Wireless sensors are increasingly found in remote locations or hard-to-access sites where hardwiring to an AC power source is either impossible or not cost effective. These applications include automatic meter reading (AMR), system control and data acquisition (SCADA), data loggers, measurement while drilling, oceanographic measurement and emergency/safety equipment, and other remote sensing devices.

When a self-contained power supply is required, design engineers must choose the primary battery that best suits their unique power and performance requirements. Of all available battery chemistries, lithium is preferred for remote sensors due its intrinsic negative potential, which exceeds that of all other metals. Lithium is the lightest non-gaseous metal, and offers the highest specific energy (energy per unit weight) and energy density (energy per unit volume) of all available battery chemistries. Tadiran lithium batteries also use a non-aqueous electrolyte, and the absence of water also allows these batteries to operate in extreme temperatures ranging from -55°C to 125°C.

When extremely long battery life, extended temperature range, and reduced battery size and weight are important considerations, Tadiran lithium thionyl chloride batteries are the ideal choice due to their high energy density (1420 Wh/I), their high capacity, their ability to withstand extreme temperatures (-55°C to 125°C), and their extremely long service life of 20+ years, which results from very low self-discharge.

Remote sensors often require high current pulses in order to collect data and to communicate information via satellite, cell phone or the Internet. To extend battery life, these devices typically operate in three modes: sleep or standby, where power consumption is nil or a low background current; a measurement or interrogation mode, where the unit requires a few hundred milliamps of energy; and a transmission mode, which may require high current pulses for a short period of time before returning to an energy-saving sleep or standby status.

In addition to standard bobbin-type Li/SOCL2 cells, Tadiran manufactures PulsesPlus batteries for high current pulse applications. PulsesPlus batteries combine a bobbin-type primary cell with a high rate, low impedance hybrid layer capacitor (HLC) to deliver extremely high current pulses with an excellent safety margin.

Please contact us about your remote wireless sensor application, and we will recommend a battery that delivers years of trouble-free battery performance.

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