Preliminary Conference Sessions

Powering the Next Generation of Consumer Mobile Devices
The mobile technology industry constantly introduces devices boasting new features based on power-hungry components packaged in tighter enclosures, but battery chemistries are still wrought with degradation issues affecting battery life, durability and safety. As such, they are a stumbling block for designers. Consumers demand thinner designs, but designers are limited by current batteries’ sizes and poor thermal properties. Next-generation mobile devices must be powered by a new generation of batteries. This presentation will address emerging battery technology that can expand design possibilities for OEMs and offer increased durability and safety, allowing consumers to work and play efficiently.
Dan Friel, Director of Systems Engineering • Leyden Energy

Connecting Batteries in Parallel: Unexpected Effects and Solutions
In the days of lead acid we got away with connecting batteries in parallel without a second thought. However, doing so with today’s large Li-Ion battery packs can have unforeseen and counter-intuitive consequences: extreme and potentially damaging inrush currents; scrambled SOC estimates; decreased reliability instead of redundancy. We’ll look at the instant of initial contact between parallel batteries; at the surprising effect of a weak cell in one of many parallel strings. We’ll explore the advantages of paralleling cells directly; a BMS that tracks SOC as hot-swap batteries are inserted and removed; safe ways to initially connect batteries in parallel.
Davide Andrea, Engineer • Elithion

Integrated Automation Considerations in Battery Manufacturing
When designing a new battery cell manufacturing plant there are many questions to ponder. How can I evaluate my supply capacity against current and future market demand? What do I need to do to increase safety while decreasing defects? How can I minimize my costs while increasing productivity? Unfortunately, many manufacturing plants overlook a major factor that affects all of these questions: integrated automation systems. This presentation illustrates the benefits and demonstrates thoughtful solutions to the questions posed above. Integrated automation systems can provide complete, seamless transparency from the machine level (drives, switches) to control systems (PLCs, HMI) to complete real time factory status (SCADA, MES, ERP systems). Integrated automation systems leverage open communication protocols and robust safety solutions at each of these three levels. Whether you produce batteries, design battery manufacturing equipment, or oversee operations for your business, this presentation will give important business and technology factors to consider in battery cell manufacturing.
James Jackson, Battery Business Developer, N.A • Siemens Industry Automation Division

Communication Errors Caused by Ground Return Potentials
Monitoring Battery status is integral to battery control systems. SMBus protocol used as the communication channel has multiple drivers/receivers trying to control the bus; ideally all ICs have the same ground reference. Two common design practices that could cause communication errors (battery discharging) or shutdown (battery charging) are sensing battery current with a resistor and locating battery charger far from battery. Both create ground potentials between battery ICs and system ICs, which if too large cause missed bits or substrate currents. Learn the results of an investigation into errors caused by these phenomena, and corrective actions to eliminate them.
Michael  Barlage • Philips Healthcare

Nanofiber/Microfiber Li-Ion Battery Separators for Higher Power and Faster Recharge
Current stretched porous film battery separators for Li-Ion batteries are thin, strong and provide a good barrier between electrodes, at the cost of having very high internal resistance and low ionic flow due to low porosity (generally <40 percent) and high “dead space” that come from starting with a solid material and trying to impart porosity. This work uses an alternative approach, where linear nanofibers and microfibers are combined in wet laid nonwoven processes to give separators that are strong and thin, but have higher porosity (60 percent to 70 percent) and so have much higher ionic flow. Batteries made with these separators have shown 25 percent increase in energy density, 300 percent higher power and 4 times the recharge rate of similar batteries made with incumbent film materials.
Dr. Brian Morin, CEO • Dreamweaver International, Inc.

Using Thermodynamic Foundations for Simulation and Prediction of Battery Aging Across Diverse and Arbitrary Usage Conditions 
There is inadequate knowledge regarding long-term aging processes in batteries envisioned for electric drive vehicles (EDVs), particularly in cases of high variability in both usage patterns and environmental conditions. Variable usage conditions relate to variable aging rates for the individual and aggregate degradation mechanisms. Reaction kinetics and thermodynamics collectively govern the extent and rate of degradation reactions that affect electrochemical cells and all reactive chemical systems.  A robust framework for life-modeling is needed to keep pace with ever-evolving development of advanced EDV materials and battery platforms.  To address this need, this work covers theoretical and mathematical developments for evaluating the effects from an arbitrary aging condition that is allowed to vary over time.  The capability is demonstrated with lithium-ion cells, wherein prognostic tools are used to assess long-term (10 yr) aging trends for cells at use in a number of major US cities, as well as to evaluate the benefit of thermal management scenarios to prolong cell life.
Kevin L. Gering, Ph.D., Technical Program Manager, Diagnostic Testing and Applied Battery Research • Idaho National Laboratory

Key Elements to Assure a Well-Developed Performance Verification and Compliance Plan for Your Battery Powered Device
Throughout the development cycle of battery powered devices there are concerns about how the battery will perform with the host device.  Battery powered products and batteries are subject to customer, international and regional regulatory requirements.  Some of these can vary based on how and where the product is shipped or even which industry the product is used in.  Having a well-developed performance verification and compliance plan at the beginning of the development cycle can help to mitigate these issues.  Focus will be considerations for developing and implementing a plan while integrating it into the culture and processes of your business.
Cindy Millsaps, CEO and President • Energy Assurance LLC

Battery Testset Design: Testset Design for Monitoring and Testing a Lithium-Ion Space Battery
Hear the approach to designing a test system to support the safe testing and functional verification of a space-level Li-Ion battery system.  The test system is a multi-fault tolerant design that can monitor the battery system and notify personal automatically in the event of an abnormal or undesired event through the use of multiple protocols to maintain safety in the event of part failures.  Testing of the battery system and usage of the testset software is described in detail with consideration for safety and automation.
Keith Newlander, Battery Engineer • Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (JHU/APL)
Tony Parker, Battery Engineer • Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (JHU/APL)
Cristina Vigil, Battery Engineer • Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (JHU/APL)

A New Very High-Energy, Low-Cost Lithium-Ion Battery
California Lithium Battery (CalBattery) is commercializing a high-energy long life-cycle large-format Li-Ion Battery (LIB) that will reduce battery life-cycle costs by an estimated 60 percent, in doing so, will transform the way power is generated, stored and used.  This near-term disruptive battery technology will have a significant impact on EV costs and the wide-scale use of intermittent renewables.  CalBattery plans to have a pre-production LIB with a cathode specific capacity of more than 500 Wh/Kg and an anode specific capacity of more than 1,100 mAh/gm, safely providing more power and 3 time the cycle life of any commercial lithium battery made today ready for production in 2014.
Phillip Roberts, CEO and Founder • California Lithium Battery

Advanced Battery Charger System Considerations for Portable Devices
With continuous growth of portable devices such as Tablets and Ultrabooks, battery charging becomes more challenging in terms of safety, fast battery charging and battery operating system performance. Advanced battery charging topologies will be presented for achieving system operation while charging a deeply discharged battery. Various dynamic power path management techniques will be also discussed for achieving fastest load transient response to avoid system crash while keeping minimum size of an AC adapter. Fast charging technique and extending the battery run time become one of the most important design considerations. We will talk about how to reduce the battery charge time with impedance compensation and how to design a high efficiency battery charging and discharging system.
Jinrong Qian, Product Line Manager • Texas Instruments
Richard Stair • Texas Instruments

Calorimetry’s Role in the Design of High Performance Lithium Ion Batteries
Calorimetry plays a useful role throughout the development process.  Thermal analysis along with calorimetry is used in the design and qualification of materials used in the construction of a cell.  Coin cell sized samples can be used to investigate potential issues be in material compatibility.  Larger cells (i.e., 18650) can be tested using adiabatic calorimetry to study how chemistry change the decomposition path of cells and to make them inherently safer.  For both the small and very large cells and packs, isothermal calorimetry can provide information that can be used in thermal management, lifetime studies, and cell performance.  Understanding the strengths and weakness of the different techniques is key for correct application of these methods in the development and testing process.
Peter Ralbovsky, Calorimetry Sales and Application Support • NETZSCH Instruments North America, LLC

Charging Stations: Global Certification and Standards
For automakers and electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) manufacturers, as well as residential and commercial buyers of EVSE, understanding certification requirements and standards for charging stations and battery chargers is key to developing industry growth. The success of the electric vehicle market is contingent upon a supportive infrastructure to address range anxiety, plus broad consumer investment and further progression. Learn the current state of the standards and certification requirements for EVSE. The presentation will include the North American Safety Listing and European CE Marking requirements for EVSE, including certification of DC Quick Charge battery chargers. 
Rich Byczek, Technical Lead, Electric Vehicle and Energy Storage • Intertek

Methods for Good Material Selection and Battery Lifetime Improvement
The battery industry has made significant advances in recent years to improve the performance and lifetime of today’s batteries. In this talk, we will discuss analytical methods that allow good material selection during battery manufacturing. One important consideration is controlling the composition and impurity level from one material supplier to another, or even from batch to batch from the same supplier. Battery lifetime degradation is known to be caused by the continuous growth of an SEI film on the surface of electrode particles. Characterizing this layer allows a better understanding of electrochemical processes and results in improved battery design. Hear the technical challenges associated with analyzing this critical film.
Sanjay Patel, Ph.D, Director of Analytical Services • Evans Analytical Group

Battery Solutions for Medical Equipment
As the world of consumer electronics change, doctors, nurses and patients expect medical devices to be more mobile and portable, too. Medical devices such as ventilators and  patient monitors that have traditionally been powered by heavy lead acid batteries or simple NiMH batteries are migrating to Li-Ion in order to benefit from the energy density and other features this technology provides. Electrochem Solutions, Inc. will outline the options available to medical device manufacturers in Li-Ion battery technologies. This session will also present innovations in charging technology relevant to the medical industry such as inductive/wireless charging and ensuring timely compliance with 3rd edition of IEC 6060-1 (safety standard for Medical Electrical Equipment). Through the use of examples and case studies, Micro Power Electronics will provide the know-how to implement a battery solution that will enable differentiation in this increasingly competitive market.
Robin Tichy Ph.D., Product Manager • Electrochem Solutions, Inc.

Challenges and Prospects for High-Voltage Li-Ion Cells
Hear an overview of 5V-class Li-Ion cathode materials and their impact on electrode, electrolyte and cell design. These cathode materials offer several advantages to power systems including fewer cells needed to reach target voltages along with high specific energy and power, but these materials typically suffer from poor stability and cycle life. This presentation will discuss the issues that must be overcome with various high-voltage cathode materials, approaches used to address these challenges, and ADA’s recent development of 5V-class Li-Ion cells with exceptional cycle life and rate capability.
Joshua Buettner-Garrett, Senior Research Scientist • ADA Technologies, Inc.

Energy Storage Systems for Electric Grid Applications
Due to infrastructure, policy and market dynamics, electric utilities and independent power producers are continuing to test and deploy energy storage systems. This presentation examines key policy developments, market perspectives and Li-Ion battery energy storage systems.
Kevin Fok, Sales Manager • LG Chem Power, Inc.

An Application Centric, Targeted Approach to Li-Ion Battery Product Development
As military and consumer energy requirements escalate, effective material/performance matching is vital to meet market demands. Commercial Li-Ion batteries (LIB) are typically limited to a handful of anode/cathode material combinations that satisfy mass market needs. Where high power, high specific energy and/or wide temperature range are essential, these applications can benefit from a more targeted material system. Global research and development efforts for the past two decades have identified dozens of anode/cathode materials for LIB which must be utilized for an application centric targeted approach to product development.  This presentation will highlight potential technologies/application combinations for a wide variety of military and consumer needs.
Michael Krysiak, Research Scientist – Energy Storage • ADA Technologies, Inc.

Li-Ion Battery Failure Analysis: Processes, Dos and Don’ts
There have been consumer product failures involving Li-Ion batteries. As an industry, we know more technical details and reasoning about consumer product failures involving Li-Ion batteries every day.  In order to reduce the risk associated with the failures of Li-Ion batteries and keep learning, it is necessary to follow a methodical approach for each failure. This presentation highlights a methodical failure analysis process which could enable the industry to learn more from each failure event.  It also highlights typical Dos and Don’ts when it comes to failures involving Li-Ion batteries.
Snehal Dalal, Ph. D., Managing Engineer, Electrical Practice • Exponent Failure Analysis Associates

Internal Short-Circuit Test Method Development for Lithium-Ion Batteries
Thermal runaway caused by internal short circuit (ISC) in lithium-ion cells during usage is a very challenging and critical safety topic that has been investigated by battery researchers for years.  Clearly, a test method that can induce an ISC in a simple manner indicative of field failures would be very valuable tool in improving safety standards for such energetic energy storage devices.  This research will describe some of the main criteria that a simulated ISC test method would need to satisfy and then, using the 18650 type Li-Ion cells, compare and contrast a variety of ISC tests.  Finally, we make a case for one of these tests, an Indentation-Induced ISC (IIISC) test as the most suitable test method for simulating ISC in lithium-ion cells by demonstrating its ability to differentiate the performance of 18650 cells with different safety features.
Alvin Wu, Corporate Research • Underwriters Laboratories Taiwan Co., Ltd.
Mahmood Tabaddor, Ph.D., Corporate Research • UL LLC

In Search of the Optimal Battery Chemistry for the Micro-Hybrid Vehicle Market
In this presentation, learn the growing need for new advanced battery solutions in the burgeoning micro-hybrid and mild/full hybrid markets. We will start with a broad overview of the existing landscape of traditional chemistries, including lead-acid, nickel-metal hydride and Li-Ion. Discover the benefits, limitations and risks of these incumbent technologies, particularly lead-acid, for micro-hybrid vehicles. We will then take a closer look at some promising technologies on the horizon, such as nickel-zinc, and highlight how innovations in more efficient low cost battery technologies are helping to drive the market for cleaner transportation.
Dan Squiller, CEO • PowerGenix

Using Supercapacitors as Power Buffers for Energy Harvesters and Wireless Sensors
Small wireless sensors are becoming ubiquitous. Applications for sensors include building control, industrial control, security, location tracking & RFID. In many applications, these sensors are being powered by energy harvesters, which eliminates the need, expense and waste management to periodically replace primary batteries. However, the energy harvesting source often cannot deliver the power required to collect and transmit data. A secondary battery or supercapacitor is used to deliver this power. This presentation will explain how to use a supercapacitor as a power buffer and the supercapacitor properties a designer should be aware of. These include ESR and capacitance variation with temperature, aging characteristics, leakage current, charge current, self discharge and cell balancing.
Pierre Mars, Vice President of Quality and Applications Engineering • CAP-XX Ltd.

Cleaner Manganese to Improve the Safety and Efficiency of Li-Ion Batteries
Kemetco Research, Inc. is currently undergoing research for the production of high purity lithium manganese dioxide, which will be used in the application of superior lithium ion battery material.  By preparing electrolytic manganese through alternative methods, rather than conventional crushing and roasting, the final product presents fewer impurities in lithium ion batteries leading to increased safety and efficiency and less potential for spontaneous combustion of materials. Hear the research and development into improving current Li-Ion battery technology, the potential for future application and the process of developing high grade electrolytic manganese dioxide through a hydrometallurgical process that is more energy and cost efficient than conventional methods.
Norman Chow, P.Eng, President • Kemetco Research, Inc.

Bio-Battery: A Novel Micropower Source for Portable Electronics
The need for a renewable micropower source is increasingly relevant for today’s mobile and energy intensive applications. CFDRC is designing, developing and demonstrating a Bio-Battery, which is an enzyme catalyzed power source generating energy from biofuels (glucose, cellulose, etc).  The Bio-Battery can power applications for both military needs and civilian needs.  Additionally applications are seen in biomedical devices, where power generation from physiological fluids could lead to improved implantable monitors and drug delivery systems. The technology’s benefits include high energy density, safety, sustainability, renewable biocatalysts, logistically-favorable fuels, neutral pH, and room temperature operation. A mature prototype has been demonstrated.
Sameer Singhal, Director, Biomedical & Energy Technologies • CFD Research Corp.

Smart Energy Storage
Greensmith takes energy storage beyond batteries and power electronics by providing software and control systems to solve complex energy management issues. Discover how to maximize value of energy storage through intelligent control strategies, manage a fleet of energy storage in a grid network, integrate energy storage in context of changing infrastructure and make use of increasing levels of information on the grid. With real world examples of our installations, big data analysis and algorithm development, Greensmith shows how energy storage will maximize the value of the electron.
John Jung, CEO • Greensmith

Cost Structure of Li-Ion Batteries for Electric Vehicles
Li-Ion batteries constitute a substantial portion of overall electric vehicle cost, and remain the major obstacle to low cost vehicles with sufficient electric range. Numerous players ranging from government laboratories to corporate strategists continue to dig deep into the Li-Ion battery, looking for innovations that can unlock lower costs to improve the value proposition for battery-powered vehicles. Here, we will look at the cost structure of Li-Ion batteries today, and the outlook for the future as major manufacturers continue to increase scale with an eye towards a growing electric vehicle market. Furthermore we’ll examine where electrification fits in the automotive market of the future, and how economics and ecosystem affect the outlook for electric vehicles.
Kevin See, Ph.D., Analyst • Lux Research, Inc.

Operational and Regulatory Requirements for Wireless Charging Systems
New advances allow for the use of wireless charging systems replacing existing corded charging technology. As these new products come to the marketplace, regulatory requirements must be address prior to placing these products on the marketplace. The Wireless Power consortium has established a series of standards that address the effective and safe use of these wireless changing systems, as well as the interoperability of devices to be used with other approved devices. The standards address the operational aspects of the wireless transmitters and receivers to insure their intended use. Formal compliance testing must be performed by WPC accredited laboratories. Only after compliance to these standards, can a formal approval, or Qi mark be issued. The testing criteria will be outlined in detail in this presentation as well as a list of requirements and their criteria.
Jack Black, Business Development Manager • DLS Electronic Systems, Inc.
Alex Mishinger, Product Safety Engineer • DLS Conformity Assessment