5. Overcharge by overvoltage, 6. Short circuit testing, 7. Deep penetration into the case of the battery followed by water exposure, and 8. Accidental drop scenarios while in the as-installed condition. This paper discusses the abuse conditions, the response of the Durathon Battery to these conditions, and the effects of the tests.