ASYMMETRIC THERMAL EFFECTS IN HIGH-TEMPERATURE CELLS WITH SOLID ELECTROLYTES

The sodium-nickel chloride battery (the ZEBRA cell), and the sodium-su lfur cell, contain beta''-alumina as solid electrolyte. When the cells are charged or discharged; heat is absorbed or released; some of the heat comes from dissipative effects such as joule heating and electrod e irreversibility, and some from the reversible reactions at the elect rodes. If the rates of heat production in the anode and cathode compar tments of the cells are different, thermal stresses could be set up in the electrolyte. In this paper we apply irreversible thermodynamics t o quantify these effects.