Protecting Lithium Batteries and Battery Packs from Runaway Thermal Events

BS&B Safety Systems

The market for lithium batteries and battery packs is booming.  With extensive applications in automotive, IT, aerospace, consumer electronics and a myriad of industrial sectors, the usage of rechargeable lithium batteries is growing throughout the world.  The market for lithium-ion batteries alone is expected to exceed $30 billion in the next few years. Read more about Protecting Lithium Batteries and Battery Packs from Runaway Thermal Events

How to Measure Battery Internal Resistance Using the Current Interrupt Method

James Niemann, Analog Design Engineer, Tektronix

One of the demonstrations we often set up at battery conferences is to use a source measure unit (SMU) to measure the internal resistance of an energy storage device such as a battery or a fuel cell. In such demonstrations, the SMU changes the load current from the battery operating current or the polarizing current to the open circuit potential and simultaneously measures the change in cell voltage. In this “current interrupt method,” the battery’s internal resistance is equal to the change in voltage divided by the change in current. Read more about How to Measure Battery Internal Resistance Using the Current Interrupt Method