Trends in battery usage in the Navy

Summary form only given. Batteries are an important, often critical, part of almost every Navy system. Trends in the development and adoption of Navy batteries reflect the search for power sources which are readily available, meet increased performance requirements and have low life-cycle costs. Examples of these trends are briefly discussed. Several qualified batteries have become unavailable because of concerns about the potential health and environmental risks associated with their manufacture or disposal. The Navy has developed replacement batteries using a variety of chemical systems including commercial zinc/alkaline/manganese dioxide and lithium/thionyl chloride cells. Concerns about the environment and safety are causing a reassessment of the use of seawater batteries which contain lead and lithium/sulfur dioxide batteries in sonobuoys. The need for improved performance, especially increased power and/or increased energy density, has led the Navy to develop advanced thermal and other lithium batteries. A goal of reduced life-cycle costs, often combined with a desire for improved performance, has resulted in efforts to improve existing rechargeable battery chemistries and to develop new systems. Work of this type has included improvements in lead-acid, nickel-cadmium, and zinc/silver oxide batteries and a continuing program to develop advanced, rechargeable lithium batteries. In summary, naval systems often require unique batteries; trends in the development of these batteries are affected by availability, performance and cost