METHOD FOR DETERMINING THE CHARGE STATE OF A SECONDARY INTERCALATION CELL OF A RECHARGEABLE BATTERY

• US 20110288797A1
• Filed: 11/24/2009
• Published: 11/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Schmidt, Alexander
• Application Number:
  US13/132,861
• Publication Number:
  US 20110288797A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/63
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/0525 Rocking-chair batteries, i.e. batteries with lithium insertion or intercalation in both electrodes; Lithium-ion batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/48 Accumulators combined with arrangements for measuring, testing or indicating the condition of cells, e.g. the level or density of the electrolyte constructional details of current conducting connections for detecting conditions inside cells or batteries, e.g. details of voltage sensing terminals, H01M50/569
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A method is described for determining the charge state of a secondary intercalation cell having an anode, a cathode, a separator, and an electrolyte phase, which saturates the anode, the cathode, and the separator, in which the charge state is back-calculated on the basis of measured variables, which are measured on the intercalation cell, with the aid of an electrochemical simulation model. In the fundamental simulation model, physical-chemical properties in the anode and the cathode are each considered in simplified form as being homogeneously distributed in the anode and in the cathode and Butler-Volmer reaction kinetics are calculated in each case for the anode and for the cathode. The Butler-Volmer reaction kinetics are expanded on the anode side by a potential component (Φ₂) in the electrolyte phase of the anode.

Claims

1-12. -12. (canceled)

13. A method for determining a charge state of a secondary intercalation cell having an anode, a cathode, a separator, and an electrolyte phase which saturates the anode, the cathode, and the separator, the method comprising:

determining the charge state by back-calculating base on measured variables, which are measured on the intercalation cell, with an electrochemical simulation model, in which simulation model physical-chemical properties in the anode and the cathode are considered in simplified form as being homogeneously distributed in the anode and in the cathode in each case;

determining simulation model Butler-Volmer reaction kinetics in each case for the anode and the cathode; and

expanding the Butler-Volmer reaction kinetics on the anode side by a potential component in the an electrolyte phase of the anode.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein, for the anode-side expansion of the Butler-Volmer reaction kinetics by a potential component in the electrolyte phase of the anode, the potential component in the electrolyte phase of the anode is estimated in that the concentration of ions in the electrolyte phase is estimated and thus the potential component is approximately calculated.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein, for the anode-side expansion of the Butler-Volmer reaction kinetics, the potential component in the electrolyte phase of the anode is estimated based on the charge or discharge current of the cell, the mean conductivity of the electrolyte phase, and the thickness of an anode-separator-cathode sandwich.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the overpotential η

_s,a of the Butler-Volmer reaction kinetics of the anode, which are expanded by a potential component in the electrolyte phase of the anode, is calculated according to

η

_s,a=Φ

_s,a−

U_a(c_s,a)−

Φ

₂(k,I,L)−

Φ

_SEI

where Φ

_s,a is the voltage drop in the solid phase at a charge or discharge current I of the cell, U_a(c_s,a) is the open-circuit voltage of the anode as a function of concentration c_s,a of atoms, molecules and/or ions which are intercalated in the active particles of the anode during the intercalation, Φ

_SEI is the potential drop due to the film resistance on the surface of the anode, and Φ

₂(k,I,L) is the potential component in the electrolyte phase of the anode as a function of mean conductivity k of the electrolyte phase, charge or discharge current I of the cell, and thickness L of the anode-separator-cathode sandwich.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the potential component Φ

₂(k,I,L) in the electrolyte phase of the anode is calculated according to Φ

₂=k<sup>−

1</sup>·

L·

I(t), where k is the mean conductivity of the electrolyte phase, L is the thickness of the anode-separator-cathode sandwich, and l(t) is the charge or discharge current of the cell as a function of time t, the mean conductivity k of the electrolyte phase being estimated on the basis of the charge or discharge current of the cell l(t) and the terminal voltage.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the potential component Φ

₂(k,I,L) in the electrolyte phase of the anode is calculated according to Φ

₂=k<sup>−

1</sup>·

L·

I(t), where k is the mean conductivity of the electrolyte phase, L is the thickness of the anode-separator-cathode sandwich, and l(t) is the charge or discharge current of the cell as a function of time t, the mean conductivity k of the electrolyte phase being estimated on the basis of the charge or discharge current of the cell l(t).

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the mean conductivity k of the electrolyte phase is weighted using a weighting w.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein the charge state is back-calculated on the basis of the measured variables of cell temperature, cell voltage, and charge current or discharge current of the cell.

21. The method of claim 13, wherein, during the calculation of the Butler-Volmer reaction kinetics, the anode and the cathode are each considered in simplified form as a spherical particle whose surface is scaled to the surface of the anode or the cathode of a real secondary intercalation cell, within each of which the physical-chemical properties are considered to be homogeneously distributed.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the physical-chemical properties in the anode and in the cathode are calculated on the basis of the particular last calculated physical-chemical properties in the anode and in the cathode and on the basis of the physical-chemical properties on the surface of the active material of the anode and the cathode.

23. The method of claim 13, wherein the physical-chemical properties, which are considered to be homogeneously distributed in each case in the anode and in the cathode, at least include the concentration of the atoms and/or molecules and/or ions which are intercalated in each case in the anode and in the cathode during the intercalation.

24. The method of claim 13, wherein the secondary intercalation cell is a lithium-ion intercalation cell.