Lithium News

Lithium-Ion batteries critical to reducing power management costs

April 4, 2018 By Editor

The world’s enterprises demand more from their edge computing assets such as their IoT systems and business-critical applications. The issue of reliable and effective power management is essential to managing large and often demanding distributed computing environments.

But that is all being put at risk because organisations don’t often have dedicated staff with proper expertise to make sure that power protection equipment is maintained to its full potential.

This could lead to unplanned downtime that affects business performance, and replacement costs resulting from equipment that hasn’t been maintained properly.

In the case of uninterruptible power supplies (UPS), maintenance is particularly important. So how do you make UPS easy to maintain?

Schneider Electric believes part of the answer lies in lithium-ion (Li-Ion) battery technology. This technology provides longer lifespans, more compact batteries, better performance, and lower maintenance.

You may be used to valve-regulated lead-acid (VRLA) batteries, which need to be replaced more often, weigh around three times as much as Li-Ion batteries – and they charge four times slower than Li-Ion.

End users demand better performance with a smaller footprint, while organizations are looking for something that lowers the total cost of ownership and easier maintenance.

Better batteries: Scientists spice up electrolyte solution to increase charge cycles

April 4, 2018 By Editor

When it comes to the special sauce of batteries, researchers at the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have discovered it’s all about the salt concentration. By getting the right amount of salt, right where they want it, they’ve demonstrated a small lithium-metal battery can re-charge about seven times more than batteries with conventional electrolytes.

A battery’s electrolyte solution shuttles charged atoms between electrodes to generate electricity. Finding an electrolyte solution that doesn’t corrode the electrodes in a lithium-metal battery is a challenge but the PNNL approach, published online in Advanced Materials, successfully creates a protective layer around the electrodes and achieves significantly increased charge/discharge cycles.

Conventional electrolytes used in lithium-ion batteries, which power household electronics like computers and cell phones, are not suitable for lithium-metal batteries. Lithium-metal batteries that replace a graphite electrode with a lithium electrode are the ‘holy grail’ of energy storage systems because lithium has a greater storage capacity and, therefore, a lithium-metal battery has double or triple the storage capacity. That extra power enables electric vehicles to drive more than two times longer between charges.

Adding more lithium-based salt to the liquid electrolyte mix creates a more stable interface between the electrolyte and the electrodes which, in turn, affects the life of the battery. But that high concentration of salt comes with distinct downsides — including the high cost of lithium salt. The high concentration also increases viscosity and lowers conductivity of the ions through the electrolyte.

“We were trying to preserve the advantage of the high concentration of salt, but offset the disadvantages,” said Ji-Guang “Jason” Zhang, a senior battery researcher at PNNL. “By combining a fluorine-based solvent to dilute the high concentration electrolyte, our team was able to significantly lower the total lithium salt concentration yet keep its benefits.”

In this process, they were able to localize the high concentrations of lithium-based salt into “clusters” which are able to still form protective barriers on the electrode and prevent the growth of dendrites — microscopic, pin-like fibers — that cause rechargeable batteries to short circuit and limit their life span.

PNNL’s patent-pending electrolyte was tested in PNNL’s Advanced Battery Facility on an experimental battery cell similar in size to a watch battery. It was able to retain 80 percent of its initial charge after 700 cycles of discharging and recharging. A battery using a standard electrolyte can only maintain its charge for about 100 cycles.

Researchers will test this localized high concentration electrolyte on ‘pouch’ batteries developed at the lab, which are the size and power of a cell phone battery, to see how it performs at that scale. They say the concept of using this novel fluorine-based diluent to manipulate salt concentration also works well for sodium-metal batteries and other metal batteries.

This research is part of the Battery500 Consortium led by PNNL which aims to develop smaller, lighter, and less expensive batteries that nearly triple the specific energy found in batteries that power today’s electric cars. Specific energy measures the amount of energy packed into a battery based on its weight.

Building lithium-sulfur batteries with paper biomass

April 4, 2018 By Editor

A major byproduct in the papermaking industry is lignosulfonate, a sulfonated carbon waste material, which is typically combusted on site, releasing CO₂into the atmosphere after sulfur has been captured for reuse.

Now researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have developed a method to use this cheap and abundant paper biomass to build a rechargeable lithium-sulfur battery. Such a battery could be used to power big data centers as well as provide a cheaper energy-storage option for microgrids and the traditional electric grid.

“Our research demonstrates the potential of using industrial paper-mill byproducts to design sustainable, low-cost electrode materials for lithium-sulfur batteries,” said Trevor Simmons, a Rensselaer research scientist who developed the technology with his colleagues at the Center for Future Energy Systems (CFES). He has patented the process with former graduate student Rahul Mukherjee.

Rechargeable lithium-ion batteries currently are the dominant battery technology. In recent years, however, much interest has grown around developing lithium-sulfur batteries, which can have more than double the energy of their lithium-ion counterparts of the same mass.

A rechargeable battery has two electrodes — a positive cathode and a negative anode. Placed in between the electrodes is a liquid electrolyte that serves as a medium for the chemical reactions that produce electric current. In a lithium-sulfur battery, the cathode is composed of a sulfur-carbon matrix, and a lithium metal oxide is used for the anode.

In its elemental form, sulfur is nonconductive, but when combined with carbon at elevated temperatures, it becomes highly conductive, allowing it to be used in novel battery technologies. The challenge, however, is that sulfur can easily dissolve into a battery’s electrolyte, causing the electrodes on either side to deteriorate after only a few cycles.

Researchers have used different forms of carbon, such as nanotubes and complex carbon foams, to confine the sulfur in place, but with limited success. “Our method provides a simple way to create an optimal sulfur-based cathode from a single raw material,” Simmons said.

To develop their method, the Rensselaer researchers partnered with Finch Paper in Glens Falls, which provided the lignosulfonate. This “brown liquor” (a dark syrupy substance) is dried and then heated to about 700 degrees Celsius in a quartz tube furnace.

The high heat drives off most of the sulfur gas but retains some of the sulfur as polysulfides (chains of sulfur atoms) that are embedded deep within an activated carbon matrix. The heating process is repeated until the right amount of sulfur is trapped in the carbon matrix. The material is then ground up and mixed with an inert polymer binder to create a cathode coating on aluminum foil.

The research team has so far created a lithium-sulfur battery prototype that is the size of a watch battery, which can cycle about 200 times. The next step is to scale up the prototype to markedly increase the discharge rate and the battery’s cycle life.

“In repurposing this biomass, the researchers working with CFES are making a significant contribution to environmental preservation while building a more efficient battery that could provide a much-needed boost for the energy storage industry,” said Martin Byrne, CFES director of business development.

Initial funding for the research came from the New York State Pollution Prevention Institute (NYSP2I). The research team then secured a Bench to Prototype grant from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, administered through NY-BEST (New York Battery and Energy Storage Technology), to more fully develop the technology.

Simmons and his colleagues’ novel lithium-sulfur battery research, which could significantly contribute to the energy-storage industry, is an example of the vision of The New Polytechnic, an emerging paradigm for teaching, learning, and research at Rensselaer, the foundation of which is the recognition that global challenges and opportunities are so great they cannot be adequately addressed by even the most talented person working alone. The New Polytechnic is transformative in the global impact of research, in its innovative pedagogy, and in the lives of students at Rensselaer.

Is This The Best Alternative To Lithium-Ion Batteries?

April 4, 2018 By Editor

What would you think about a battery that sports five times the capacity of the average lithium-ion one? And then what if this batter was cheaper, and even more environmentally friendly? This is not a hypothetical battery—it exists—and now researchers are working to make it suitable for wide adoption.

This new battery is a lithium-sulfur battery, and like any new tech, it comes with problems. The main problems are the poor conductive properties of sulfur and the instability of the chemical. The problem with Lithium isn’t new, however. Lithium can become unstable, compromising the performance of the battery. Electrode breakdown is also an issue with these otherwise promising batteries. While this may sound like too many problems, a way around them has been suggested.

A team of researchers from the University of Texas at Dallas discovered that molybdenum—a litle known metal—could solve many of these problems. Molybdenum is usually used to improve the strength and hardness of steel, but in the lithium-sulfur battery, it could be combined with sulfur to create a nano-level layer of a substance that improves the conductivity of sulfur and improves the stability of the battery.

Previously, improvements of lithium-sulfur batteries consisted of adding lithium metal to the anode and sulfur to the cathode. Yet with lithium prone to sprouting so-called dendrites, and with sulfur being too insulating, the improvements were not exactly effective. Molybdenum, apparently, can both enhance lithium’s performance on the anode, and reduce sulfur’s insulating strength on the cathode.

The discovery comes soon after another one in lithium-sulfur batteries: a polymer that can further boost the already considerable capacity of the battery. The polymer acts as a binder that regulates the flow of ions from one electrode to the other, improving the efficiency of the battery and doubling its capacity. The polymer also improves the stability of the battery, keeping it working for more than 100 charge/recharge cycles.

The implications of these advancements could be massive, and not just for the electric car industry but also for base metals. Right now, we’re witnessing a major rally in what are already collectively called battery metals. But lithium-sulfur batteries need neither nickel, nor cobalt. If progress continues to move closer to commercial adoption, it could put an end to the rally sooner than many expect.

Of course, as with all other very promising batteries, it is difficult to make any predictions about what will happen and when. Nevertheless, authors of studies into batteries are invariably optimistic. “This was what everyone was looking for, for a long time. We are taking this to the next step and will fully stabilize the material, and bring it to actual, practical commercial technology,” said one of the authors of the latest lithium-sulfur battery study.

Yet this could take years, and until then, lithium-ion will continue to reign supreme.

On the other hand, as we are wont of reminding everyone, the sheer amount of research being done into better, cheaper, more reliable batteries is bound to produce at least one viable alternative to lithium-ion technology in the not-to-distant future.

Chinese wind energy company operates U.S. sustainable battery system for storage

April 3, 2018 By Editor

A California-based energy storage company said Sunday that its new long-life sustainable battery system has been installed at the Beijing campus of Etechwin, a subsidiary of world leading Chinese wind turbine manufacturer Goldwind.

Primus Power, the leading long duration stationary energy storage firm based in California, said in a statement that battery energy storage paired with wind turbines unlocks the ability to mitigate rapid wind output changes due to varying wind speeds.

The battery system can also help ensure a stable power output, and controlled ramp-up and ramp-down of wind power generation, the company also said.

“Primus is excited to be working with Goldwind and Etechwin to help solve the challenges represented by renewable curtailment,” said Jorg Heinemann, Primus Power’s chief commercial officer.

He added that Goldwind and its customers will greatly benefit from the multi-hour performance and multi-decade life offered by Primus’ EnergyPod2, a second generation long-duration, fade-free flow battery system with five hour discharge and 20-year life span that is necessary for grid applications.

EnergyPod2 delivers a total cost of ownership up to 50 percent less than leading conventional lithium-ion battery systems, the company says.

“Policy makers in China are considering a mandate that energy storage be incorporated with all new grid connected wind developments,” says Guoju Zhang, Goldwind’s chief of the department of advanced research.

“In anticipation of this mandate, we have installed, commissioned and are operating a Primus EnergyPod2 system at our facility,” he said, adding that the company wants to prove the value of battery energy storage paired with its wind turbines.

A recent Bloomberg report estimated that owners of China’s wind and solar assets forewent approximately 4.7 billion U.S. dollars in potential revenue due to renewable curtailment on wind energy in 2017.

In June 2017, Qinghai Province in western China recognized that energy storage can play a role in reducing curtailment and proposed new legislation that would mandate the use of energy storage systems with new wind turbine installations.

Etechwin is the microgrid subsidiary of Goldwind, a world leading provider of wind turbine technology and energy solutions, which is headquartered in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in northeast China.

Infiniti to leverage F1 hybrid tech for street-legal road cars

April 3, 2018 By Editor

The technology Daniel Ricciardo used to set the fastest race lap at last week’s Australian Grand Prix will be applied to Infiniti’s first effort at a supercar, heralding the Japanese-based company’s resurgence as a premium prestige brand.

Infiniti is a major player in North America but has yet to hit massive highs in Europe of Asia-Pacific, despite making serious inroads in the Chinese market. Infiniti’s head of product strategy Francois Bancon believes the Project Black S concept can help shift that perception.

Kinetic and thermal energy recovery _ both stored in a fast-discharge lithium-ion battery _ are features of modern F1 cars and fuse extra power with lower fuel use.

Bancon says the Black S _ which is being evaluated for production _ combines the company’s seriously quick V6 twin-turbo engine seen in the Q60 Red Sport coupe _ with F1-style energy recovery to boost power from the combustion engine’s 298kW to 373KW and cuts fuel consumption in the process.

“Justifying our investment in F1 is hard because the base doesn’t exist in America (Infiniti’s biggest market by far),” Bancon explains. “As head of motorsport you need to look at the technology not the (audience) numbers and cars like the Black S give us a way forward.”

The Project Black S concept’s hybrid powertrain develops 370kW

It’s a similar story with the drive-by-wire software that underpins many Infiniti cars. Bancon admits the evolving technology isn’t fitted to the Black S is but says “it is the future if we want autonomous driving”.

“We probably haven’t communicated this technology well enough in the past but it is necessary if we want to move to fully autonomous driving. EPAS (electric power assisted steering) is good but there is a delay _ with drive-by-wire the software instantly talks to the other parts of the car and avoids this.”

“It is still an technology we have to work on but all car companies will do this at some stage _ there is no choice if we want to advance to fully autonomous cars.

The F1-style hybrid system in the Black S boosts power from the standard Q60 Red Sport’s 298kW to 373kW while also being able to meet increasingly stringent emissions regulations.

The QX50 is the first production car to use a variable-compression engine.

Short-term, the QX50 mid-sized SUV due to arrive in Australia early next year uses a turbocharged 2.0-litre variable compression ratio engine to manage performance and fuel economy.

Bancon says the engine doesn’t hit maximum power or 0-100km/h times but its utility and fuel consumption make it the next big thing.

“Everyone has tried this _ Volvo and Mercedes-Benz _ but they walked away because it was too hard. It has taken us 20 years to reach this point. Conventional turbo engines can be tuned for high-speed power or for tractability around town _ you can’t have both,” he explains.

“with a VC (variable compression) engine we can tune it to do just that and still have class-leading fuel efficiency in all situations.”