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Saft is working on advanced 28V Li-ion batteries for use in NAVY unmanned aircraft applications. This battery employs seven (7) prismatic state-of-the art Li-ion cells connected in series. The battery needs to be less than 40lbs in weight and 600 in3 in volume. This paper presents the performance results of the new prismatic cell. This development is pioneering new technological territories for SAFT since the PL55E cell is the first prismatic cell developed and delivered by SAFT America [1]. The experience gained will be useful and the PL55E cell will be followed by more prismatic cells added to the SAFT Li-ion portfolio. The presentation will give an overall status update of the technology as well as a brief overview of the complete 28V battery.

Electro Energy Inc. has been developing their wafer cell bipolar nickel-metal hydride battery for aircraft applications. The design consists of individual sealed wafer cells that are stacked in series to make a multi-cell, multi voltage battery pack. Each individual wafer cell consists of one positive electrode, a separator material and a negative electrode contained in an outer envelope so that the faces of the wafer cell represent the positive and negative contact of the cell. The perimeter of the cell is sealed to contain battery gases and electrolyte, making a fully sealed cell. To construct a multi-cell battery, identical cells are stacked one on top of the other, such that, the positive face of one cell makes contact with the negative face of an adjacent cell to make a series connection. Multi-cell stacks are held in compression for physical integrity and to ensure good cell-to-cell contact.

Battery standardization is critical in reducing the cost of aircraft batteries. Past and present methods of battery procurement result in many different batteries that are either to expensive, unreliable or require extensive maintenance. Standardization reduces cost by replacing small numbers of expensive batteries with large volumes of a standard battery. Battery quality and reliability is also improved. The inclusion of new advances in battery technology is also simplified. The use of new battery technology has improved battery performance and increased reliability. Advances such as sealed lead acid batteries and improved separator material have reduced the cost of batteries and increased service life.