eNewsletter

September 2009

MEGTEC Develops Proprietary Systems for Recovery and Purification of NMP from Lithium Ion Battery Manufacturing Operations
MEGTEC Systems, Inc. has developed proprietary systems for high efficiency removal, recovery and purification of N-Methylpyrrolidone (NMP) from coating line exhaust air streams in the lithium ion battery manufacturing process.  The systems provide regulatory compliance to EPA emission standards.

Following the recovery of NMP from the dryer exhaust stream, MEGTEC also provides equipment for the dehydration and purification of NMP to ultra pure/electronic grade specifications to allow reuse in the manufacturing process.  All systems can be pre-assembled on skids for ease of equipment installation.

For companies who are involved in the development and testing of lithium ion, lithium sulfur and silver zinc battery coating formulations, MEGTEC Systems offers an easy-to-use laboratory coating line designed for short production runs.  MEGTEC’s lab coating line offers the capability of producing 200 mm wide cathode and anode samples at speeds up to three meters/min.

Dual-/Single-Input Battery Chargers with Battery Detection and Overvoltage-Protected Outputs
Maxim Integrated Products has introduced the MAX8844/MAX8845 28 V, dual-/single-input, linear Li+ battery chargers with battery detection and overvoltage-protected outputs. These devices enhance flexibility by providing resistor-adjustable fast-charge and top-off current thresholds. To further increase flexibility, an autobooting assistant circuit distinguishes input sources and battery connection, and also provides an enable signal for system booting. The MAX8844/MAX8845 are well suited for space-constrained applications such as cell phones and smartphones.

The MAX8844 has two overvoltage-protected LDO outputs for supplying low-voltage-rated USB or charger inputs, while the MAX8845 has a single overvoltage-protected LDO output. This integration eliminates the need for external overvoltage-protection ICs. Both devices integrate a battery-pack detection circuit that disables the charger when the battery pack is absent.

The MAX8844 is packaged in a 3 mm by 3 mm, 14-pin TDFN, while the MAX8845 is available in a 3 mm by 3 mm, 12-pin TQFN package. Prices start at $1.42 (1,000-up, FOB USA). User-friendly evaluation kits are available to speed designs.

Tadiran Introduces Cost-Effective, High Energy TLM Military Grade Lithium Batteries
Tadiran has introduced TLM Military Grade batteries, a family of rugged, high energy lithium metal oxide batteries developed specifically for military and aerospace applications.

TLM Military Grade cylindrical batteries feature an open circuit voltage of 4 V, with a discharge capacity of 500 mAh (20 mA at 2.8V RT), capable of handling 5 A continuous pulses and 15  A maximum high current pulses. These batteries are constructed with a carbon-based anode, multi metal oxide cathode, organic electrolyte and shut-down separator for enhanced safety. TLM Military Grade batteries also feature low self-discharge and a wide operating temperature range of -40°C to 85°C. These batteries comply with MIL-STD 810G specs for vibration, shock, temperature shock, salt fog, altitude, acceleration (50,000 gn) and spinning (30,000 rpm) and conform to UN 1642 and IEC 60086 standards for crush, impact, nail penetration, heat, over-charge and short circuit, and can be shipped as non-hazardous goods.

TLM Military Grade batteries meet the demanding requirements of single use applications such as avionics, navigation systems, ordinance fuses, missile systems, telemetry, electronic warfare systems, GPS tracking and emergency/safety devices, shipboard and oceanographic devices.

Single- and Dual-Cell Li-Ion & LiFePO4 Chargers with OVP Enable Safer, Longer-Lasting Portable Devices
Microchip Technology, Inc. has announced two families of charge-management controllers featuring overvoltage protection (OVP), which prevents overheating and damage to the battery-charger circuit from input-voltage spikes.  The MCP73113, MCP73114 and MCP73213 Lithium-Ion (Li-Ion); and MCP73123, MCP73223 Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) Chargers feature high-accuracy voltage regulation and an integrated pass transistor. The combination of features enables smaller, safer portable electronic device designs with longer run times for the consumer, medical and industrial markets.

Microchip’s new chargers address increased consumer focus on the safety and efficiency of battery-powered applications.  All of the new devices have a maximum input voltage of 18 V and come with one of two OVP set points: 5.8 V and 6.5 V for the single-cell MCP73114 and MCP73113/23 chargers; or 13 V for the dual-cell MCP73213 and MCP73123 chargers.  Additionally, the MCP73113, MCP73114 and MCP73213 devices provide a variety of charging-voltage options for Li-Ion batteries: 4.1 V to 4.4 V for the single-cell and 8.2 V to 8.8 V for the dual-cell devices. The MCP73123 and MCP73223 devices target LiFePO4 batteries, and offer charging-voltage options of 3.6 V and 7.2 V, respectively.

The MCP73113 and MCP73114 Li-Ion, and MCP73123 LiFePO4 single-cell chargers feature high-accuracy voltage regulation of 0.5 percent; the dual-cell MCP73213 Li-Ion and MCP73223 LiFePO4 devices 0.6 percent.  These highly accurate levels of regulation enable longer battery life per charge, ultimately allowing portable products to run for longer periods of time between charges.  Additionally, all of the chargers feature an integrated pass transistor, which eliminates the need for an external FET, and reduces overall design cost, size and complexity.

The MCP731XX and MCP732XX chargers are all available in 10-pin, 3 mm by 3 mm DFN packages.  The MCP73113, MCP73114 and MCP73123 devices are priced at $0.80 each, in 10,000-unit quantities; the MCP73213 and MCP73223 at $1.28 each, in 10,000-unit quantities. 

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. to Enter Lithium-Ion Secondary Battery Business
With Launch of Commercial Production Verification Plant by Fall 2010
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) has decided to build a commercial production verification plant in Nagasaki Prefecture and launch its operation by autumn 2010 in a move toward the company's full-scale entry into the lithium-ion secondary battery market. The new plant, to be built within the company's Nagasaki Shipyard & Machinery Works, will have a production capacity of 66 MWh (megawatt hours) of batteries a year, which is equivalent to 400,000 medium-size cells. The batteries were developed in a 20-year-long joint research and development project with Kyushu Electric Power Co., Inc.

To date MHI has supplied the batteries for sample use, but now it has opted to place them on the market. The company looks to promote lithium-ion secondary battery business through a companywide initiative and will begin by incorporating the batteries into its various products, such as forklift trucks and wind turbine power generation systems. In conjunction with this initiative, MHI will launch a new Joint Lithium Battery Operations Department effective October 1st.

MHI and Kyushu Electric Power launched joint research and development into large-size batteries for electric power storage in 1988, and successfully developed compact batteries capable of supplying substantial power over long periods. Those batteries are a medium-size cell with energy capacity of 165 Wh (watt-hours), mainly used in vehicles, and a large-size stationary-use battery cell with 350 Wh.

The commercial production verification plant, slated for construction startup this fall, will utilize technologies from MHI's diversified business areas, including technologies related to slurry preparation, coating, and mass-production management knowhow from turbocharger production. The plant will serve to verify and improve factors essential for commercial production, such as verification of operation rates, tact time, battery performance and cost target. MHI's lithium-ion secondary battery business plan calls for the construction of another full-scale commercial plant once all-out entry into the business is decided. The company will make its decision in 2011 taking the market situation, future prospects and verification results into account.

East Penn Receives $32.5 Million Grant from the DOE to Manufacture Advanced Lead-Acid Batteries
East Penn Manufacturing Co., Inc. has received a $32.5 million grant from the US Department of Energy to expand production capabilities to manufacture advanced lead-acid batteries. These batteries will serve as a critical component of Hybrid Electric Vehicles.

The grant, under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, was presented by US Transportation Deputy Secretary John D. Porcari. “With the help of companies like East Penn, we will be able to build vehicles that achieve, and even exceed, the new fuel-efficiency standard for 2016. This is an investment in the future of manufacturing, and the future of clean, green transportation in the United States,” said Porcari.

AeroVironment Delivers Near-Megawatt Scale Electric Vehicle Test System to Department of Defense for Advanced Vehicle Testing
AeroVironment, Inc. (AV) has delivered its first AV-800, a high-power, heavy-duty, near-megawatt scale electric vehicle  test system to the US Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC) in Warren, Mich. for advanced vehicle testing.  The AV-800 will be a part of the new TARDEC Ground System Power and Energy Laboratory (GSPEL), where the first-of-its-kind equipment will conduct critical testing needed for the advancement of ground system electric transportation technologies to support and protect today’s warfighter.

The 800 kilowatt single and dual-channel power processor is the latest and highest power system in AV’s line of electric vehicle test systems.  It is a bi-directional unit capable of returning energy back to the electrical grid at more than 90 percent efficiency, and a key component of the GSPEL as TARDEC seeks to attain Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification.
  
The AV-800 is designed to support the development of systems such as large hybrid electric vehicles, high power energy storage systems, power generation equipment, drivetrains, and electrical components.  The new system can also perform hardware in the loop testing and parallel component and system development.
  
The AV-800 is capable of performing a variety of rigorous testing and simulation functions critical to moving new electric technologies to reality.  These capabilities include charge and discharge cycling as well as performance simulation for battery cells, battery packs, fuel cells and ultracapacitors.

Saft Selected for DOE Funding for Li-Ion Battery Factory of the Future
Saft has been selected to receive a grant under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The funding is for a high-volume manufacturing plant to build advanced lithium-ion cells and batteries for military hybrid vehicles, aviation, smart grid support, broadband backup power and energy storage for renewable energy.

The plant is planned for Jacksonville, Fla and should create an estimated 800 jobs over the next three years. The company is also working with the economic development agencies of the State of Florida and the city of Jacksonville to finalize a package of additional support measures available, such as incentive programs for capital investment and job creation.

Subject to successful negotiation of contracts with the DOE, the State of Florida and the city of Jacksonville, Saft will begin investment in the new plant immediately. Saft’s state of the art manufacturing facility will ensure that competitive battery solutions will be imminently available to the US and world markets from the Jacksonville, Florida facility.

Underwriters Laboratories Offers CTIA Battery Certification Service
Underwriters Laboratories (UL)  has been recognized as a CTIA Authorized Test Lab (CATL). As a CATL, UL can test and certify cell phone rechargeable battery products and systems to CTIA Battery Certification Program-an essential requirement for selling to telecom service providers in North America.

CTIA is an international non-profit membership association founded in 1984 to represent all sectors of wireless communications. The CTIA certification is an industry standard but also a requirement set by leading telecom providers for their suppliers.

The CTIA Battery Certification Program verifies the conformance of applicable products, including lithium ion battery cells and packs, chargers and adapters to IEEE Standard 1725 1-2006, Standards for Rechargeable Batteries for Cellular Telephones.

The program can be applied to single products or to combinations of applicable products as a complete system, for example, battery cell, battery pack, charger and host device (mobile phone) together. In addition to testing, certification also requires an annual inspection of the cell manufacturing site-a quality audit that will review management controls, process controls, quality systems and technical competence. A declaration of compliance with CTIA requirements is also required from the applicant.

"UL has more than 30 years' experience in the field of battery safety, including hazards identification, test methods and standards development, such as the UL 1642 and UL 2054 standards for Lithium Batteries and Household & Commercial Batteries respectively," said Carlos Correia, vice president and general manager of UL's Global High-Tech Business.

"To anticipate changing requirements in the industry and be prepared for them, UL has a dedicated R&D team for batteries, working closely with manufacturers, government agencies, regulators, major technology institutes and accreditation bodies," Correia said.

Moreover, to help battery suppliers cope with the current economic downturn, UL is introducing new approaches to working with customers to ease their compliance process, including a highly flexible choice of service options. For better value and faster time-to-market, customers can package their needs for a cost-effective "one-stop" approach under UL's Global Market Access service, enabling products to be certified against a specified set of standards required for different markets without the need for separate individual tests.

Battery Power 2009 Co-Located with Thermal Management & Technology Symposium
Battery Power 2009, October 20-21 in Denver, will be co-located with another industry-leading conference. Thermal Management and Technology Symposium will highlight the latest advancements in thermal technology for product design, system development and process management.

This event will feature presentations on thermal manufacturing technology, materials and research & development. Topics will include new thermal technology as well as the latest market trends affecting the industry.

The conferences will share a combined exhibit hall and for a nominal fee, Battery Power attendees can upgrade their registration pass and get access to the Thermal Management conference and the conference proceedings.

Click here to upgrade your Battery Power 2009 registration: http://www.batterypoweronline.com/bppt-conf09/bp09_reg.php.

Sessions include:
Defense and High-End Commercial OEM Electronics
Matt Tracewell, Executive Vice President • Tracewell Systems

Creating Useful Mechanical Work through Effective Thermal Management Techniques
Gary Swanson, President • Thermotion Corp.
  
Smarter Solutions for Heat Treatment
Peter Sherwin, Business Development Manager, Heat Treatment • Eurotherm
 
Automating Semiconductor Package Thermal Characterization and Design
Sarang Shidore, Director • Mentor Graphics – Mechanical Analysis Division
 
Thermal Management Using Renewable Resources Such as Phase Change Materials, Solar, Wind and Biomass
Maurice J. Marongiu, Owner • PCM Thermal Solutions
 
Advanced Ceramic Thermal Control Options
PC Smith, President • Oasis Materials Corp.
 
Click here to view the entire Thermal Management & Technology Symposium program: http://www.thermalnews.com/conf_09/TN09_program.php

September

16-18 - 14th International Congress for Battery Recycling, Geneva, Switzerland

28-30 - PHEV 09 - Plug-In Hybrid and Electric Vehicles, Montreal, Canada

30-Oct 2 - Batteries 2009, Cannes Mandelieu, France

October

20-21 - Battery Power 2009, Denver, Colo.

20-21 - Thermal Management & Technology Symposium (co-located with Battery Power 2009), Denver, Colo.

29-30 - Remote Conference & Expo, San Antonio, Texas

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