The two-phase battery concept: a new strategy for high performance lithium polymer batteries

06 Nectrical power supply and utilization (scientific, technical) and pre-industrial development project. In recent years, three major national projects have been performed and coordinated by ENEA in cooperation with some universities, governmental research organizations and industry. In these projects novel polymer electrolytes with ceramic additives, low cost manganese oxide-based composite cathodes, environmentally friendly process for polymer electrolyte, fabrication processes of components and cells have been investigated and developed in order to fulfil long-term needs of cost-effective and highly performant lithium polymer batteries. 02/02028 Perspectives of coal-based power generation Sohn, G. VGB PoirerTech, 2001, 8, @I), 32-37. (In German) Coal as an energy raw material is abundantly available and evenly distributed around the world. By projecting current rates of consumption it is estimated that workable reserves will last for more than 200 years. Coal is our bridge to the future. Coal will continue to be the most important fuel for electricity generation world-wide for years to come. In Europe and in Germany, too, coal will remain the basic feedstock for the power supply industry for the foreseeable future. The exploitation of indigenous coal reserves is therefore the key to ensuring reliability of energy supplies. No-one can deny that the extension of energy-producing raw materials, such as coal, has an effect on the world’s environment. The burning of coal and other fossil fuels produces emissions, particularly COa, which are suspected of causing damage to the global climate. For this reason coal is viewed with a critical eye by many who are concerned about environmental protection. The coal industry, like many other industrial operators, is suddenly facing a dilemma: how does it safeguard its energy supply, namely the generation of electricity from domestic hard coal and lignite, while at the same time protecting the environment from damage and the effect of harmful emissions. The coal sector and the coal-based power generation industry are both caught up in this conflict of interests. The outlook for coal-based electricity generation will therefore be determined to a large extent by the amount of attention paid to ecological factors and by the growing concern for the environment. Coal’s prospects will depend enormously on the progress made in developing technical solutions for clean coal combustion whose ultimate objective may well be the CO*-free coal-fired power station. Coal can and must meet the growing challenge posed by the need for climate and environmental protection. This will require the further development of efficient coal combustion technologies (clean coal technologies and the COz-free power station). What coal needs is a technological offensive. Modern coal-burning technologies developed and applied in Germany can also help solve the environmental problems facing those countries whose technology is less well advanced. 02lO2029 Predicting the pressure drop across hot gas ceramic filter installed in a commercial size pressurized fluidired bed combustion system Sasatsu, H. et al. Powder Techno/og,v, 2001, 118, (l-2) 58-67. The 71 MWe pressurized fluidized bed combustion combined cycle power plant at Wakamatsu, Electric Power Development Company (funded by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry and the Center of Coal Utilization Japan (CCUJ)) achieved 11,500 h accumulative operation while establishing extremely low dust emission (
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Steps on the path towards new coal-fired power 02lO2031 plants -the VGB joint research programme KOMET 650 Koster, C. el al. VGB PowerTech, 2001, 81, (9), 64-68. (In Germany) A review with references. Coal as a primary energy will continue to account for a considerable share of electricity generation, Advanced coal-fired power plants must guarantee reliable operation while being economically efficient and environmentally benign. Joint research and development efforts are needed to meet these ambitious aims, In the VGB joint research program ‘KOMET 650’, power plant operators, power plant manufacturers, research institutes and the German Federal ministry of Economics and Technology have come together to develop and test advanced materials, instrumentation and controlling technologies (I&C technologies) and processes for modelling operating states. The overriding aim is to further improve the obtainable net efficiencies of coal-fired power plants, which currently amount to a maximum of 47%, and to improve the plants’ reliability, economic efficiency and environmental compatibility. KOMET 650 provides operating experience and an extensive data base on advanced materials in power plant construction for steam temperatures of up to 650°C. The modern instrumentation systems for steam generator plants developed and tested under operationally realistic conditions help optimize process engineering procedures and improve steam generator efficiency. In addition, numerical processes are developed in order to be able to analyse and optimize complex operating processes, 02/02032 Symmetric cell approach and impedance spectroscopy of high power lithium-ion batteries Chen, C. H. r/ ul. Journal qfPon,er Sorrrces, 2001. 96, (2), 321-328. High power lithium-ion cells are a very promising energy source for practical hybrid vehicles. It is found that the impedance of the 18650 high-power cells using LiNia sCo~ 202 chemistry increases with time during the beginning period of storage. A symmetric cell approach is developed to distinguish the anode and cathode effects on the impedance rise. Cathode impedance, especially charge-transfer resistance, is identified as the main component of the cell impedance and is most responsible for the rise of the cell impedance during storage at room temperature. With analysis of impedance spectra from a variety of cells, the charge-transfer process is thought to take place at the interface between the electrolyte solution and the surface of surface layers on the electrode. We also propose that the surface layers might be mixed conductors of electrons and lithium ions, instead of pure lithium-ion conductors. The nature of the surface layers on the cathode is likely different from that of the surface layers on the anode. The status of Sony Li-ion polymer battery 02lO2033 Kezuka, K. K. el ul. Journd qf Power Sources, 2001, (97-98), 755-757. Sony developed a new thin and lightweight battery by replacing the conventional electrolyte with a new gel polymer electrolyte. Because gel polymer electrolyte has a superior advantage of anti-leakage characteristics, the batteries need to be enclosed with hybrid laminated films. This helps modify the battery shape fixation due to conventional metal enclosure and create a variety of battery sizes. Consequently Sony was able to achieve a 3.8 mm - an ideal shape for portable use. Hybrid laminated film enclosure is lighter than metal enclosure of conventional battery, and allows additional weight-energy density when compared to conventional batteries of equal capacity. The two-phase battery concept: a new strategy 02lO2034 for high performance lithium polymer batteries Prosini, P. P. ef al. Journal of Power Sources, 200 I, (97798). 786-789. A new concept is proposed to realize high performance lithium polymer batteries. The two-phase battery concept is based on the use of two polyethers of different molecular weight polyether is used in the composite cathode to assure high ionic conductivity while a high molecular weight polyethers is used in the electrolyte formulation. In this work, a composite cathode based on a solid, low molecular weight poly(ethylengyco1) dimethyl ether (PEG-DME, M.W. 2000), was coupled with a solid polymer electrolyte (SPE) based on poly(ethylenoxide) (PEO. M.W. 4 x 10”). The electrochemical stability window, evaluated by a slow sweep voltammetry, showed that the system has an anodic breakdown voltage higher than 4.0 V versus Li. The feasibility of two-phase batteries was evaluated by cycling tests. The results indicate that two-phase batteries have enhanced performance with respect to PEO based batteries. The Wabash River integrated methanol and power 02lO2035 production from clean coal technologies (IMPPCCT) project Benedict, D. E. and Strickland, D. Proceedings - Annud In~rno~ional Pirrshurgh Cod Conference, 2000, (17) 112-l 20. Fuel and Energy Abstracts

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