Intermixing Cells in an Aircraft Nickel-Cadmium Battery

Details

• Creators:
  Summer, Steven M.
• Corporate Creators:
  United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Aviation Administration. William J. Hughes Technical Center. Airport and Aircraft Safety Research and Development Division.
• Corporate Contributors:
  Federal Aviation Administration. Office of Advanced Concepts & Technology Development
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  Battery Parts Nickel Cadmium Batteries Thermal Properties
• Publication/ Report Number:
  DOT/FAA/AR-TN11/16
• Resource Type:
  Tech Report
• Geographical Coverage:
  United States
• Edition:
  Technical Notes
• Corporate Publisher:
  United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Aviation Administration. William J. Hughes Technical Center
• Abstract:
  Tests were performed at the Federal Aviation Administration William J. Hughes Technical Center by the Fire Safety Team of the Airport and Aircraft Research and Development Group to determine if intermixing different manufacturer cells within an aircraft nickel-cadmium battery has an effect on battery performance and if any such effect results in a safety of flight issue. A series of tests from RTCA/DO-293 were conducted on two batteries, one consisted of all original equipment manufacturer (OEM) cells, and one consisted of ten OEM and ten Part Manufacturer Approval (PMA) replacement cells. The tests included several rated capacity tests, a charge stability test, a duty performance test, and an induced destructive overcharge test. Throughout the tests, only slight differences between the OEM and intermixed batteries were observed. The PMA cells consistently charged at a higher voltage; however, none of the cells exceeded the maximum voltage of 1.7 V. During some tests, individual cells showed some differences in behavior and recorded battery temperatures. The most notable difference occurred during the induced destructive overcharge tests, in which a larger number of cells from the intermixed battery recorded increased voltage readings, indicating signs of thermal runaway. The results show no indication of any safety of flight issues arising from the intermixing of OEM and PMA battery cells within a nickel-cadmium aircraft battery.
• Format:
  PDF
• Collection(s):
  FAA William J. Hughes Technical Center for Advanced Aerospace
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:4a81c4f79920ebcda571ed39884cf0b91030f11e729c04577faf72de129b187f647a4b40ecdbfc421eb1aff6602121d1d4b5da3e59ec5b5c06a43042b87dc42f
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/90088/dot_90088_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 938.74 KB ]