SENSIBAT - Integrating Sensing Capabilities for State Estimation and Performance Assessment in Li-ion Pouch Cells

Bernd Eschelmüller1, Gregor Glanz1, Katja Fröhlich1, Marcus Jahn1
1 Battery Technologies, AIT Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH, Vienna, Austria
As part of the BATTERY 2030+ research initiative, the project SENSIBAT (Cell-integrated SENSIng functionalities for smart BATtery systems with improved performance and safety) focuses on developing smart sensing functionalities, novel battery management system strategies, and state determining algorithms considering economic and environmental aspects. With the help of these sensors, integrated in Li-ion pouch cells, a better understanding of the battery behavior during its operation is gained.
A profound knowledge about the actual cell conditions (SoC, SoH) during cycling can be used for a better prediction of the cell behavior. Indicators for degradation processes and failure mechanisms can be determined and enable a more accurate control of the cells in a battery pack, leading to improved BMS state estimation functions apart from an estimation based on the electrical dipole behavior. That way, a significant increase in safety, lifetime and quality is achieved. The introduction of sensors into pouch cells is currently not done at industrial scale because several problems can arise within the process. One of them is incompatibilities during integration of the sensors during the pouch cell assembly. Especially at the sensor feedthrough, it needs to be ensured that electrolyte leakage is avoided, and air tightness of the pouch cell is given. Additionally, chemical reactions between the sensor and cell components, which can cause side reactions and unwanted by-products, should be avoided, as this can negatively influence the performance of the cell [1, 2, 3].
The research focus of the SENSIBAT project is on the use of potential, temperature, and pressure sensors to determine the State of Health (SoH) and State of Charge (SoC) of lithium-ion batteries. By integrating these sensing capabilities, the project developed accurate and reliable methods for assessing the health and performance of the cells, enabling proactive battery management strategies, and facilitating the optimization of battery utilization and lifetime. In addition to that, a profound recyclability and cost benefit assessment was also done within the project. With these approximations the holistic approach of implementing sensor units into LIBs and its advantages at industrial scale could be proven.
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under Grant Agreement no. 957273.
REFERENCES
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[2] Valentin Sulzer, Peyman Mohtat, Antti Aitio, Suhak Lee, Yen T. Yeh, Frank Steinbacher, Muhammad Umer Khan, Jang Woo Lee, Jason B. Siegel, Anna G. Stefanopoulou, David A. Howey; “The challenge and opportunity of battery lifetime prediction from field data”, 2021 Elsevier Inc. Joule 5, 1934–1955
[3] Lukas Marthaler, Piotr Grudzien, Maarten Buysse, Marcos Ierides, Amy McCready, „KEY TECHNICAL, POLICY AND MARKET DEVELOPMENTS INFLUENCING THE ELECTRIC VEHICLE BATTERY LANDSCAPE”, 2022 Cobra, Grant Agreement 875568, Market Intelligence Report