Battery Testing

BATTERY TESTING

When we think of battery testing, we always think of safety and quality.

We all know the picture of the burned out Tesla. Or the story of the new Samsung Galaxy Note 7 phone that spontaneously caught fire due to a construction fault. How can we avoid such situations as much as possible and how can we minimise the consequences?

And let’s start with the latter.
Provide a safe test environment. This includes special extinguishing equipment, special fire-resistant cabinets and, for example, climate chambers with special facilities.

We can divide the testing of batteries into three specific sections:

–The testing of a battery cell
–The testing of a battery module
–The testing of a battery pack

The basis for a safe battery is laid with the testing of the battery cells. In Europe this generally means that we perform an incoming inspection on battery cells that are imported from the Far East.

By performing an insulation test we can determine if the separation of the poles by the dielectric is contaminated. We also check the leakage current and whether there is any partial discharge or arcing. We then determine the internal impedance and the capacity of the cell at various temperatures and charging voltages. For detailed information on how we perform these tests, we refer you to the page testing a battery cell

The tested battery cells are then incorporated into a battery module. And there the series of tests actually starts again. First, to see if the cells are connected to each other properly. Then a test to see if there are no bad cells in the module and whether the module meets the specifications. It is also possible to test the BMS (battery management system) for proper functioning.

For a detailed explanation about the different module tests, we refer you to ‘Testing a battery module‘.

Next, it is possible to connect a large number of modules to form a battery pack. This is of course the case in higher power applications such as electric cars, buses, trucks and even electric boats.

And here the testing starts all over again.

– What is the capacity of the battery pack?
– And how much capacity do I have when the temperature drops to -10 degrees Celsius?
– Or plus 40 degrees Celsius?
– What if we are going to load the battery dynamically?
– What if we also recharge the battery with short (brake) pulses?

How far can we discharge the battery without damaging its lifespan?

Here too we refer you to testing a battery pack to see what the possibilities are for extensive testing of a pack. For total testing solutions, please refer to the page on automatic battery testing software and testing systems.

We also recommend the complete presentation we made for the Energie Storage Event 2020, ‘Testing Li-ion Batteries‘.