Battery Power - September/October 2013 - (Page 26)
Industry News
Saft Li-Ion Batteries Make BreakThrough with
Contract for Houston Harbor’s Hybrid-Powered
Mobile Cranes
Saft has been awarded a contract by MJ EcoPower Hybrid
Systems to supply lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries for four new
hybrid-powered mobile RTG (Rubber Tyred Gantry) cranes
serving Houston Harbor in Texas. The contract is an important
breakthrough for Saft in the US hybrid RTG crane market that
is set for growth as operators seek to drive down their fuel costs
while reducing emissions. There are up to 600 existing RTG
cranes in US harbors that could potentially be retrofitted with
hybrid power systems, while around 150 new cranes are built
every year for the global market.
RTGs play an important logistics role in ports and harbors,
where they are used to transport and stack shipping containers
during ship loading and unloading. Normally, the electric motors for the movement and hoisting functions are powered by a
diesel generator often kept idling 24/7 to ensure that the crane is
always ready for operation. MJ EcoPower Hybrid Systems has
developed an alternative approach for its EcoCrane systems that
replaces the conventional diesel power plant (typically rated at
400 to 750 kW) with a much smaller diesel generator set of 100
to 150 kW combined with a battery-based energy storage unit.
In previous installations at ports and railyards, EcoCrane systems based on lead-acid batteries have demonstrated dramatic
fuel savings of up to 70 percent as well as reducing emissions
from 87 to 98 percent depending on the emissions category.
Regular battery-only running also makes the crane operations
much quieter, improving working conditions for operators and
reducing noise impact on the local environment, as well as improving the machine responsiveness.
For the Houston cranes, MJ EcoPower Hybrid Systems is
taking the EcoCrane system to the next level by replacing the
lead-acid batteries with Saft Li-ion batteries to supply the normal operating power as well as providing regenerative storage
for energy captured as the crane hoist lowers containers. The
small diesel generator will only need to be started to recharge
the batteries when required; it will be turned off for around 50
percent of the shift.
The Houston Harbor crane battery systems are based on
Saft Li-ion technology developed to provide maintenance-free
energy storage in a reduced volume, combining high operational
reliability over thousands of cycles with outstanding energy
efficiency. Saft is supplying a fully integrated energy storage
solution including battery management systems.
3M and Reshine Complete NMC Cathode Patent
License Agreement
3M and China-based Hunan Reshine New Material Company, Ltd have entered into a patent license agreement to expand
the use of nickel, manganese and cobalt (NMC) used in lithium
ion batteries. These batteries provide energy to a host of diverse
applications ranging from the consumer electronics market to
the automotive market. Under the agreement, 3M grants Reshine
a license to US Patents 6,660,432, 6,964,828, 7,028,128 and
26
Battery Power • September/October 2013
8,241,791 and all global equivalents including in Taiwan, Japan,
China and Europe.
The cathode compositions composed of nickel, manganese
and cobalt offer balance of power, energy, thermal stability
and low cost. NMC cathode materials can be tailored through
changes in composition and morphology to meet a wide range
of demanding customer requirements, including high-energy,
handheld consumer electronics to high-power (hybrid) electric
vehicles. For large format battery applications, the thermal
stability of NMC cathode compositions contributes to improved
battery safety performance and enables a lower total battery
system cost.
“The compositions described in these patents will enable
battery customers to further reduce cost and minimize materials cost fluctuations that are typical with higher cobalt cathode
compositions,” said Christian Milker, business manager, 3M
Electronics Markets Materials Division. “This agreement with
Reshine will accelerate the market adaptation of the technology
and enhance our ability to meet the rapidly growing needs of
lithium ion battery manufacturers.”
Angstron Materials Ramps Up Development of
Graphene Anode Material
Angstron Materials, Inc. took delivery of specialized HVAC
and dehumidification equipment early this year to complete
new dry rooms in building space adjacent to its manufacturing
facility. The dry rooms provide a controlled environment for
accelerated development and production of Angstron’s nano
graphene anode material for high performance batteries. The dry
room capability and added building space also support Dayton’s
ongoing efforts to grow advanced materials technologies says
Timothy Downs, deputy director of Dayton’s Office of Economic Development.
Angstron’s dry rooms number among only a few in Ohio that
are operational and have the capacity to support quick commercialization activities. The equipment holds relative humidity
in one room below 10 percent while humidity in the second dry
room is held at less than 1 percent.
“The components, chemicals and materials used in batteries react to moisture in the air, so it’s critical to maintain a
controlled environment,” said David Neff, materials engineer
for Angstron.
Nanotek Instruments, Inc., the parent company of Angstron
Materials was issued US patent 7,745,047 in June 2010 for its
graphene-based anode technology, which provides very high
specific capacity and stable charge-discharge cycling for lithium-ion batteries. It is one of the first patents to cover a broad
range of graphitic materials ranging from graphite and mesophase products to carbon fibers and carbon nanomaterials.
“Anodes composed of inorganic materials like silicon, germanium and various metal oxide materials tend to experience
fragmentation during charge-discharge cycles due to expansion
and contraction of the anode,” said Neff. “This also shortens battery life. We’ve solved these problems by using graphene sheets
to support anode particles or coatings. This approach eliminates
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Battery Power - September/October 2013
ABB to Build World’s Largest Network of EV Fast-Charging Stations in the Netherlands
Duracell Powermat and Starbucks Expand Wireless
Charging in Silicon Valley Area
Thermal Management of an Electrical Vehicle Battery Packing Using 1D and 3D CFD
New Battery Technologies - Added Value Electronics Can Turn Normal Batteries into Smart Battery Packs
A Novel Single-Compartment Concentration Cell Driven by Natural Evaporation for Green Energy Harvesting
Highly Accurate Li-Ion Battery Simulation
Batteries
ICs & Semiconductors
Charging, Testing & Monitoring
Industry News
Marketplace
Application Profile
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