HYDROGEN-BASED RECHARGEABLE BATTERY SYSTEMS - MILITARY, AEROSPACE, AND TERRESTRIAL APPLICATIONS .1. NICKEL-HYDROGEN BATTERIES

Eagle Picher Industries currently has three hydrogen-based battery systems under development and in production, for a variety of military, aerospace, and terrestrial applications. These are the nickel hydrogen (NiH2), nickel metal hydride (NiMH), and silver metal hydride (AgMH) battery systems. Nickel hydrogen batteries are the system of choice for both geostationery (GEO) and low-earth-orbit (LEO) communications and surveillance satellites. Eagle-Picher NiH2 batteries have been in use in the aerospace industry for over 15 years and have accumulated more than 95,000,000 cell-hours in orbital spacecraft operation without a single failure. Cells have completed more than 88,000 accelerated LEO charge/discharge cycles and more than 30 eclipse seasons in GEO testing. Advanced NiH2 batteries are currently being built for the Space Station Freedom program. This advanced aerospace technology is also being adapted to terrestrial applications such as remote location power systems, electric vehicles, utility load leveling, and the telecommunications industry. Two additional papers are planned. Part II of the series will cover aerospace and commercial nickel-metal hydride batteries and part III will concern the newly developed silver-metal hydride battery system.