4.1.2: What changes as a cell ages?

Performance changes as cells age

key off: store data

key on: initialize
meas. voltage estimate estimate balance compute
current state of state of power
cells

 We know that a BMS must estimate certain quantities

temperature charge (SOC) health (SOH) limits

loop once each measurement interval while pack is active

indicative of its cells’ states and parameters

 We have now seen a number of ways to estimate battery cell
state—the quickly changing quantities
 Now, we turn our attention toward estimating battery cell
parameters—the slowly changing, pseudo-static quantities
 In particular, we are most interested in those quantities that
reflect a change in the performance that the pack can deliver
 These are indicators of battery pack “state-of-health” (SOH)
 SOH most often summarized by estimating present total capacity, series resistance

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4.1.2: What changes as a cell ages?

Loss in total capacity versus time

key off: store data

key on: initialize
meas. voltage estimate estimate balance compute

 As a battery cell ages, its total capacity decreases, primarily

current state of state of power
temperature charge (SOC) health (SOH) cells limits

loop once each measurement interval while pack is active

due to unwanted side reactions, structural deterioration

◆❡❣❛t✐✈❡ P♦s✐t✐✈❡ ◆❡❣❛t✐✈❡ P♦s✐t✐✈❡ ◆❡❣❛t✐✈❡ P♦s✐t✐✈❡
❡❧❡❝tr♦❞❡ ❡❧❡❝tr♦❞❡ ❡❧❡❝tr♦❞❡ ❡❧❡❝tr♦❞❡ ❡❧❡❝tr♦❞❡ ❡❧❡❝tr♦❞❡
❉✐s❝❤❛r❣❡ ❉✐s❝❤❛r❣❡ ❉✐s❝❤❛r❣❡

❈❤❛r❣❡
❈❤❛r❣❡ ❙✐❞❡ ❈❤❛r❣❡
r❡❛❝t✐♦♥
 Ideally, lithium moves back and forth between electrodes; none is lost
 Side reactions can consume lithium, primarily when charging cell
 Structural deterioration can remove storage sites for lithium from one or both
electrodes

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4.1.2: What changes as a cell ages?

Capacity fade
key off: store data
key on: initialize

meas. voltage estimate estimate balance compute

 Phenomena often referred to as capacity fade

current state of state of power
temperature charge (SOC) health (SOH) cells limits

loop once each measurement interval while pack is active

 Knowing present value of total capacity

important because it is:
 Major contributing factor to energy calculation
 Major contributing factor to SOC estimation if
coulomb counting is used (else, minor
contributing factor)
 (Insignificant in power estimation)

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4.1.2: What changes as a cell ages?

Power fade

key off: store data

key on: initialize
meas. voltage estimate estimate balance compute

 As a cell ages, its series resistance increases, also primarily

current state of state of power
temperature charge (SOC) health (SOH) cells limits

loop once each measurement interval while pack is active

due to unwanted side reactions and structural deterioration

 Knowing present ESR is important because:
 Major contributing factor to power calculation
 Major contributing factor to SOC estimation
for some voltage-based methods (else, it is a
minor factor)
 (Insignificant role in energy estimation)
 Since resistance and power are so tightly
coupled, resistance rise in a cell is commonly
referred to as power fade

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4.1.2: What changes as a cell ages?

Other cell parameter values

key off: store data

key on: initialize
meas. voltage estimate estimate balance compute

 The OCV relationship changes as the electrodes lose capacity

current state of state of power
temperature charge (SOC) health (SOH) cells limits

loop once each measurement interval while pack is active

 For most chemistries in common use, unlikely that this

change is large enough to be readily detectable
 Other cell parameters almost certainly change 4.2
OCV after Aging
as well; however, I’m not aware of BMS that 4
make efforts to estimate them 3.8
Voltage (V)

 ESR, total capacity have dominant impact 3.6

 KF-based methods in this course could be 3.4 0% capacity loss

used to estimate the others, if application 3.2
10% capacity loss
20% capacity loss

demands it 3
0 20 40 60
30% capacity loss
80 100
State of charge (%)

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4.1.2: What changes as a cell ages?

Summary and next steps

key off: store data
key on: initialize

meas. voltage estimate estimate balance compute

 Cell parameter values change over time as cell ages

current state of state of power
temperature charge (SOC) health (SOH) cells limits

 Total capacity and ESR are the most important to track

loop once each measurement interval while pack is active

 In this course, we first look at some qualitative explanations for cell aging
 Next, we explore a simple method to estimate ESR
 We then look at ways to estimate total capacity
 We finally look at KF-based methods to estimate up-to-date values for any desired
set of cell parameters (honors)

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