Method of determining remaining capacity of a storage cell

Abstract: The remaining capacity of a storage cell, particularly a valve regulated lead-acid cell, is determined by measuring its impedance at typically two or three relatively low frequencies f, e.g, frequencies in the approximate range of 0.001 to 1.0Hz. The slope (dZ''/dZ')of a plot of the imaginary part Z'' vs. real part Z' of the complex impedance Z, measured at such relatively low frequencies f, is a measure of the cell's remaining capacity.

Description: This invention relates to methods of determining the remaining charge capacity of a storage cell, such as an electrolyte starved lead-acid cell (also known as "valve regulated" or "sealed" lead-acid cell). An important measure of the remaining discharge time period t during which a cell can deliver power to a electrical load is the cell's remaining capacity ("reserve capacity") at a constant discharging current I d . Typically, this remaining capacity is measured in ampere-hours (AH). In turn, it is important to have a remotely located sensing means (connected by wires to the cell) for determining this time period t=AH/I d . Lead-acid cells generally have the property that, except for a relatively small time interval t o (approximately between 0.2t and 0.3t) toward the end of this time period t, the terminal voltage V of the cell is approximately constant. Thus the power P=VI d delivered to the load will be approximately constant except during the relatively small time interval t o . In a paper entitled "Internal Resistance: Harbinger of Capacity Loss in Starved Electrolyte Sealed Lead Acid Batteries," published in Intelec 87 Conference Proceedings , pp. 128-131 (1987), and authored by F.J. Vaccaro and P. Casson, a technique for determining the remaining capacity of a valve-regulated lead-acid cell is disclosed. In that technique an alternating voltage at 1 KHz is applied across the terminals of the cell and the impedance is measured and compared with a calibration curve. However, the technique essentially measures only the purely resistive component of the impedance of the electrolyte in the cell and therefore other relevant parameters-which depend on the history of the cell's charging and discharging, heating and cooling, etc.--cannot be detected. Thus the only detectable failure mechanisms are loss of water--other failure mechanisms relevant to remaining capacity are not detected. In particular, the technique does not detect aging, or flaking of electrodes, or insufficient organic additive, or irreversible formation of lead sulfate, all of which depend upon the history of the cell and which deteriorate the condition of the cell, and thus reduce the actually remaining capacity of the cell, but undesirably are not detected by the technique. In U.S. Patent No. 4,952,862 a technique for predicting the remaining discharge time of a lead-acid storage cell for a given current is disclosed. That technique, however, requires a significant discharge of the cell to make a measurement. Such a discharge can be undesirable because of the consequent deterioration of the cell simply as a result of this required significant discharge. EP-A-0146093 discloses a process for measurement of the state of discharge of a battery, comprising measuring a first internal impedance of the battery at a first frequency and a second internal impedance of the battery at a second frequency, and then determining the phase angle of the difference between the internal impedances, the phase angle being representative of the state of discharge of the battery. It is desirable to have a technique for measuring the remaining capacity of a storage cell that mitigates the shortcomings of prior art. According to this invention there is provided a method as claimed in claim 1. The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG. 1 shows a family of curves for a specific (prototype) cell of its imaginary part Z'' versus its real part Z' of its complex a-c impedance at various frequencies, each curve being for a different remaining capacity (AH) of the specific cell; FIG.2 shows a plot, together with its best-fitting straight line, of the slope (dZ''/dZ') of the linear portions of each of the curves shown in FIG.1 versus the remaining capacity (AH) of the cell; and FIG.3 shows a plot, together with its best-fitting straight line, of the slopes (dZ''/dZ') of six different cells versus remaining capacity (AH). Referring now to FIG.1; values of Z'' and Z' are measured and plotted for the prototype cell both at different frequencies f and for different known remaining capacities--for illustrative purposes, seven remaining capacities: 0.0AH, 17AH, 37AH, 57AH, 77AH, 97H, and 117AH. It is found that there exists a common frequency range (Δf) 2 in which, for all of those (seven) remaining capacities (AH), all plots of Z'' vs. Z', each for a given remaining capacity but for varying frequencies f, are substantially straight lines. For each remaining capacity within the common frequency range (Δf) 2 a best-fitting straight line 41, 42, ... 47 is determined for the respective corresponding plot of Z'' vs. Z', and the slope (dZ''/dZ') for each of these lines is found and plotted as a Cartesian ordinate (FIG.2). In particular, within a common frequency range (Δf 2 ) of approximately 0.01 to 0.05 Hz, all curves 41, 42, ... 47 are substantially linear. Again, the fact that this common frequency range (Δf 2 ) exists makes the invention more useful, as this common frequency range can later be used for measuring the slope (dZ"/dZ') of any cell having the same construction as that of the prototype cell but having a unknown remaining charge capacity (to be determined)--taking measurements of Z'' and Z' of each such unknown cell at only two or three frequencies within this common range (without any substantial discharging of the cell occurring during or between these measurements). At any rate, the slope (dZ"/dZ') in the respective linear regions for each of these curves 41, 42, ... 47 is determined and plotted (FIG. 2) as the ordinates of points 51, 52, ... 57, respectively. The abscissas of points 51, 52, ... 57 (FIG. 2) are respectively determined by discharging the cells at I d = 10 amp to a voltage cut-off of 1.75 V. A best-fitting straight line 50 for these points is then determined. This line 50 has been found to be valid as a calibration curve for determining the remaining capacity (AH) not only of the prototype cell regardless of its history but also of any other cells having the same chemical and geometrical construction as that of the prototype cell (using the same common frequency range to measure the slopes (dZ''/dZ') of the other cells as that of the prototype cell). Alternatively, in order to obtain a more nearly universal calibration curve, instead of using the best-fitting straight line 50 (FIG.2) as the calibration curve for cells other than the prototype cell, a straight-line calibration curve 60 (FIG.3) for say six cells (including the prototype cell) is determined. This calibration curve 60 is the best-fitting straight line for the plotted points of the slope (dZ''/dZ') vs. remaining capacities (AH) for all six cells, the slopes advantageously all being determined for a common frequency range (Δf 2 ) within which the plots of Z'' vs. Z' are substantially linear for all remaining capacities (AH) for all cells. In this way, the straight-line calibration curve 60 can be used for determining the remaining capacity (AH) of an unknown cell simply by measuring its Z'' and Z' at two or three points within that common frequency range (Δf 2 ), then determining the value of the slope (dZ"/dZ'), and finally using the earlier determined straight-line 60 to determine (e.g., by inspection) the remaining capacity (AH) for this value of the slope (dZ''/dZ'). It should be understood that the common frequency ranges (Δf 1 ) and (Δf 2 ) for VRLA cells, within which the plot of Z'' vs. Z' (FIG.1) is substantially linear can depend on the geometric and chemical construction of the cell. Although this invention has been described in detail with reference to specific embodiments, various modifications can be made. For example, instead of VRLA cells, any lead-acid or other types of electrical storage cells can be used. Instead of best-fitting straight line calibration curves 50, 60, other forms (shapes) of calibration curves can be determined and used to measure the remaining capacity of unknown cells. Instead of using a prototype cell for determining calibration curve 50, a production cell can be used.

Claims: A method of determining the remaining capacity of a storage cell, comprising the steps of: measuring at least two impedances of the cell, where each of the impedances is measured at a different frequency in an approximate range of 0.001 to 1.0 Hz, determining the approximate slope (dZ"/dZ') of a line defined by the intercepts of the imaginary part of the impedance (Z") vs. the real part of the impedance (Z'), determining the remaining capacity of the cell by comparison of the determined slope to a callibration curve of slope vs. remaining capacity, where the calibration curve is provided by: (a) measuring, for at least two known-capacity cells of differing remaining capacity values, at least two impedances of each cell, where each of the two impedances is measured at different frequencies in an approximate range of 0.001 to 1.0 Hz, and (b) determining, for each remaining capacity value, the approximate slope (dZ"/dZ') of a line defined by the intercepts of the imaginary part of the impedance (Z") vs. the real part of the impedance (Z'). A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the cells are lead-acid storage cells. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the cells are valve-regulated lead-acid storage cells. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the approximate frequency range is 0.001 to 0.10 Hz.

Inventors: FANG WEI-CHOU, FANG, WEI-CHOU
Applicants: AT & T CORP, AT&T CORP.
Application year: 1992
Main classification: G01R31
IPC codes: G01R31