Effects of storage on the cycle life of nickel hydrogen battery cells

The cycle life of a nickel hydrogen cell has been evaluated at 80% depth of discharge after nearly five years of cell storage, including two years of shorted storage. After this storage the cycle life was found to be about 1200 cycles, compared to 5000-9000 cycles for typical unstored cells. Cell analyses before cycling indicated significant segregation of cobalt additive in the nickel electrodes, as well as a small amount of sinter corrosion. The large decrease in cycle life after storage is attributed primarily to the loss of about one-third of the active cobalt from the active material during the discharged storage of these hydrogen precharged cells, and to the formation of inactive cobalt oxides in the nickel electrodes. Storage methods capable of eliminating problems from both sinter corrosion and cobalt segregation are discussed