Heat generation in Li/SOCl2 cells

Short duration, constant current discharges of fresh Li/SOCl2 cells were carried out at 25 and 45 C in a calorimeter with the concurrent monitoring of the cell overvoltage and the heat evolution from the cells. At discharge currents between 20 and 200 mA the cells generated about three times as much heat at 25 C and twice as much heat at 45 C as could be calculated from the cell current and the cell overvoltage at the two temperatures. The heat evolution persisted for a considerable length of time beyond the cessation of the discharge. The results provide evidence for the occurrence of significant chemical reactions in Li/SOCl2 cells.