Rechargeable batteries and battery management systems design

Estimated worldwide sales for rechargeable batteries, was around US$36 billion in 2008 and this is expected to grow towards US$51 billion by 2013. As per market reports, US demand for primary and secondary batteries will increase by 2.5% annually to 16.8 billion in 2012, while primary batteries will account for 5.8 billion with a growth rate of 3%. The insatiable demand for smaller lightweight portable electronic equipment has dramatically increased the need for research on rechargeable battery chemistries. In addition to achieving improved performance on Lead Acid and Nickel Cadmium (NiCd) batteries, many new chemistries have been introduced over the last quarter century, such as Nickel Metal Hydride (NIMH), Lithium Ion (Li-Ion), Lithium Polymer, Rechargeable Alkaline, Silver-Zinc, Zinc-Air. This tutorial details the terminal characteristics of battery families such as Sealed Lead Acid, NiCd, NIMH, Li-lon/Li-polymer/LiFeP04, and Rechargeable Alkaline together with modern techniques used in battery management systems and ICs, without elaborating on the battery chemistries. An introduction to charge termination techniques and end of discharge detection will be provided together with processor based approach in modern battery management ICs. A discussion on modelling of batteries for the prediction of run time, accurate prediction of remaining capacity, and developing battery models from battery manufacturer datasheets will be an important subset of the tutorial. An introduction to SMBus, Smart Battery Specifications and an overview on the IEEE 1625 standard for battery safety will also be provided. High temperature applications and design of battery packs for extreme temperature ranges will be another subtopic. A brief introduction to prognostics in smaller battery packs and monitoring techniques for large battery banks will be included. Supercapacitor technologies and supercapacitor-battery hybrids and some creative applications of supercapacitors will also be discu- - ssed. The overall presentation will be based on a balanced mix of applicable techniques, relevant international standards, available technologies and industrial practices and a summary of the state of the art and future directions, supported by a selected set of research publications.