
Preventing Thermal Runaway in Energy Storage Systems (ESS)
From air transportation to electric vehicles and most recently “Hover Boards”, our industry is painfully aware of the over-discharge malfunctions associated with high-energy lithium-ion batteries, yet according to recent studies, nearly 70% of all Energy Storage Systems currently deployed are lithium-ion. Avoiding the pitfalls of utilizing greater energy density in larger installations is what will be discussed. Michelle will walk through the recent innovations from materials and process tracking in battery manufacturing to comprehensive control of cells in a fully deployed system. Incorporating lessons learned from recent failure investigations by the NTSB and FAA as well as new DoE mandates, Michelle will discuss how to achieve and in some areas surpass the new emerging safety certifications for a multi-megawatt energy storage system.
This webinar will focus on the following key topics:
• Making batteries safe or making safe batteries? (control & mitigation)
• Cell manufacture tracking, certification and response
– NTSB & DoE analysis and current situation
• Incorporating advanced battery management systems (BMS)
– Active cell dynamic balancing
– Cell replacement (hot-swapping)
– System reconfiguration
– Energy density scalability
Presenter
Michelle Klassen – VP of Business Development at Pathion, Inc.
Michelle Klassen is VP of Business Development for PATHION Inc. which manufactures high-performance, safe, and reliable Energy Storage Systems (ESS) for commercial markets ranging from 86 kilowatt-hours in stand-alone systems to over 1 megawatt-hour in containerized units. Prior to PATHION, as Vice President at ZeroBase Energy, she led the design and implementation of power systems and micro-grids for customers, including the US Department of Defense, Kenya Ministry of Energy and the L.A. Department of Water and Power.
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Energy Storage RTE Tutorial Course 2/3: Ampere-Hour (Ah) RTE and Voltage Polarization Energy Losses
Many aqueous systems have water electrolysis to contend with, and above 70-80% SOC, RTE losses from this competing reaction can be significant. Management of these losses has been evolving for decades, and there are now tried and tested methods mostly related to charging algorithms & partial state of charge (pSOC) cycling. These methods will be reviewed. Relevant for every battery chemistry, Cell Voltage factors, will be separated into eight different components, four each, for the cathode and anode. These will be presented & described. The variables that affect them will be reviewed, including the effects of age & cycling and methods for their ongoing measurement. Techniques to reduce and mitigate polarization will be detailed & possible benefits will be quantified in terms of RTE & cost for different scenarios.
This webinar will focus on the following key topics:
• Ah Efficiency losses in aqueous systems
• Types of Voltage Polarization losses for all systems
• Strategies and plans for reducing & mitigating efficiency losses
• Improvement potential for different systems
Presenter
Dr. Halle Cheeseman – Founder/President at Energy Blues LLC
Dr. Halle Cheeseman earned a PhD in Electrochemistry & Corrosion from the University of Nottingham in UK, graduating in 1985. She has held several executive positions in the battery industry over the past 32 years, including Sr. VP of R&D at Spectrum Brands and VP of R&D at Exide Technologies. Her specific battery experience includes Lithium Ion, Zinc Air, Nickel Metal Hydride, Nickel Iron, Alkaline and Lead Acid, focusing on Consumer, Industrial, Automotive & Renewable Energy applications. In July 2017, Dr. Cheeseman founded Energy Blues LLC, an energy storage consulting cooperative comprising 20+ subject matter experts.
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Battery Ageing – How Modeling is Used to Predict Battery Life
Battery modeling and simulation makes it possible to analyze multiple operating conditions and design parameters for batteries and other electrochemical systems and processes. By developing mathematical models you can begin to understand the interaction of electrochemical and chemical processes in the battery and how these processes affect the performance and life of the battery.
In this presentation, we will take a look at the benefits of modeling and simulation in the design, selection, and operation of a lithium-ion battery. We will especially take a look at how modeling can be used together with testing. These results provide manufacturers and application experts with the data to not only predict battery life but to analyze the implications of design parameters and operating conditions to better understand the limitation of the battery.
This webinar will focus on the following key topics:
• Benefits of modeling and simulations in the design, selection, and operation of a lithium-ion battery
• Implications of design parameters and operating conditions with respect to experimental observations of battery performance, aging, and battery safety
• How battery modeling can be used together with testing
Presenter
Tom O’Hara – Global Business Manager, Intertek
Tom O’Hara is the global business manager / advisory services for Intertek’s energy storage programs. Aside from his consulting role, Tom supports U.S. and European marketing and sales efforts and APAC CTIA certification efforts. As a 30-year veteran of the battery technology field, Tom has worked in Energizer Battery’s R&D sector and consulted with several start-up battery companies. He is also the co-inventor of the world’s first successful mercury-free zinc air button cell and holds seven U.S. patents. He obtained both a B.S. and M.S. in chemistry from Wake Forest University in North Carolina.
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Battery Selection Tutorial Course 3/3: Integrating Your Battery Into Your Product – Designing for Worst-Case Scenarios
The last part in Exponent’s three-part series, this webinar will focus on the finished product from the viewpoint of the battery. How can you best protect your battery within your device? Is your battery going to be user-replaceable? If you’re creating multi-cell packs, how should they be separated from (yet still connected to) each other? Should a thermal event occur, how can you prevent that from cascading through the whole pack? This webinar will help to answer many of those questions, and discuss design questions to help safeguard your battery pack throughout its entire lifecycle.
This webinar will focus on the following key topics:
• Creating multi-cell packs
• Containing thermal runaway events
Presenter
Exponent – a multidisciplinary engineering and scientific consulting firm with significant experience in various aspects of battery design, safety testing and failure analysis.
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