Development and evaluation of large lithium/thionyl chloride batteries for unmanned undersea vehicle (UUV) power

Summary form only given, as follows. NSWC Carderock Division is presently supporting the Mine and Undersea Warfare Unmanned Undersea Vehicle Office PMS-403 by conducting test and evaluation of large Li/SOCl₂ cells and battery assemblies to be used in the AN/BLQ-11 Long Term Mine Reconnaissance System vehicle. These tests support performance evaluations, but are foremost safety verification and evaluation tests for the battery and the LMRS vehicle. This vehicle is intended to be launched from and recovered into 688-Class submarines. The cells represent the outgrowth of specialized development and optimization for exceptionally high energy density with high power. The battery is capable of producing 1500 watts of sustained power and consists of 24 series connected cells containing yielding 95 kWh in a 21" diameter, 52" long, 680 pound cylinder that is replaceable within the confines of the torpedo room of the submarine. The battery must perform efficiently and reliably, have intelligent communications with the UUV, and foremost and utmost, the battery must be fault tolerant to prevent any potential for hazard or harm to personnel and the submarine platform. The authors describe the development of the test program, the requirements for demonstration, performance of the cell and the battery, and describe special characteristics of the battery and cell design to assure safety. They describe the environmental and safety tests that have been conducted. They outline specific challenges they are addressing and outline future prospects