Sealed nickel-cadmium cell performance and optimization of battery design

Small sealed nickel-cadmium cells have been applied in several military applications since their development during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Some of the applications included are man portable, communications, lighting, navigation, computers, and telemetry. Cell performance and reliability has varied over the last fifteen years. This paper will compare cell performance during the late 1970s to that being exhibited during the 1990s. The variation in cell performance and reliability has lead the Navy to use extensive screening and matching procedures to obtain highly reliable battery packs. The screen and matching procedures used by the Navy are discussed along with battery performance differences.<>