Lithium-Ion Battery Pack
Lithium-ion battery packs deliver ultra-high power densities, making them ideal for electric vehicles and solar energy storage. These batteries also support emergency and remote healthcare services by powering lifesaving equipment like defibrillators with onboard power.
Batteries and devices with lithium content that exceeds 8 grams must be shipped as Class 9 hazardous material requiring special marking and shipping documents. Find a battery recycler or retailer in your area that participates in electronics takeback programs.
How Lithium-Ion Batteries Work
Lithium-ion batteries are all around us in laptops, cell phones, iPods and electric cars. They’re popular because they provide a lot of energy for their size and weight, ten times more than lead-acid batteries. They’re also relatively safe. Despite the fact that they occasionally burst into flame, only two or three batteries out of a million do so.
A lithium-ion battery has four basic components: a positive and negative electrode, a separator and an electrolyte. The electrodes are immersed in a conductive ionic liquid called an electrolyte, which separates them and carries lithium ions from the cathode to the anode during discharging and back to the cathode during charging.
The negative electrode is made of carbon, while the positive electrode is usually a metal oxide such as lithium cobalt oxide or LiCoO2. When the battery charges, lithium ions move from the metal to the carbon in the anode. The anode is surrounded by a porous separator and the ionic liquid electrolyte that carries the ions during discharge and charging.
The separator is a thin sheet of micro-perforated plastic that keeps the positive and negative sides of the battery apart but lets ions pass through. The anode is a graphite-based material, but researchers are investigating options like single-atom thick sheets of carbon called graphene. The anode uses a method of lithium storage known as intercalation, where the ions are physically inserted between the 2D layers of graphite’s carbon lattice.
Lifespan
The lifespan of lithium-ion batteries can vary depending on the manufacturer and type. They can last from two to over ten years with the proper care. Proper usage and storage help prevent performance degradation or internal damage that could reduce the Li-ion battery pack battery’s life span. In addition, avoiding excessive discharge and keeping the battery at an optimal temperature reduces the chances of premature ageing.
Unlike other battery chemistries, lithium-ion does not have memory and needs regular partial discharges to maintain its full capacity. In general, the lower the Depth of Discharge (DoD), the better the battery’s cycle life. It is recommended to keep the battery at a moderate level of DoD between 50% and 75% of its capacity.
A high DoD can cause the negative electrodes to swell and damage the cells. This causes the cells to degrade and shortens the battery’s lifespan. To avoid this, use a battery analyzer to check the status of your Li-ion pack and monitor its State of Health.
Some device manufacturers suggest replacement based on a date stamp, which does not take usage into account. Instead, a good gauge is to check the battery’s capacity, which is the leading indicator of health. This method can help polymer lithium battery you anticipate a battery failure and replace it before its life is up. In addition, it’s important to keep in mind that temperature and handling also have a significant impact on a battery’s lifespan.
Safety
Lithium batteries contain a volatile and flammable liquid electrolyte that is the source of fire hazards. This is why it is important to follow proper usage and storage guidelines. This includes storing the battery away from combustible materials and using a charger designed for your specific battery. Counterfeit or poor quality chargers can cause excessive heat that damages the cells and leads to a fire. Overcharging, over-discharge and charging too quickly are some of the leading causes of lithium battery fires. Keeping an eye out for warning signs like swelling, unusual hissing or popping sounds and excessive heat can help prevent fire damage. If you see or smell smoke, follow your home fire escape plan and call 9-1-1 immediately.
A built-in safety circuit is another feature of lithium-ion batteries that helps to keep them safe. This circuit limits the peak voltage of each cell during charge and prevents them from discharging too low. This feature makes it difficult for unsafe lithium-ion packs to make it into the consumer market.
It’s also important to educate others about the proper disposal of lithium-ion batteries and devices that contain them. They should never be thrown in the trash. They should be taken to a battery recycling center for proper disposal. This will help to ensure that they don’t get into the wrong hands or end up in a landfill where they can leak and explode, causing environmental pollution and fire hazards.
Cost
When Li-ion batteries first came on the market in 1994, they cost more than $10 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) in cylindrical 18650* cells that delivered 1,100mAh. But over time the price of these batteries has dropped significantly, as have production costs and energy density increases.
Today, the average Lithium-Ion battery in a personal electronic device costs $9 to $90. Battery prices in electric vehicles and grid-scale systems are lower, but they will continue to increase as demand grows.
The price of Li-Ion batteries depends on their chemistry and the availability of the raw materials used to make them. Batteries containing semi-precious metals are more expensive than those made with inexpensive materials, like lithium iron phosphate (LFP), which is widely used in mobile phones and laptop computers. Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide (NMC) batteries, which are more expensive than LFPs, are also used in power tools and electric cars.
The most significant factor driving battery prices is the cost of production. The cost of machinery is the largest portion of manufacturing costs, followed by the raw materials and the electrodes. Production scales and processing improvements can help to reduce these costs. According to a study conducted using expert elicitation, it is estimated that doubling production capacity will reduce the materials cost by 23.5 %.
