The increased use of batteries requires their improvement in terms of safety as well as quality, reliability and life (QRL). The EU-funded INSTABAT project aims to observe in operando essential parameters of a Li–ion battery cell to provide higher accuracy states of charge, health, power, energy and safety (SoX) cell indicators. The goal of INSTABAT is to improve the batteries' safety and Quality, Reliability and Life (QRL). The project ambition is to develop a solution of smart sensing technologies and functionalities integrated into a battery cell. This solution is to be able to perform reliable monitoring of key parameters, correlate the evolution of these parameters to the physicochemical degradation phenomena taking place at the battery cell's core and improve the battery's functional performance and safety. This ambition is aligned to the Battery 2030+ roadmap .
To achieve this goal, INSTABAT was developing a proof of concept of smart sensing technologies and functionalities, integrated into a battery cell and capable of
• performing reliable in operando monitoring (time- and space-resolved) of key parameters (temperature and heat flow; pressure; strain; Li+ concentration and distribution; CO2 concentration; “absolute” impedance, potential and polarisation) by means of
(i) four embedded physical sensors (optical fibers with Fiber Bragg Grating and luminescence probes, reference electrode and photo-acoustic gas sensors),
(ii) two virtual sensors (based on reduced electro-chemical and thermal models),
• correlating the evolution of these parameters with the physico-chemical degradation phenomena occurring at the heart of the battery cell,
• improving the battery functional performance and safety, thanks to enhanced BMS algorithms providing in real-time higher accuracy SoX cell indicators (taking the measured and estimated parameters into consideration).
The main results of the project are: (1) a proof of concept of a multi-sensor platform (cell prototype equipped with physical/virtual sensors, and associated BMS algorithms providing SoX cell indicators in real time); (2) demonstration of higher accuracy for SoX cell indicators; (3) demonstration of improvement of cell functional performance and safety through two use cases for EV applications; (4) techno-economic feasibility study (manufacturability, adaptability to other cell technologies...).
INSTABAT smart cell concept aims to open up new horizons to improve cell use and performances (e.g. by reducing ageing, allowing the decrease of safety margins, triggering self-healing, facilitating second life, etc.).
