New Design for the Nickel/Sodium Chloride Battery

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The Na/Ni/Cl2 battery is a competitive alternative to lithium batteries for service vehicles and stationary applications. It provides high energy density and relies on readily available materials. In its current design, however, the sodium battery operates at less than 20% of its theoretical energy density. This could be increased by a modification of design.The proposed design envisages a metal-ceramic composite structure to enclose both the anode and cathode. The anode will be a block of porous metal that contains the liquid sodium. A ceramic coating on the anode will separate the sodium from the cathode. The cathode will be contained in a nickel case attached to the anode by a clamping or welding. The composition of the cathode will initially be the same as current batteries, potentially changing with long term research.In this project, a suitable material will be chosen for the anode host. It will be made by powder metallurgy techniques (pressing and sintering). The electrolyte coating will be applied by conventional ceramic processing techniques. Assembly of the device will require manufacturing technologies such as stamping, brazing and welding. The battery will be tested by cycling between charge and discharge states. Current efficiency and degradation will be assessed. Single cell tests will be followed by construction of a 4-cell battery.Since this technology has applications for electric vehicles and storage of renewable energy, it is expected to have a major impact on fossil fuel consumption, CO2 reduction and improvement of the environment. These batteries use nickel from Canadian sources and the development of local technology could promote a domestic battery industry.