SoH Analysis of the Lead Acid (LA) Battery Using a Novel Vibration Tool

Abstract

Lead Acid (LA) batteries are widely accepted as primary source of energy for electrical vehicles due to their less cost, recycling efficiency and will remain in the near future. Despite this advantage, LA Batteries are prone to acute as well as chronic defects due to continual usage, and they may develop various faults during their use such as reduction of electrolyte, sulphonation, etc. These faults degrade the battery performance. To sustain battery performance, monitoring State of Health and State of Charge of the battery is continuously expected. Various methods to measure state of charge have been researched so far. And to monitor the health of batteries a vibration sensor is attached to the external surface of the cell. Real time data from the vibration sensor is used non-destructively to evaluate the internal conditions of vital interfaces inside the cell. Hence pre-emptive measures are taken against any incipient faults and defects to prevent any further damage to the battery. A regular data of the vibration for batteries used in vehicles has proved to be helpful in realizing the need of repair or replacement. To collect this data, a set of vibration sensors are used along with a set-up placed around a battery, a microcontroller for data acquisition from the sensors. This data is then plotted on a graph which is then matched with previously made graphs to understand the type of defect that has taken place in the battery or the period of its life it is going through. The vibration data has been analyzed and presented here in different conditions with respect to various known faults in the LA batteries.