thermal batteries!!?!

[bobsmith1492]

Dude, I just heard about those things at work. You literally ignite them and they burn, producing energy.

To run a massive backup hydraulic pump (DC 3-phase brushless) for some Korean jet, the battery has to supply some 28000 watts and do so for over half an hour. That's some crazy power! They said when testing it, a 3-foot flame burst out of the side and was impossible to put out until the thing just simply burnt out.

That would be sweet to play with one of those!

 

[kumanchu]

i think this goes into what you consider a battery.

 

[everman]

This sounds more like a generator than a battery. Probably burning that fuel to turn a turbine and generate your power. Got anymore info on it?

 

[Mark R]

Well, they are definitely batteries - they just need to be warmed up before they start to work.

Link

Cliff's notes:
Metal anode, salt electrolyte, salt cathode
Very long shelf life (much more than 10 years) with no degradation
Very high power output
To activate, pyrotechnic charges heat up the battery until its components melt and begin mixing
Use once only
Only last 10 minute onces activated
Main use is to power/activate rarely used but critical safety systems or military weapons

 

[TitanDiddly]

Originally posted by: everman
This sounds more like a generator than a battery. Probably burning that fuel to turn a turbine and generate your power. Got anymore info on it?

Nope, they're actually batteries that create immense amounts of current direction from themal energy produced by an internal combustion reaction. They're used a lot in 'disposable' conditons, eg missiles.