Prismatic thionyl chloride cell characterization through parametric analysis

The Taguchi method of experimental design was followed to investigate and understand the performance and general electrical characteristics of prismatic lithium/thionyl chloride cells as functions of electrolyte salt, electrolyte salt concentration, anode pre-treatment, and exposure to elevated temperature. An L8 matrix was used to assess the effects of each of the 4 independent variables on open- and closed-circuit voltages, capacity under discharge, cell thickness, internal impedance, and heat dissipation. ANOVA analysis of the 48 cell population has allowed the projection of optimized prismatic lithium/thionyl chloride cells, through the use of 0.5 M lithium tetrachloroaluminate in thionyl chloride as the catholyte. The salt concentration was found to have the greatest impact on cell performance in terms of delivered capacity.