Due to the high operating temperature required (usually between 300 and 350 °C), as well as the highly reactive nature of sodium and sodium polysulfides, these batteries are primarily suited for stationary energy storage applications, rather than for use in vehicles.
Can sodium sulfur battery be used in stationary energy storage?
Sodium sulfur battery is one of the most promising candidates for energy storage applications. This paper describes the basic features of sodium sulfur battery and summarizes the recent development of sodium sulfur battery and its applications in stationary energy storage.
What is a sodium sulfur battery?
A sodium–sulfur (NaS) battery is a type of molten-salt battery that uses liquid sodium and liquid sulfur electrodes. This type of battery has a similar energy density to lithium-ion batteries, and is fabricated from inexpensive and low-toxicity materials.
Lifetime is claimed to be 15 year or 4500 cycles and the efficiency is around 85%. Sodium sulfur batteries have one of the fastest response times, with a startup speed of 1 ms. The sodium sulfur battery has a high energy density and long cycle life. There are programmes underway to develop lower temperature sodium sulfur batteries.
Can sodium and sulfur be used in electrochemical energy storage systems?
Overall, the combination of high voltage and relatively low mass promotes both sodium and sulfur to be employed as electroactive compounds in electrochemical energy storage systems for obtaining high specific energy, especially at intermediate and high temperatures (100–350 °C).
What is the research work on sodium sulfur battery?
Advanced battery constructions appeared since the 1980s. Previously, the research work on sodium sulfur battery was mainly focused on electric vehicle application, main institutions engaged in the research include Ford, GE, GE/CSPL, CGE, Yuasa, Dow, British Rail, BBC and the SICCAS.
How does a sodium-sulfur battery work?
The sodium–sulfur battery uses sulfur combined with sodium to reversibly charge and discharge, using sodium ions layered in aluminum oxide within the battery's core. The battery shows potential to store lots of energy in small space.