Direct Energy, 2018a

228 9.5 Battery Types
Figure 9.8: The illustration shows a nickel-hydrogen battery and orbital
replacement unit which powers the International Space Station. This gure
is used with permission from [148].
some portable tools, in some cameras, and in some electronics requiring
repeated recharging cycles or requiring high current output. The International
Space Station is powered by 48 orbital replacement units, and each
orbital replacement unit contains 38 nickel-hydrogen battery cells. Figure
9.8 illustrates an orbital replacement unit [148].
9.5.5 Lithium
Lithium has a high specic energy, so it is very reactive and a good choice
for battery research. For this reason, many dierent battery chemistries
utilizing lithium have been developed. The anode may be made out of
lithium or carbon [128, ch. 8,15]. Possible cathode materials include MnO 2 ,
LiCoO 2 , and FeS 2 [128, ch. 8,15]. Electrolytes may be liquid or solid. A
possible electrolyte is the mixture of an organic solvent such as propylene
carbonate and dimethoxyethane mixed with lithium salts such as LiBF 4 or
LiClO 4 [128, p. 31.5]. Figure 9.9 shows lepidolite, a lithium containing ore
of composition K(Li,Al) 2−3
(AlSi 3
O 10 )(O,OH,F) 2
, from Ruggles mine near
Grafton, New Hampshire.
Lithium batteries have been in development since the 1960s, and they