Title :
Status of the Air Force nickel hydrogen low earth orbit life test
Author :
House, Shaun D. ; Hill, Carole A.
Author_Institution :
US Air Force Philips Lab., Kirtland AFB, NM, USA
Abstract :
The US Air Force NiH/sub 2/ LEO (low earth orbit) life test consists of 200 cells undergoing real-time LEO cycling, pulse discharge testing, and storage testing. To date, three of the program´s four objectives have been met: NiH/sub 2/ performance in LEO applications has been demonstrated. A significant number of cells have completed more than 20,000 cycles at 40% DOD. A database for cells of both 3.5 in. and 4.5 in. diameter has been generated. There have been no indications of any performance problems related to scaling up in terms of cell size. Initial data on the pulse discharge performance of a small number of cells has been demonstrated. Concerning the goal of achieving 20,000 cycles at 60% DOD, the data are mixed. Overall, it appears highly unlikely that cell designs such as those currently in the US Air Force test can achieve 20,000 cycles at 60%.<>
Keywords :
life testing; military equipment; nickel compounds; secondary cells; space vehicle power plants; LEO; NiH/sub 2/; US Air Force; life test; low earth orbit; pulse discharge performance; pulse discharge testing; real-time LEO cycling; storage testing; Aerospace testing; Cranes; Hydrogen; Laboratories; Life testing; Low earth orbit satellites; Manufacturing; Nickel; Surface discharges; US Department of Defense;
Journal_Title :
Aerospace and Electronic Systems Magazine, IEEE