Sodium-sulphur battery, more particularly for electrical drive

Claim 1

A battery comprising: a plurality of cells; each cell comprising: a cathode tank containing a cathode reagent which is liquid at operating temperature and is chosen from the group formed by the elements of sulphur, phosphorous, selenium, and alkyline salts of those elements, a solid electrolyte tube partially immersed in the cathode reagent; said tube being closed at its lower end and open at its upper end and containing a sodium anode reagent which is liquid at the operating temperature, the wall of the tube being made of alkaline beta alumina, a ceramic insulating support supporting the electrolyte tube in the cathode tank, and a glass seal between the support and the tube, an anode tank containing a supply of the anode reagent and mounted above the cathode tank, so that the upper end of the electrolyte tube opens into the anode tank, said support separating the open ends of the anode and cathode tanks; means connecting sets of p cells of said plurality of cells in parallel and comprising: a first conductive plate connected to the anode tank tops of each set of p cells, and a second conductive plate connected to the cathode tank bottoms of each set of p cells so that the cells in each set are separated from each other by a common space, each of said first and second plates containing an aperture in communication with said common space; and a conductive strap joining each first plate with the second plate of an adjacent set of p cells so that the sets of cells are connected electrically in series to form a group of series connected sets of cells, said strap being substantially perpendicular to the first and second plates of adjacent cells.