Battery balancing and battery redistribution refer to techniques that improve the available capacity of a battery pack with multiple cells (usually in series) and increase each cell's longevity. [1] A battery balancer or battery regulator is an electrical device in a battery pack that performs battery balancing. [2] Balancers are often found in lithium-ion battery packs for laptop computers, electrical vehicles. etc.
The individual cells in a battery pack naturally have somewhat different capacities, and so, over the course of charge and discharge cycles, may be at a different state of charge (SOC). Variations in capacity are due to manufacturing variances, assembly variances (e.g., cells from one production run mixed with others), cell aging, impurities, or environmental exposure (e.g., some cells may be subject to additional heat from nearby sources like motors, electronics, etc.), and can be exacerbated by the cumulative effect of parasitic loads, such as the cell monitoring circuitry often found in a battery management system (BMS).
Balancing a multi-cell pack helps to maximize capacity and service life of the pack by working to maintain equivalent state-of-charge of every cell, to the degree possible given their different capacities, over the widest possible range. Balancing is only necessary for packs that contain more than one cell in series. Parallel cells will naturally balance since they are directly connected to each other, but groups of parallel wired cells, wired in series (parallel-series wiring) must be balanced between cell groups.
 | This section needs additional citations for verification .(February 2024) |
To ensure safe operation and prevent hazardous conditions, the Battery Management System (BMS) continuously tracks critical parameters like temperature and voltage at the individual cell level, detecting any potential deviations that could lead to failure. While current is typically monitored at the pack level to optimize performance, the BMS may include one-shot protection mechanisms at the cell level to rapidly disconnect cells in case of an abnormally high current, such as during a short circuit or other fault conditions.
Under normal operation, discharging must stop when any cell first runs out of charge even though other cells may still hold significant charge. Likewise, charging must stop when any cell reaches its maximum safe charging voltage. Failure to do either may cause permanent damage to the cells, or in extreme cases, may drive cells into reverse polarity, cause internal gassing, thermal runaway, or other catastrophic failures. If the cells are not balanced, such that the high and low cutoff are at least aligned with the state of the lowest capacity cell, the energy that can be taken from and returned to the battery will be limited.
Because lithium chemistries often permit flexible membrane structures, lithium cells can be deployed in flexible though sealed bags, which permits higher packing densities within a battery pack. When a lithium cell is mistreated, some of the breakdown products (usually of electrolyte chemicals or additives) outgas. Such cells will become 'puffy' and are very much on the way to failure. In sealed lithium-ion cylindrical-format batteries, the same outgassing has caused rather large pressures (800+ psi has been reported[ citation needed ]); such cells can explode if not provided with a pressure relief mechanism. Compounding the danger is that many lithium cell chemistries include hydrocarbon chemicals[ citation needed ] (the exact nature of which is typically proprietary), and these are flammable. Therefore, in addition to the risk of cell mistreatment potentially causing an explosion, a simple non-explosive leak can cause a fire.
Most battery chemistries have less dramatic, and less dangerous, failure modes. The chemicals in most batteries are often toxic to some degree, but are rarely explosive or flammable[ citation needed ]; many are corrosive, which accounts for advice to avoid leaving batteries inside equipment for long periods as the batteries may leak and damage the equipment. Lead acid batteries are an exception, for charging them generates hydrogen gas, which can explode if exposed to an ignition source (e.g., a lit cigarette ) and such an explosion will spray sulfuric acid in all directions. Since this is corrosive and potentially blinding, this is a particular danger.
Balancing can be active or passive. [3] The term battery regulator typically refers only to devices that perform passive balancing.
A full BMS might include active balancing as well as temperature monitoring, charging, and other features to maximize the life of a battery pack. [4]
Battery balancing can be performed by DC-DC converters, in one of three topologies:
Typically, the power handled by each DC-DC converter is a few orders of magnitude lower than the power handled by the battery pack as a whole.
In passive balancing, energy is drawn from the most charged cell and dissipated as heat, usually through resistors.
Passive balancing equalizes the state of charge at some fixed point—usually either "top balanced", with all cells reaching 100% SOC at the same time; or "bottom balanced", with all cells reaching minimum SOC at the same time. This can be accomplished by bleeding energy from the cells with higher state of charge (e.g., a controlled short through a resistor or transistor), or shunting energy through a path in parallel with a cell during the charge cycle so that less of the (typically regulated constant) current is consumed by the cell. Passive balancing is inherently wasteful, with some of the pack's energy spent as heat for the sake of equalizing the state of charge between cells. The build-up of waste heat may also limit the rate at which balancing can occur.
In active balancing, energy is drawn from the most charged cell and transferred to the least charged cells, usually through capacitor-based, inductor-based, or DC-DC converters. [5]
Active balancing attempts to redistribute energy from cells at full charge to those with a lower state of charge. Energy can be bled from a cell at higher SOC by switching a reservoir capacitor in-circuit with the cell, then disconnecting the capacitor and reconnecting it to a cell with lower SOC, or through a DC-to-DC converter connected across the entire pack. Due to inefficiencies, some energy is still wasted as heat, but not to the same degree. Despite the obvious advantages, the additional cost and complexity of an active balancing topology can be substantial, and doesn't always make sense depending on the application.
Another variant sometimes used on electric bicycle battery packs uses a multi pin connector with a resistor and diode in series on each node: as the drops are known the charger then applies either a suitable discharge current or charges the weak cells until they all read the same loaded terminal voltage. This has the advantage of reducing pack weight slightly and lowering parasitic draw, as well as permitting multi-point balancing.
An uninterruptible power supply (UPS) or uninterruptible power source is a type of continual power system that provides automated backup electric power to a load when the input power source or mains power fails. A UPS differs from a traditional auxiliary/emergency power system or standby generator in that it will provide near-instantaneous protection from input power interruptions by switching to energy stored in battery packs, supercapacitors or flywheels. The on-battery run-times of most UPSs are relatively short but sufficient to "buy time" for initiating a standby power source or properly shutting down the protected equipment. Almost all UPSs also contain integrated surge protection to shield the output appliances from voltage spikes.
A lithium-ion or Li-ion battery is a type of rechargeable battery that uses the reversible intercalation of Li+ ions into electronically conducting solids to store energy. In comparison with other commercial rechargeable batteries, Li-ion batteries are characterized by higher specific energy, higher energy density, higher energy efficiency, a longer cycle life, and a longer calendar life. Also noteworthy is a dramatic improvement in lithium-ion battery properties after their market introduction in 1991: over the following 30 years, their volumetric energy density increased threefold while their cost dropped tenfold. In late 2024 global demand passed 1 Terawatt-hour per year, while production capacity was more than twice that.
A rechargeable battery, storage battery, or secondary cell, is a type of electrical battery which can be charged, discharged into a load, and recharged many times, as opposed to a disposable or primary battery, which is supplied fully charged and discarded after use. It is composed of one or more electrochemical cells. The term "accumulator" is used as it accumulates and stores energy through a reversible electrochemical reaction. Rechargeable batteries are produced in many different shapes and sizes, ranging from button cells to megawatt systems connected to stabilize an electrical distribution network. Several different combinations of electrode materials and electrolytes are used, including lead–acid, zinc–air, nickel–cadmium (NiCd), nickel–metal hydride (NiMH), lithium-ion (Li-ion), lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4), and lithium-ion polymer.
A power supply is an electrical device that supplies electric power to an electrical load. The main purpose of a power supply is to convert electric current from a source to the correct voltage, current, and frequency to power the load. As a result, power supplies are sometimes referred to as electric power converters. Some power supplies are separate standalone pieces of equipment, while others are built into the load appliances that they power. Examples of the latter include power supplies found in desktop computers and consumer electronics devices. Other functions that power supplies may perform include limiting the current drawn by the load to safe levels, shutting off the current in the event of an electrical fault, power conditioning to prevent electronic noise or voltage surges on the input from reaching the load, power-factor correction, and storing energy so it can continue to power the load in the event of a temporary interruption in the source power.
A switched-mode power supply (SMPS), also called switching-mode power supply, switch-mode power supply, switched power supply, or simply switcher, is an electronic power supply that incorporates a switching regulator to convert electrical power efficiently.
A DC-to-DC converter is an electronic circuit or electromechanical device that converts a source of direct current (DC) from one voltage level to another. It is a type of electric power converter. Power levels range from very low to very high.
An electronic component is any basic discrete electronic device or physical entity part of an electronic system used to affect electrons or their associated fields. Electronic components are mostly industrial products, available in a singular form and are not to be confused with electrical elements, which are conceptual abstractions representing idealized electronic components and elements. A datasheet for an electronic component is a technical document that provides detailed information about the component's specifications, characteristics, and performance. Discrete circuits are made of individual electronic components that only perform one function each as packaged, which are known as discrete components, although strictly the term discrete component refers to such a component with semiconductor material such as individual transistors.
A battery pack is a set of any number of (preferably) identical batteries or individual battery cells. They may be configured in a series, parallel or a mixture of both to deliver the desired voltage and current. The term battery pack is often used in reference to cordless tools, radio-controlled hobby toys, and battery electric vehicles.
A charge pump is a kind of DC-to-DC converter that uses capacitors for energetic charge storage to raise or lower voltage. Charge-pump circuits are capable of high efficiencies, sometimes as high as 90–95%, while being electrically simple circuits.
A battery charger, recharger, or simply charger, is a device that stores energy in an electric battery by running current through it. The charging protocol—how much voltage, amperes, current, for how long and what to do when charging is complete—depends on the size and type of the battery being charged. Some battery types have high tolerance for overcharging after the battery has been fully charged and can be recharged by connection to a constant voltage source or a constant current source, depending on battery type.
The single-ended primary-inductor converter (SEPIC) is a type of DC/DC converter that allows the electrical potential (voltage) at its output to be greater than, less than, or equal to that at its input. The output of the SEPIC is controlled by the duty cycle of the electronic switch (S1).
The lithium iron phosphate battery or LFP battery is a type of lithium-ion battery using lithium iron phosphate as the cathode material, and a graphitic carbon electrode with a metallic backing as the anode. Because of their low cost, high safety, low toxicity, long cycle life and other factors, LFP batteries are finding a number of roles in vehicle use, utility-scale stationary applications, and backup power. LFP batteries are cobalt-free. As of September 2022, LFP type battery market share for EVs reached 31%, and of that, 68% were from EV makers Tesla and BYD alone. Chinese manufacturers currently hold a near monopoly of LFP battery type production. With patents having started to expire in 2022 and the increased demand for cheaper EV batteries, LFP type production is expected to rise further and surpass lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxides (NMC) type batteries in 2028.
State of charge (SoC) quantifies the remaining capacity available in a battery at a given time and in relation to a given state of ageing. It is usually expressed as percentage. An alternative form of the same measure is the depth of discharge (DoD), calculated as 1 − SoC. It refers to the amount of charge that may be used up if the cell is fully discharged. State of charge is normally used when discussing the current state of a battery in use, while depth of discharge is most often used to discuss a constant variation of state of charge during repeated cycles.
An electric vehicle battery is a rechargeable battery used to power the electric motors of a battery electric vehicle (BEV) or hybrid electric vehicle (HEV).
A battery management system (BMS) is any electronic system that manages a rechargeable battery by facilitating the safe usage and a long life of the battery in practical scenarios while monitoring and estimating its various states, calculating secondary data, reporting that data, controlling its environment, authenticating or balancing it.
Capacitors have many uses in electronic and electrical systems. They are so ubiquitous that it is rare that an electrical product does not include at least one for some purpose. Capacitors allow only AC signals to pass when they are charged blocking DC signals. The main components of filters are capacitors. Capacitors have the ability to connect one circuit segment to another. Capacitors are used by Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM) devices to represent binary information as bits.
Passivity is a property of engineering systems, most commonly encountered in analog electronics and control systems. Typically, analog designers use passivity to refer to incrementally passive components and systems, which are incapable of power gain. In contrast, control systems engineers will use passivity to refer to thermodynamically passive ones, which consume, but do not produce, energy. As such, without context or a qualifier, the term passive is ambiguous.
A supercapacitor (SC), also called an ultracapacitor, is a high-capacity capacitor, with a capacitance value much higher than solid-state capacitors but with lower voltage limits. It bridges the gap between electrolytic capacitors and rechargeable batteries. It typically stores 10 to 100 times more energy per unit volume or mass than electrolytic capacitors, can accept and deliver charge much faster than batteries, and tolerates many more charge and discharge cycles than rechargeable batteries.
A High capacity oceanographic lithium battery pack is a type of battery pack used by oceanographers. Physical Oceanographers use high capacity lithium battery packs for long term deployments to extend the duration of the deployments and gather more data. Oceanographers often work in far away sites that are difficult to get to. The cost of getting to these remote sites, often by ship, can dominate the cost of an investigation. This motivates oceanographers to extend the duration of their deployments so that they can visit them less often. This means, among other things, increasing the capacity of their battery packs.
The equivalent circuit model (ECM) is a common lumped-element model for Lithium-ion battery cells. The ECM simulates the terminal voltage dynamics of a Li-ion cell through an equivalent electrical network composed passive elements, such as resistors and capacitors, and a voltage generator. The ECM is widely employed in several application fields, including computerized simulation, because of its simplicity, its low computational demand, its ease of characterization, and its structural flexibility. These features make the ECM suitable for real-time Battery Management System (BMS) tasks like state of charge (SoC) estimation, State of Health (SoH) monitoring and battery thermal management.
| Authority control databases: National |
|---|
