New tech offers 1,000,000 times/sec battery checks for safer aircraft, ships
The new tech gives renewable energy providers stable, controllable battery systems to handle power fluctuations.
Researchers have unveiled a groundbreaking real-time measurement technique that could dramatically improve the safety, efficiency, and longevity of batteries used in electric vehicles (EVs), renewable energy systems, and even future aircraft.
Developed by Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials (IFAM), one of Europe’s lead research facilities for adhesive bonding technology, surfaces, shaping and functional materials, the method relies on a refined version of impedance spectroscopy.
Led by Fabio La Mantia, PhD, a professor of energy storage and conversion systems at the University of Bremen, the project transformed impedance spectroscopy, a method used to study a battery’s internal electrical behavior, by making it more powerful, faster, and practical for real-time use during operation.
While this method was traditionally only possible when a battery was at rest, often taking up to 20 minutes to deliver results, now, thanks to IFAM’s innovation, it can be performed dynamically, during live operation.
Precision battery tracking
Known as dynamic impedance spectroscopy, the technique overlays a multi-frequency test signal onto the standard charging or discharging current. This in turn allows researchers to monitor the battery’s internal state in real time, capturing up to one million measurements per second.
Hermann Pleteit, PhD, the project head at Fraunhofer IFAM, stated,
First, dynamic impedance spectroscopy opens up new possibilities for optimizing battery management, thereby extending the batteries’ lifespan,
“It also paves the way for these batteries to be used in safety-critical applications.”
The scientists revealed that all of the data from the high-resolution measurement method is fed into a real-time processing system, where software analyzes the changes in impedance to determine the condition of the battery cell.
To process this massive volume of data instantly, the research team came up with specialized algorithms that reduce the dataset without compromising accuracy.
Pleteit, explained:
We developed algorithms that significantly reduce the volume of data before the analysis without dropping relevant information,
This resulted in a real-time snapshot of the battery’s state of charge (SoC), state of health (SoH), and overall safety, offering faster and more precise insights during operation.
Supporting renewable power and aviation
According to the team, battery management systems can use impedance data to instantly detect when a cell overheats and respond by reducing power or shutting it down, hence eliminating the need for slower, external temperature sensors. This removes the need for external temperature sensors, which detect heat too late to prevent cell damage.
In addition, the technology also improves EV charging by allowing the system to choose between fast charging during short stops and slower charging for longer sessions, thus preventing overheating and reducing battery wear.
The method also holds promise for renewable energy providers who rely on battery storage to balance fluctuating power inputs. With real-time monitoring, these systems can respond more precisely to shifts in demand or production. other safety-critical industries are showing interest in adopting the technology.
Pleteit, concluded in a press release,
These kinds of systems could be used in eco-friendly electric aircraft, for example,
“This market is in its infancy right now. And the shipping industry is also signaling interest in the technology.”
The researchers emphasized that dynamic impedance spectroscopy isn’t limited to lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries. It can also be applied to solid-state, sodium-ion, lithium-sulfur, and future battery technologies.
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New tech offers 1,000,000 times/sec battery checks for safer aircraft, ships, source
