We wrote about the challenges of persistent lithium battery faults in the previous post, but one. These may be only intermittent, however the consequences can be very real. Today we follow in the footsteps of Dr. Kai-Philipp Kairies, scientist and entrepreneur again. As he uses his deep understanding of innovative battery energy storage, to explain how cloud-based battery analytics work.
The Deep Topic of Cloud-Based Battery Analytics
Cloud-based battery analytics are a proven way to improve lithium battery safety, Dr. Kai-Philipp Kairies explains. The remote battery management system (BMS) detects emerging battery faults, and reports them to operators so they can proactively prevent damage. What’s particularly neat is the batteries do not require any modification. The broad steps in the process are as follows:
- A steady stream of raw data travels from the battery management system via the communication bus to the cloud.
- The remote system there cleans the data, detecting and flagging outliers and systematic measurement errors.
- The remote analytics system scrutinizes the cleaned data for potential faults triggered by primary and secondary parameters.
- Those primary parameters include voltage, temperature, current, and other battery basics that could affect performance.
- The secondary ones comprise factors such as impedance, open circuit voltage curve aberrations, or the active lithium in each cell.
- Information that triggers alarms flows through to human operators. They guide the system into a safe state, and arrange for technical support.
Drawing the Threads Together On a Complex Topic
Cloud-based battery analytics can diagnose safety-critical battery behavior in at least twenty ways, Dr. Kai-Philipp Kairies confirms. These depend on machine learning to interpret combinations of electrical, thermal and mechanistic factors.
Algorithms reflect on electrochemical relationships and processes, revealing insights about internal battery states. This could for example be lithium plating developing and threatening gassing, and eventual dendrite penetration.
More Information
Why Lithium Battery Safety Matters
