How to Know End of Batteries Power Life | Battery Technology (I)

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January 22, 2012

How to Know End of Batteries Power Life | Battery Technology (I)

CloudTags: End , Batteries Life , Power , Battery Technology , laptop batteries , Compaq 484170-001 battery uk , Toshiba pa3534u-1brs battery life

A critical concern among battery users is knowing “readiness” or how much energy a battery has at its disposal at any given moment. While installing a fuel gauge on a diesel engine is simple, estimating the energy reserve of a battery is more complex — we still struggle to read state-of-charge (SoC) with reasonable accuracy. Even if SoC were precise, this information alone has limited benefits without knowing the capacity, the storage capability of a battery. Battery readiness, or state-of-function (SoF), must also include internal resistance, or the “size of pipe” for energy delivery. Figure 1 illustrates the bond between capacity and internal resistance on hand of a fluid-filled container that is being eroded as part of aging; the tap symbolizing the energy delivery.

Figure 1: Relationship of CCA and capacity of a starter batteryThe liquid represents capacity, the leading health indicator;
the tap symbolizes energy delivery or CCA. While the
energy delivery remains strong, the capacity diminishes
with age.Courtesy Cadex

Most batteries for critical missions feature a monitoring system, and stationary batteries were one of the first to receive supervision in the form of voltage check of individual cells. Some systems also include cell temperature and current measurement. Knowing the voltage drop of each cell at a given load provides cell resistance. Elevated resistance hints to cell failure caused by plate separation, corrosion and other malfunctions. Battery management systems (BMS) are also used in medical equipment, military devices, as well as the electric vehicle.

Although BMS serves an important role in supervising of batteries, such systems often falls short of expectations and here is why. The BMS device is matched to a new battery and does not adjust well to aging. As the battery gets older, the accuracy goes down and in extreme cases the data becomes meaningless. Most BMS also lack bandwidth in that they only reveal anomalies once the battery performance has dropped to 70 percent. The all-important 70–100 percent operating range is difficult to gauge and the BMS gives the battery a good bill-of-health. This prevents end-of-life prediction in that the operator must wait for the battery to show signs of wear before making a judgment. These shortcomings are not an oversight by the manufacturers, and engineers are trying to overcome them. The problem boils down to technology, or the lack thereof. Over-expectation is common and the user is stunned when stranded with a dead battery. Let’s look how current systems work and examine new technologies.

The most simplistic method to determine end-of-battery-life is by applying a date stamp or observingcycle count. While this may work for military and medical instruments, such a routine is ill suited for commercial applications. A battery with less use has lower wear-and-tear than one in daily operation and to assure reliability of all batteries, the authorities may mandate that all batteries be replaced sooner. A system made to fit all sizes causes good batteries to be discarded too soon, leading to increased operational costs and environment concerns.

Laptops and other portable devices use coulomb counting for SoC readout. The theory goes back 250 years when Charles-Augustin de Coulomb first established the “Coulomb Rule.” Coulomb counting works on the principle of measuring in- and out-flowing current of a battery. If, for example, a battery is charged for one hour at one ampere, the same energy should be available on discharge, but this is not the case. Internal losses and inaccuracies in capturing current flow add to an unwanted tracking error that must be corrected with periodic calibrations.

Calibration occurs naturally when running the equipment down. A full discharge sets the discharge flag,and the subsequent recharge establishes the charge flag (Figure 2). These two markers allow the calculation of state-of-charge by estimating the distance between the flags.

Figure 2:
Discharge and charge flagsCalibration occurs by applying a full charge, discharge and charge. This can be done in the equipment or externally with a battery analyzer as
part of battery maintenance.Courtesy Cadex

Coulomb counting should be self-calibrating, but in real life a battery does not always get a full discharge at a steady current. The discharge may be in form of a sharp pulse that is difficult to capture. The battery may then be partially recharged and be stored at high temperature, causing elevated self-discharge that cannot be tracked. To correct the tracking error, a “smart battery” in use should be calibrated once every three months or after 40 partial discharge cycles. This can be done by a deliberate discharge of the equipment or externally with a battery analyzer. Avoid too many intentional deep discharges as this stresses the battery.

Fifty years ago, the Volkswagen Beetle had few battery problems. The only battery management was ensuring that the battery was being charged while driving. Onboard electronics for safety, convenience, comfort and pleasure have added to the demands of the battery in modern cars. For the accessories to function reliably, the battery state-of-charge must be known at all times. This is especially critical with start-stop technologies, a future requirement in European cars to improve fuel economy.

How to Know End of Batteries Power Life | Battery Technology (II)

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