needs two key things to balance a battery pack correctly: balancing circuitry and balancing algorithms. While a few methods exist to implement balancing circuitry, they all rely on balancing algorithms to know which cells to balance and when. So far, we have been assuming that the BMS knows the SoC and the amount of energy in each series cell.
Balancing lithium-ion batteries is crucial for ensuring the safe, efficient, and long-lasting operation of the battery pack. In a lithium-ion battery pack, individual cells are connected in series to increase the voltage and overall energy storage capacity.
Balancing lithium battery packs, like individual cells, involves ensuring that all batteries within a system maintain the same state of charge. This process is essential when multiple battery packs are used together in series or parallel configurations.
Contributed Commentary by Anton Beck, Battery Product Manager, Epec When a lithium battery pack is designed using multiple cells in series, it is very important to design the electronic features to continually balance the cell voltages. This is not only for the performance of the battery pack, but also for optimal life cycles.
When cell groups in a lithium-ion battery pack become imbalanced, the overall performance and capacity of the pack is reduced and the risk of thermal runaway and reduced overall life of the battery pack increases.
Several sections are then placed in series. Balancing is not required because the average voltage of each section is always very similar due to the large amount of cells in parallel. When several lithium cells are connected in series, it is the variation between series sections that requires balancing to be used.
When a lithium battery pack is designed using multiple cells in series, it is very important to design the electronic features to continually balance the cell voltages. This is not only for the performance of the battery pack, but also for optimal …