AsianScientist (Dec. 1, 2015) – Scientists from Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University (NTU) have developed a smart chip that warns people whether a battery is faulty or at risk of catching fire.
Current warning systems only alert users when the battery is already overheating which may be too late for any remedial action.
Developed by Professor Rachid Yazami of the Energy Research Institute @ NTU (ERI@N), the smart chip is small enough to be embedded in almost all batteries, from small batteries in mobile devices to the huge power packs found in electric vehicles and advanced aeroplanes.
“Although the risk of a battery failing and catching fire is very low, with the billions of lithium-ion batteries being produced yearly, even a one-in-a-million chance would mean over a thousand failures,” explained Yazami.
“This poses a serious risk for electric vehicles and even in advanced aeroplanes as usually big battery packs have hundreds of cells or more bundled together to power the vehicle or aircraft. If there is a chemical fire caused by a single failed battery, it could cause fires in nearby batteries, leading to an explosion,” added Yazami.
Embedded in the smart chip is a proprietary algorithm, developed by Yazami, that is based on electrochemical thermodynamics measurements (ETM technology).
Current lithium-ion batteries have a chip in them which only shows voltage and temperature readings. Today’s battery chips are unable to detect symptoms of a malfunction and can also show only the estimated amount of charge the battery is holding.
In comparison, Yazami’s patented algorithm is able to analyse both the state of health and the state of charge through a 3-dimensional chart. On a monitor screen, it looks similar to a ski route down a mountain.
Drawing on the analogy of a fingerprint, he said: “The ‘ski route’ of a brand new battery looks different from those of a degraded or faulty battery—just like how two fingerprints will look quite different.”
“In addition to knowing the degradation of batteries, our technology can also tell the exact state of charge of the battery, and thus optimize the charging so the battery can be maintained in its best condition while being charged faster,” added Yazami.
Worldwide annual production of portable battery cells have been predicted to grow from 13 billion in 2014, to over 35 billion by 2025 according to a report by Avicenne Energy.
A pioneer in battery research, Yazami won the 2014 Draper Prize for Engineering awarded by the Washington-based National Academy of Engineering for being one of the three founders of the safely rechargeable lithium-ion battery. The smart chip took Yazami more than five years to develop and is now marketed by his start-up, KVI Pte Ltd.
“My vision for the future is that every battery will have this chip, which will in turn reduce the risk of battery fires in electronic devices and electric vehicles while extending their life span,” Yazami added.
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Source: Nanyang Technological University.
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