Battery Power - Spring 2014 - (Page 4)

Editor's Choice Advanced Batteries for Portable Power Will Surpass $12.4 Billion in Annual Sales by 2023 Significant improvements in battery technologies and in some cases, the introduction of completely new battery chemistries are transforming the ways in which people charge portable devices, from smartphones to power tools. In particular, lithium ion (Li-Ion) batteries, commonly used today in smartphones and tablets, are moving beyond consumer electronics to dominate virtually all portable power applications. According to a recent report from Navigant Research, worldwide sales of advanced batteries for portable power will surpass $12.4 billion annually by 2023. "Thanks to the pervasive presence of smartphones, laptops and tablet computers, portable devices have become an indelible part of the modern lifestyle," said Sam Jaffe, senior research analyst with Navigant Research. "All of those devices need batteries to run them, and an $8 billion industry has grown up over the last 20 years to meet that demand. The spread of Li-Ion technology to virtually every segment of this industry will help expand this market in the coming years." Batteries for portable consumer electronics are, undoubtedly, the largest existing segment within the overall portable power market, according to the report. The fastest growth during the next 10 years, however, will be seen in smaller niches, such as down-hole drilling for fossil fuels, rechargeable batteries for medical devices (including implantable devices), and wearable computing devices. The report, "Advanced Batteries for Portable Power Applications," examines the advanced battery industry for portable devices. It sizes the global market and provides a 10-year forecast of advanced batteries (rechargeable batteries only) for portable power applications through 2023. Global market projections are provided for five major segments of the portable device market including consumer electronics (which is further broken down into mobile phones, tablets, laptops, and wearable devices), defense systems, medical devices, power tools, and oil & gas drilling operations. Saft Battery Systems to Ensure Reliable Operation for Hitachi's Electric and Bi-Mode Trains Saft has been awarded a multi-million dollar, five-year, framework contract by Hitachi Rail Europe to supply turnkey, fully integrated battery systems to provide vital backup power for passenger safety and comfort systems on the new Class 800 4 Battery Power * Spring 2014 series trains destined for the UK's Great Western Main Line and East Coast Main Line services. The contract, which is one of Saft's largest agreements in the UK rail industry, covers the supply of MSX battery systems for up to 122 Hitachi Class 800 and Class 801 train sets. As part of the Intercity Express Program, Hitachi is replacing the UK's 40-year-old InterCity 125 high speed diesel-powered fleets with new electric and bi-mode trains that represent an important step-change in train travel in the UK. In addition to greater capacity and reduced environmental impact, the Class 800 series trains place a key focus on achieving exceptional reliability. Saft engineers worked in close cooperation with Hitachi to develop the optimum onboard battery system to support passenger safety and comfort functions on the Class 800 series trains, such as lighting, ventilation, door opening and communications, for up to three hours in the event of an interruption to the main power supply. A key requirement was to ensure total reliability and power continuity during a 15-year service life, even in the harsh winter conditions encountered on the train routes in North Scotland. The result is a compact turnkey 'plug and play' battery raft, designed for mounting under the train floor, and featuring MSX batteries that deliver high power and cycling performance over a wide range of operating temperatures, from -30°C to 50°C. Every Class 800 and 801 train set will be fitted with at least two Saft battery systems, but some will have three or even four systems depending on their operational mode. The first confirmed call-off from the framework agreement is for 135 battery systems for installation on Great Western Main Line trains. Saft will deliver the majority of them to Hitachi's new Newton Aycliffe factory in northeast England. However, an initial batch of 28 will be supplied to Hitachi in Japan for the pre-series test program that commences in 2014. NREL Model Licensed to Improve Accuracy of Battery Simulations The Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has licensed its Equivalent Circuit Battery Model to software developer ThermoAnalytics for use in its recently updated RadTherm software package. The model is a part of the Battery Module within RadTherm, which is used by engineers to simulate the performance of battery cells and optimize multi-cell pack designs. Before the addition of the NREL Equivalent Circuit Battery Model, the software only allowed for static analyses of heat generation during constant current charge or discharge cycles. The updated version of the software can perform these analyses for transient current loads derived from drive cycles, delivering greater accuracy in evaluation results. "Increasing the precision of cell and pack-level battery simulations has a direct impact on accelerating the development of next generation electric-drive vehicle batteries," NREL Energy Storage Group manager Ahmad Pesaran said. "By adding this model to their software package, ThermoAnalytics will get www.BatteryPowerOnline.com http://www.BatteryPowerOnline.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Battery Power - Spring 2014

NREL Model Licensed to Improve Accuracy of Battery Simulations
Companies Collaborate to Make Wireless Power As Commonplace as WiFi
Improving the Coulombic Efficiency and Lifetime Of Li-Ion Cells Demands High Precision, High Accuracy Testing
Rapid Charging for Battery-Powered Portable Devices
Managing Fleet Batteries and Knowing When to Retire Them
Batteries
ICs & Semiconductors
Charging Systems
Industry News
Research & Development
Marketplace

Battery Power - Spring 2014