Abstract: The object of the present invention is to provide a sodium-sulfur battery suitable for use in an electric power storage system and an electric vehicle, wherein said battery permits reconciling improvement in battery efficiency with enlargement in battery capacity.

Abstract: There are provided a sodium-sulfur battery system suitable for shifting the peak of an electric power line, and a method of operating the sodium-sulfur battery system and an electric power line system using the sodium-sulfur battery system. In a sodium-sulfur battery system comprising a battery module having a sodium-sulfur battery contained in a thermal insulation container, an amount of peak-shift of an electric power line, which can be performed by the battery module, is calculated using a daily load characteristic of the electric power line and a discharge characteristic of the battery module, and an allowable amount of heat generation in battery and an allowable amount of discharge, and discharge of the battery module is controlled using the calculated result.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a system and method for providing information on secondary batteries for power storage to an electric power consumer in order to determine whether or not a secondary battery should be installed. A communication terminal (Internet terminal) sends to a consumer information including inquiries on electric power used by the consumer, and/or inquiries on limitations of an area and a height of a site usable for installation of a secondary battery at the location of the electric power consumer.

Abstract: A highly reliable sodium-sulfur battery includes a cell container for the positive electrode which is hardly deteriorated by corrosion. The cell container for the positive electrode is assembled by integrating plural members made of a high corrosion resistant alloy containing Cr, or a Co base alloy containing Cr, Ni and Mo, wherein carbide containing at least one of Cr, W and Mo is precipitated, and a readily deformable portion is provided to the cell container for the positive electrode, whereby reliability of the sodium-sulfur battery can be significantly improved.

Abstract: An electric power system effective for load leveling includes an electric power meter which measures the power that is charged from a generating facility into an electric power storing secondary battery via ac/dc converters, and also measures the discharged power that is supplied from the electric power storing secondary battery to a load via the ac/dc converters. A processing unit is provided which calculates a difference of an electric power fee from the quantity of charged power and quantity of discharged power measured by the electric power meter and respective unit prices of electric power, and then calculates the price for using the electric power storing secondary battery based on the electric power fee. The processing unit may be installed either on a manufacturer/lender's side or on an electric power consumer's side.

Abstract: A highly reliable sodium-sulfur battery includes a cell container for the positive electrode which is hardly deteriorated by corrosion. The cell container for the positive electrode is made of a Co base alloy containing Cr, Ni, and Mo, wherein carbide containing at least one of Cr, W, and Mo is precipitated, or the cell container for positive electrode is assembled by integrating plural members made of a high corrosion resistance alloy containing Cr by welding, and a readily deformable portion is provided to the cell container for positive electrode, whereby the reliability of the sodium-sulfur battery can be significantly improved.

Abstract: The present invention provides an apparatus for handling core constituent elements of a reactor that comprises a core having as core constituent elements control rod assemblies each containing a control rod and fuel assemblies each containing nuclear fuel, a small rotating plug rotatably provided on the core, and a control rod drive mechanism provided on the small rotating plug, the control rod drive mechanism being characterized by comprising a plurality of grippers each having a hook projecting inwards so as to be able to engage with a handling head of the control rod and a hook projecting outwards so as to be able to engage with a handling head of each of the core constituent elements as a distance in the longitudinal direction; an operational head for opening and closing the grippers; and a third elevating drive mechanism for vertically driving the operational head; a second elevating frame for supporting the third elevating drive mechanism and the grippers; a second elevating drive mechanism for vertical