Morgan Advanced Materials Helps Power Up Innovative Durathon Batteries
Morgan Advanced Materials, a leading manufacturer of engineered products for the energy sector, is supplying a range of critical components and technology solutions for GE Energy Storage’s high-performance Durathon Batteries.
Durathon Batteries are designed to provide safer, more efficient and cost effective energy storage, distribution and utilization. GE Energy Storage uses the battery modules to build complete energy storage solutions for the telecom, energy management, power generation, grid operation, back-up and motive power industries.
GE Energy Storage’s Durathon Batteries have been developed to act as uninterruptible power supplies for facilities where reliable back-up power is essential, such as hospitals and data centres, as well as providing energy to sectors as diverse as telecommunications and transportation. Capable of storing energy during quiet periods and then releasing it at peak times, the Durathon Sodium-Nickel Chloride chemistry is also being increasingly specified for power generation, grid operation and energy management applications.
Morgan’s expertise in highly-engineered ceramic formulations and manufacturing processes has helped GE Energy Storage support the development of the Durathon chemistry. Each cell within the battery has to be hermetically sealed to guard against chemical leakage and then be connected to other cells in a module which is thermally insulated to ensure the temperature of its external surfaces remains within 10°C to 15°C of the ambient temperature. Preventing chemical leakage is of critical importance to the performance and service life of the battery. For the battery collars, therefore, Morgan recommended SintoxTM FA, a specially formulated aluminium oxide ceramic for its superior bonding strength, resistance to chemicals at elevated temperature, and electrical insulating properties.
Morgan supplies the ceramic collars which will have a metallised layer, which is used to bond them to the metal components within the battery. The metallising is specially formulated to create a strong hermetic bonding combination with the SintoxTM FA material which is chemically resistant to the corrosive environment within the cell structure, provides high strength and joint integrity for the lifetime of the battery.
Yannick Galais, commercial manager at Morgan Advanced Materials, commented: “We were delighted to partner with GE Energy Storage to help create the next generation of sodium metal halide batteries. Our application engineers and technical team have worked very closely with GE to provide a customised, specific solution to enable the battery to perform effectively in a temperature range between 260°C to 300°. This low temperature range allows GE to offer a cost-effective solution compared with other technologies operating at higher temperatures. Our SintoxTM FA material was specified for the battery collars due to its excellent bond strength and resistance to chemical attack, both vital factors for ensuring the batteries continue to perform consistently during their lifetime. This is particularly important where continuity of service is absolutely critical, such as in hospitals, while data centres need to be sure they can rely on a consistent source of energy supply for data protection reasons.”
Durathon Batteries provide more energy in half the space and a third of the weight as equivalent wet-cell lead acid batteries. They are a cost-effective, modular-based power solution to meet the needs of telecommunication offices, data centres and other industrial applications that require consistent energy supply. The building-block design of Durathon batteries allows customers to easily add more modules should demand for back-up power increase, without needing a complete system re-design or experiencing any interruption of service.
Mechanically stable at high temperatures and chemically inert, Morgan’s SintoxTM FA material ensures that Durathon batteries deliver a consistent supply of energy across a broad range of highly demanding applications.
