Thermal batteries were conceived and developed by German scientists during WW II and were used in the V2 rockets . The batteries used exhaust heat from the rocket to keep the electrolyte molten in the battery during the missile's mission. Dr. Georg Otto Erb is credited with developing this technology.
Thermally activated (“thermal”) batteries are primary batteries that use molten salts as electrolytes and employ an internal pyrotechnic (heat) source to bring the battery stack to operating temperatures. They are primarily used for military applications, such as missiles and ordnance, and in nuclear weapons.
In 1952, Eagle Picher (Joplin, MO) also started in the business. (EaglePicher Technologies is the largest US manufacturer of thermal batteries today.) In 1954, Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) (Albuquerque, NM) started to develop thermal batteries for the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), now the Department of Energy (DOE) weapons’ programs.
It’s such an exciting idea that MIT Technology Review readers have officially selected thermal batteries as the reader’s choice addition to our 2024 list of 10 Breakthrough Technologies. So here’s a closer look at what all the excitement is about.
Thermal batteries based on Li and Li-alloy anodes are the current mainstay power sources for military applications (e.g., missiles and bombs) and for nuclear weapons because of their inherent almost indefinite storage life, high reliability, and high-power capabilities.
The power densities of thermal batteries tend to be associated with them, especially the pyrotechnic weight. T yp- to other battery technologies in Table 1.