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The Sodium Nickel Chloride battery
March 27, 2022
With all the advancements in the Solar PV battery system technologies in the recent years,We now have a vast number of options that can suit different user applications. On the past battery-related articles that we’ve published, we were mainly focused on the utilization of ltihium-ion and lithium-iron-phosphate, lead acid, etc. for general solar PV system applications, for this article we will discuss another battery type that has been around for some time, The Sodium nickel chloride battery.
Fig.1 : Sodium Nickel Chloride battery (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Molten_Salt_Battery_(Zebra).JPG)
The sodium-nickel chloride battery(Na-NiCl2) entered the market during the 90s. They were mainly designed for electric vehicle application but then later found other applications as it is a good choice for renewable energy storage. They were popularly known as Zebra batteries since they were mainly manufactured by the brand name Zebra. For the electrodes, It uses Molten sodium for the anode, Nicke and Sodium Chloride for the cathode. Beta alumina ceramic as the primary electrolyte and a molten tetrachloroaluminate of sodium such as Sodium Aluminum Chloride as the secondary electrolyte. An independent heater is utilized by the battery to keep the secondary electrolyte in a liquid state at 270degC - 350degC.
Fig2. Sodium Nickel Chloride battery construction(https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sodium-nickel-chloride_cell.svg)
Due to the advantages in using the said type of battery, Sodium-nickel batteries have found action on the renewable energy space and other application. They can be used for:
- Electric vehicles
- Main storage for Solar PV systems and other renewable energy generation
- Peak management
- Renewable energy distribution systems
- Emergency power back-up
Among others.
Main advantages of this particular battery type can be realized on its:
- Operational safety
- Eco-friendliness
- Maintenance-free
- Reliability
- Scalability
- Flexibility
Sodium nickel chloride batteries are naturally capable of withstanding high current and high temperature thus making them good at unwanted overcharging scenarios. Depth of discharge for this particular battery is 80% at around 3000 cycles. Nickel sodium chloride batteries experiences a self-discharging rate of around 15% of its stored energy per day due to its need to maintain its electrolyte’s activation temperature, it can do around 2000-4500 charging-discharge cycle at around 80% depth of discharge, and can last for around 15years, which makes them a great candidate for renewable energy storage applications.Sodium nickel chloride batteries has a round trip efficieny of 85-95%, where the electrical loss is converted to heat, it has a very wide operating temperature at -20degC to +60degC and can maintain peak performance even in fluctuating temperatures. Each battery can pack around 100-170Wh/kg of energy, which might be inferior to its competitors but together with each other characteristics forms an ideal candidate for large-scale stationary renewable energy storage applications. Sodium nickel chloride batteries are also fully recycable and discarded or batteries can be used for stainless steel production and as materials for road paving. While the previously mentioned advantages of the said battery type were quite inviting, the thermal needs of of Sodium nickel batteries makes them not a good candidate for some application, Here are some drawbacks for the said battery:
- The electrolyte used in the said battery type as mentioned earlier needs to be maintained at a certain temperature of 270-350degC. Once cold, it could take up to 2 days to reheat the molten salt inside it. The said temperature could also be considered less suitable to be situated inside a home.
- The size of such system when compared to a more energy packed system is also a disadvantage
- And lastly, Cost, these batteries could cost higher to install compared to other battery technology in the market
Overall, Sodium Nickel battery is a very good battery for general renewable energy applications, However, its current design sets some limitations for it to be the number one go to battery. With its safety, maintenance cost, and recycability, It has the potential to be a main player inside the battery space. However, more imporvements should be made inorder for it to start stealing the spotlight from other well-equipped competitors.
-Paul Custan is an Electrical Engineer who have worked as a software engineer and as a digital platform specialist before becoming a full-time FNX Solar employee. FNX Solar Power Solutions Inc. is a business based in Canada. We develop and sell portable power stations and related accessories.
Cover photo is from https://pixabay.com/
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