Abstract: Based on the mechanisms of heat and mass transfer, electrochemical reaction in a single space-use pressure vessel nickel-hydrogen battery, a three-dimensional, non-steady state heat transfer model of the battery is developed. This model includes all the parts of a battery including the pressure vessel. The temperature field of the battery is simulated by using the finite volume method and the simulation results tally with the experimental data. Based on this model, two kinds of battery design scheme are provided and evaluated on the basis of the simulated temperature field. Under the condition of no change of the battery power, the maximum temperature difference across the temperature field is the smallest when the electrode stack is placed in the middle of battery. Smaller maximum temperature difference can be obtained with larger inside diameter. The three-dimensional, non-steady state heat transfer model can be used for the engineering design and parameter optimization of nickel-hydrogen batteries.

Key words: Nickel-hydrogen battery, Numerical analysis, Structure, Temperature field