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Thermal batteries are normally constructed using pressed-powder anode, separator, and cathode pellets (discs). However, parts less than 0.010” thick are difficult to press from the starting powders. The use of plasma spraying to deposit thin pyrite films onto a stainless steel substrate was examined as an alternative to pressed-powder cathodes. The electrodes were tested under isothermal conditions and constant-current discharge over a temperature range of 400°C to 550°C using a standard LiSi anode and a separator based on the LiCIKCI eutectic. The plasma-sprayed cathodes were also evaluated in similar 5-cell thermal batteries. Cells and batteries using pressed-powder cathodes were tested under the same conditions for comparative purposes.

Battery state of charge meters based on combining fuzzy logic analysis and either Coulomb counting or battery impedance measurements have been designed, fabricated and tested. The Coulomb counting meters have been implemented in digital hardware using Motorola 68HC11 and 68HC12 microcontrollers and in field programmable gate arrays. The impedance meter has been prototyped in analog hardware using discrete components. In this paper, we present the hardware/software designs for these meters and some test results on primary Li/SO2 cells.