Claims
- 1. An abuse resistant electrochemical cell comprising an active metal anode selected from the group consisting of lithium, sodium, potassium, berylium, magnesium, calcium, and aluminum electrically connected to a terminal therefor, and an inactive conductive cathode, with said anode and cathode having surfaces thereof respectively which face each other, said cell further comprising a fluid depolarizer/electrolyte solvent selected group consisting of inorganic oxyhalides, inorganic thiohalides, nitrogen dioxide (NO.sub.2), sulfur dioxide (SO.sub.2), and sulfur trioxide (SO.sub.3) with electrolyte salt dissolved therein with said anode and cathode being immersed in said fluid depolarizer, characterized in that said active metal anode and said fluid depolarizer/electrolyte solvent are each present in excess of the dischargeable capacity of said cell, with said excess active metal anode being of an amount sufficient such that a surface thereof remains substantially facing said initially facing surface of said cathode, with said excess active metal anode remaining electrically connected to said terminal; and said excess fluid depolarizer/electrolyte solvent being of an amount sufficient to substantially wet said excess anode and said cathode, whereby current may be conducted therethrough without heat concentration within said cell, and wherein said excess fluid depolarizer/electrolyte solvent contains sufficient electrolyte salt dissolved therein whereby said fluid depolarizer, with dissolved salt, retains a conductivity sufficiently high such that current may be carried therethrough without resistance heat buildup.
- 2. The cell of claim 1 wherein said inactive conductive cathode is determinative of said dischargeable capacity of said cell with the capacity of said inactive conductive cathode, based upon the number of cell reaction sites therein, being less than the capacity of each of said active metal anode and said fluid depolarizer.
- 3. The cell of claim 2 wherein said inactive conductive cathode comprises activated carbon on a conductive metallic substrate.
- 4. The cell of claim 3 wherein said conductivity is not less than 10.sup.-3 ohm.sup.-1 cm.sup.-1.
- 5. The cell of claim 3 wherein said fluid depolarizer is selected from the group consisting of thionyl chloride (SOCl.sub.2), phosphorous oxychloride (POCl.sub.3), selenium oxychloride (SeOCl.sub.2), sulfur dioxide (SO.sub.2), sulfur trioxide (SO.sub.3), vanadium oxytrichloride (VOCl.sub.3), chromyl chloride (CrO.sub.2 Cl.sub.2), sulfuric oxychloride (SO.sub.2 Cl.sub.2), nitryl chloride ((NO.sub.2 Cl), nitrosyl chloride (NOCl), nitrogen dioxide (NO.sub.2), sulfur monochloride (S.sub.2 Cl.sub.2) and sulfur monobromide (S.sub.2 Br.sub.2) and mixtures thereof.
- 6. The cell of claim 5 wherein said fluid depolarizer comprises thionyl chloride.
- 7. The cell of claim 6 wherein said electrolyte salt is lithium aluminum chloride and wherein said conductivity is not less than 10.sup.-3 ohm.sup.-1 cm.sup.-1.
- 8. The cell of claim 6 wherein said active metal anode comprises lithium.
- 9. The cell of claim 8 wherein said active metal anode further includes a conductive metallic substrate.
- 10. The cell of claim 2 wherein said fluid depolarizer comprises thionyl chloride and said anode is lithium.
- 11. The cell of claim 1 wherein said fluid depolarizer comprises thiony choride.
Government Interests
The invention herein described was made in the course of or under a contract with the Department of the Army.
US Referenced Citations (3)