Different environmental conditions such as extreme heat, extreme cold, moisture or other variables can influence a device failure in various ways. In today’s world, we all expect fault-free products and uninterrupted operations and services and in order to guarantee 100% performance, manufacturers from various industries must conduct environmental simulation tests of their products.
Environmental testing is conducted to determine a component’s ability to perform during or after exposure to a specific type of environment.
Batteries are truly the future of energy storage and to ensure they are able to perform safely and reliably, they need to be tested. Common failures of lithium ion batteries include undercharging, overcharging, overheating or a crack in the separating membrane. There is a vast variety of safety risks associated with any of these failures, which is specific to the product being tested.
To conduct tests on lithium-ion batteries, ETS offers temperature and climate chambers that are aligned with all market-relevant standards such as UL, EN, IEC or ISO, different environmental requirements or test types like: short circuit while hot, heat resistance, temperature cycling and thermal abuse, to ensure that they can survive their everyday environment.
Battery testing chambers are used in research and development, quality assurance, and battery production alike and are supplied to a variety of industries including, automotive, computer, telecommunications, defense, and alternative energy markets.
Our series of temperature test chambers comes in various models in order to meet test requirements relating to temperature range, climate range, and test area size.
Rechargeable lithium batteries are an integral part of mobile systems like smartphones and laptops but they can also be found storing large quantities of energy in stationary storage systems. These days, the automotive industry is one of the most significant fields in which they are used, with lithium-ion batteries being integrated into hybrid and electric vehicles with increasing frequency, therefore, reliability and safety become paramount. The batteries must perform well in hot and cold conditions, while not posing a hazard due to leaking or exploding. System operators need to evaluate the level of risk and counteract it using an appropriate safety concept.
Hazard Severity Levels
Types of tests
Aging tests:
These involve testing at a certain temperature without the battery load cycle. They are performed within a safe temperature range for the battery.
Performance tests:
Various battery-specific parameters, such as the load state are tested with overlapping temperature ranges. These tests are performed within a safe temperature range for the battery.
Stress tests:
Various battery-specific parameters, such as the load state are tested with overlapping temperature ranges. These tests are performed at the limit of the safe temperature range for the battery. This category also includes tests with higher charging and discharging currents overlapping with constant or dynamic temperatures.
Common test standards for lithium ion battery cells or modules:
UL 1642 - Standard for Lithium Batteries
UL 2054 - Household and Commercial Batteries
UL 2580 - Batteries for use in Electric Vehicles
IEC 62133 - Safety requirements for portable sealed secondary cells
IEC 62660-2 - Reliability & Abuse Testing for Lithium Ion Cells in Electric Vehicles
SAE J2464 - EV & HEV Rechargeable Energy Storage System Safety & Abuse Testing
UN/DOT 38.3 - Lithium batteries during shipping
Safety first!
Battery failure is a real risk and sometimes also a desired outcome, therefore the environmental chambers need safety systems to protect from harmful explosions and ensure operator safety.
One of the greatest risks is the release of flammable gases from the battery, which may ignite on their own, or by the test chamber’s heaters, consequently special low-temperature heaters are recommended and sometimes additional precautions may be necessary. By monitoring the battery for thermal runaway, the chamber may be shut off and an alarm made prior to an explosion.
Depending on the expected hazard level there is an extensive list of accessories that may be used. Certain applications may include fire detection/suppression systems, gas monitors (H2, O2 or CO), custom pressure relief vent that protects chamber from a sudden release of high pressure gas, door safety interlock switches (to prevent opening during a test or after and event), a flushing system of N2 or CO2 to help minimize a fire and help remove byproducts from the chamber, a reinforced chamber floor to withstand intense heat, and an internal cooling system to help control cell and pack temperatures. In certain extreme “test to failure” applications, a protective enclosure/structure may need to be built to isolate the event. These are just some of the common safety features most commonly utilized.
Based on your testing needs and safety requirements, we can help with various options to create a complete testing system.
We offer a vast experience in chambers designed for battery testing from small battery cells to large battery packs.
