Battery Power Online | Articles

Real-Time Battery Modeling in HiL Testing of Battery Management Systems

Josh Johnson September 3, 2015

Paul Goossens, Vice President, Engineering Solutions
Maplesoft

Demand growth for rechargeable batteries in products such as portable electronic devices, electrified vehicles (EVs) and decentralized power utilities (smart grids) is nothing short of robust. With forecasted annual growth pegged at 8 percent by the Freedonia Group, the global battery market will reach almost $74 billion this year. Rechargeable batteries will account for about 82 percent of that, or $60 billion, according to market researcher Frost & Sullivan.

Energy Density Comparison of Silver-Zinc Button Cells with Rechargeable Li-Ion and Li-Polymer Coin and Miniature Prismatic Cells

Josh Johnson September 2, 2015

Jeff Ortega, Ph.D., Director of Research, ZPower, LLC
Ross Dueber, Ph.D., President and CEO, ZPower, LLC

Silver-zinc batteries have the highest theoretical specific energy (Wh/kg) and energy density (Wh/L) of all rechargeable battery technologies available commercially today. Rechargeable silver-zinc batteries have been successfully used for decades in military and aerospace applications where high energy and power density are required. The electrochemical reaction involves the oxidation of zinc to zinc oxide and the accompanying reduction of silver(II) oxide to metallic silver. The reaction at the AgO cathode involves a two-step oxidation (1.8 V and 1.5 V) of two water molecules to form hydroxide anions that migrate to the anode where they oxidize the metallic Zn to form the soluble zincate species before precipitation of the zinc oxide. Read more about Energy Density Comparison of Silver-Zinc Button Cells with Rechargeable Li-Ion and Li-Polymer Coin and Miniature Prismatic Cells …

How to Use an SMU Instrument in Charge/Discharge Cycling for Battery Characterization

Josh Johnson May 26, 2015

Mary Anne Tupta
Keithley Instruments, a Tektronix Company

Rechargeable batteries power a rapidly expanding range of electronic devices, from laptops and tablets to mobile phones and wearable health-monitoring devices. When purchasing these devices, consumers typically take a hard look at battery life and recharge times; operating time is often a deciding factor in the purchase of a mobile device. As a result, researchers are studying ways to increase battery life and decrease the cost of rechargeable batteries. Read more about How to Use an SMU Instrument in Charge/Discharge Cycling for Battery Characterization …

Protecting Batteries that Protect Your Power System

Josh Johnson May 26, 2015

Wally Vahlstrom, Director of Technical Services
Emerson Network Power, Electrical Reliability Services

According to the US Department of Energy, reported electric emergency incidents and disturbances are on the rise with approximately 23 percent more events reported last year as compared to 2013. These outages or disturbances can cost facilities thousands or even millions of dollars if their emergency power systems do not immediately switch on and provide back-up power. Read more about Protecting Batteries that Protect Your Power System …

Five Building Blocks of Self-Powered Wireless Sensor Nodes

Josh Johnson May 26, 2015

Niranjan Pathare, Battery Management Solutions Marketing,
Will Cooper, MSP Microcontroller Product Marketing
Texas Instruments

Today, autonomous sensors are in use for a variety of applications. Typically found in smart buildings and factories, these sensing applications include humidity, temperature, and chemical gas monitoring. They are often placed in remote locations where line power is unavailable, so rely heavily on battery power to function. In order to provide dependable operation, batteries have to be changed often, adding to the total cost of ownership. Ownership cost includes expensive labor needed to change the batteries during routine maintenance. Read more about Five Building Blocks of Self-Powered Wireless Sensor Nodes …

Wearable Medical Devices Embrace Lithium Polymer Cells

Josh Johnson May 26, 2015

Jeffrey VanZwol, VP, Business Development
Chris Turner, VP, Technology
ICCNexergy, Inc.

During the past few years, there has been an increase in demand for wearable devices from an audience both young and old. Some medical devices provide preventative functions, such as monitoring disorders, enabling early intervention and avoidance of complications. Other devices are reactive and can detect if an elderly patient has fallen, needs emergency assistance, has wandered outside a specific perimeter, or needs a reminder to take prescribed medications at the appropriate time of the day. Still other wearables allow consumers of all ages to monitor their own health and fitness, whether to help them lose weight, reach exercise/fitness goals or sleep better. Read more about Wearable Medical Devices Embrace Lithium Polymer Cells …

Tesla’s iPhone Moment: How the Powerwall will Change Global Energy Use

Josh Johnson May 18, 2015

Isidor Buchmann, CEO and Founder
Cadex Electronics Inc.

The Tesla battery that Elon Musk announced gets much media attention, and rightly so. The Powerwall, as the Tesla battery is called, can store energy from renewable sources from solar panels and wind turbines to supplement energy needs and reduce the electrical bill. According to Musk, “Our goal is to fundamentally change the way the world uses energy.” This is a noble endeavor at a time when humanity draws more resources than our mother earth can give. Read more about Tesla’s iPhone Moment: How the Powerwall will Change Global Energy Use …