Batteries International magazine - Autumn issue 109 by hamptonhalls

Issue 109

Autumn 2018

The game changer! ALABC, Argonne to explore uncharted R&D waters Farewell Ken Peters, unsung hero of VRLA possibilities

ELBC proves conference talk of the year â&#x20AC;&#x201D; an insider's view

Boris Monahov retires, steps down as ALABC head

Are lead-lithium hybrids even worth discussing?

Bringing the industry together

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CONTENTS COVER STORY

THE ARGONNE PARTNERSHIP The new research partnership between Argonne National Laboratory and 14 ALABC members opens up exciting avenues to improve lead battery performance. The game-changer 51 Using Argonne’s facilities will allow lead acid batteries access to the same facilities that advanced lithium ion development Improving battery performance through in situ electrochemical techniques RSR Technologies’ research using Argonne’s synchrotron is already proving its commercial worth

EDITORIAL 4 Where is the next generation of battery leaders? PEOPLE NEWS

Monahov steps down at ALABC • Siemens reshuffles board, appoints Sen as head of renewable energy • Entek promotes Beutelschies to global VP sales • Hucke new CTO at Skeleton • International Lead Medal awarded posthumously to David Boden for services to lead industry • Zhao Huan quits Leoch International Technology • UK’s Faraday Institution appoints Morris as new CEO • Highview hires Cavada as CEO • Aqua Metals appoints Terri Bradfield as VP of human resources • EUROBAT names Gert Meylemans as head of public relations

Monahov: retiring shortly

Meylemans: EUROBAT PR

OBITUARIES Paul Frost, 1952-2018 A colourful character with an enormous range of friends and expertise — not forgetting an encyclopaedic knowledge of lead.

Ken Peters, 1928-2918 The lead battery veteran who, among other things, pioneered the development of the VRLA battery, taking it from early product concept to the manufacturing line has died aged 90.

INDUSTRY NEWS

JCI to decide on battery business sale imminently, in collaboration with Amara Raja • First of five grid-scale lead carbon ESSs in Germany inaugurated • EnerSys confirms contract boosts to supply TPPL batteries • Daramic announces capacity expansion in France to meet EFB demand • India’s Exide pushes ahead with bipolar batteries, NiCd batteries and recycling • Quemetco plans to increase lead battery recycling by 25% • Megapulse looks for expansion in North America • DBS Leoch plans to regain foothold in UK maritime sector • US DOD to install UltraBattery in its first self-sufficient independent microgrid • Mesa Technical Associates buys Alcad, Saft’s lead battery business • Furukawa signs UltraBattery contract with Exide Industries • IESA brings lead-acid battery voices together to lobby for tax cut in India • Amara Raja Batteries expands domestically and in UAE too PRODUCT NEWS

AI-driven renewable energy system to reduce fossil fuel consumption in UK • New electrodes could pave way for faster cycling of lithium ion in ESS Tydrolyte unveils new electrolyte with ‘potential to replace sulfuric acid’ Abertax announces two new patents Fiamm Energy Technology displays latest range of stop-start batteries New electrodes could pave way for faster cycling of lithium ion in ESS www.batteriesinternational.com

Paul Frost: missed by friends and colleagues alike 18

Ken Peters: VRLA battery sage sadly no longer with us 20

Batteries International • Autumn 2018 • 1

CONTENTS ENERGY STORAGE NEWS

Round-up of the more important last three months’ ESS stories FEATURES What is a synchrotron? 51

The best of both worlds — a lead and lithium hybrid emerges

Kicking up a stink! Ammonia to be next energy storage disrupter

CONFERENCE IN PRINT Dissimilar metal joining through new lasers can boost battery performance

New ways of making start-stop separators special

BACK TO BASICS

Predictive test methods for starter batteries 16ELBC: THE BIG PICTURE

The first 30 years are the hardest

Vienna — was it good for you too?

EVENTS & EVENTS REVIEW

Our unique listing of conference events for the entire industry Was it good for you too? 88

BATTERY HEROES: WALLY RIPPEL

110

Carving out a new EV landscape 16ELBC please, driver!

Where in the world?... The Last Word 114

THE LAST WORD

114

• CBI — Community Bankers of Iowa — to sue ALABC over name change • Alles Gut zum Geburtstag! • And one for luck? A little something for the bookshelf sir? • McDermott: resolute to the end • 16ELBC — the organizers messed up … AGAIN! • Jun Furukawa goes to the Dark Side • Smile at the birdie … if GDPR lets you • Don’t they teach geography any longer?

Publisher Karen Hampton, karen@batteriesinternational.com, +44 7792 852 337

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Editor: Michael Halls, editor@batteriesinternational.com, +44 1 243 782 275

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Advertising executive: Jade Beevor jade@energystoragejournal.com +44 1243 792 467

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The contents of this publication are protected by copyright. No unauthorized translation or reproduction is permitted. ISSN 1462-6322

Asia editor Debbie Mason debbie@batteriesinternational.com

Supplements editor: Wyn Jenkins, wyn.jenkins@serenglobalmedia.com, +44 1792 293 222

Staff reporters: Philip Moorcroft, Jim Smith Production/design: Antony Parselle, aparselledesign@me.com +44 1727 811 842 International advertising representation: advertising@batteriesinternational.com

Disclaimer: Although we believe in the accuracy and completeness of the information contained in this magazine, Mustard Seed Publishing makes no warranties or representation about this. Nor should anything contained within it should be construed as constituting an offer to buy or sell securities, or constitute advice in relation to the buying or selling of investments.

2 • Batteries International • Autumn 2018

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EDITORIAL Mike Halls • editor@batteriesinternational.com

Time to put an end to the great brain drain Jan’s irreverent cartoon on the facing page makes a valid point. The lead business has a leadership problem. There are too many senior figures working after retirement age and on into their 70s and 80s than is good for the industry. The fact that they are both an asset and a liability isn’t their fault. An asset in that they have a lifetime of experience, knowledge and even wisdom to offer. And why should they retire when they are at the top of their game?

Boris Monahov, technical program manager for the ALABC, steps down shortly and will be playing only a much diminished role in the future. He reaches 65 next year and has spent almost 30 years — and a large proportion of that under the tutelage of the great Detchko Pavlov — as a lead researcher and technical expert. And then there’s David Boden, who was recently awarded the International Lead Award posthumously for services to the lead industry. He died aged 80.

But they’re also a liability in that they’re a bottleneck to the next generation of leaders.

There are several common links that run through all this.

This present situation cannot last forever. Over the last couple of years we’ve seen a sad disappearance of the greats.

The first is not just that the well of knowledge has been diluted, but a lifetime of experience and experimentation is also vanishing. Talk to some of today’s veterans and it is surprising to find that many of the industry’s problems had been investigated, tested and resolved years ago.

Think Detchko Pavlov, one of the greatest lead researchers and experts ever; and DeLight Breidegam, a commercial force that came out of nowhere and who set a moral compass for the industry. Or even the affable Michael Mayer. who saw that communication between the players was not only useful but necessary. This issue of Batteries International is a sobering one. We carry not one, but four stories about leading figures who have either died or are retiring. In each instance, a vast pool of knowledge and expertise is disappearing. First there is Ken Peters, who died in September, aged 90. Ken took John Devitt’s idea of the VRLA battery and turned it into reality. In his own, mostly unsung, way he was the leading creator of a multi-million dollar market. Then there’s Paul Frost, the articulate, much liked technical expert for Britannia Refined Metals, who died suddenly in early October. He was just 66. An encyclopaedic knowledge of lead went with him forever. 4 • Batteries International • Autumn 2018

But this information has rarely been disseminated. A case in point is Ken Peters, who followed with keen interest the research of the ALABC. His experiments in the Chloride testing lab a generation ago suggested to him — for example — that the ALABC should spend less time on positive grid corrosion related to weight loss, which he regarded as a waste of time. Instead he regarded that positive grid failure/breakup was due to stress corrosion in grain boundaries or casting defects. “The volume change from lead dioxide to lead sulfate and back again during cycling results in considerable stress in these areas, which breaks up the grid,” he told Batteries International at one point. Whether he was right in this instance or not, Ken had a lifetime of experience and research behind him. So it’s pleasing to know that some in the industry are trying to document www.batteriesinternational.com

EDITORIAL Mike Halls • editor@batteriesinternational.com

this knowledge — RSR Technologies has recorded electronically everything David Prengaman has ever written or read. One industry veteran told this magazine that having 10 filing cabinets full of papers from conferences he’d attended or papers given or extracts from journals was too much to keep hanging around. But if this well of knowledge is diminishing, where are the new sources? At 14 ELBC in Edinburgh, Tim Ellis, president of RSR Technologies, gave a presentation that started with a few simple questions. How many of you are over 50? Most of the audience put up their hands. And over 60, again a fair number raised their hands. And under 40? A few arms waved. The point Ellis was making was a simple one — it was not just that the industry was dominated by an older demographic, but a new cohort of experts was failing to emerge. Or at least not present, or not important enough, to be on the conference circuit. The reason for this is straightforward. If you are a bright and rising postgraduate looking to do original research would you prefer to be studying a chemistry that is 150 years old or something zingy like the new and emerging energy storage technologies? Surely they would say to themselves everything that could be discovered about lead batteries has been researched to bits already? Moreover, it’s not just about interest, it’s very much ... follow the money. Those funding grants and research are uninterested in lead batteries. The market view is that lead is yesterday’s chemistry and the prospects for new discoveries — and profitable new patents for market-changing start-ups — is far more likely away from the world of lead. www.batteriesinternational.com

There’s a final twist to the reasoning behind the relative lack of interest in researching lead and it’s due to the public misconception that lead is polluting and dangerous while lithium is at the forefront of some kind of clean energy revolution. Which sounds more interesting to talk about to your peer group when you’re in your mid-20s? This isn’t to say that there are no up-andcoming scientists and technicians coming through — there were several promising and exciting technical papers presented by a fresh generation of faces at the last ELBC. But it’s not just a diminishing cast of R&D players willing to work on leading. There’s a diminishing cast of those with the practical experience of lead battery making. Figures such as Mark Stevenson or Doug Lambert have a hands-on experience almost impossible to gather without spending 20 years solving problems on the plant floor. So what is the way ahead? Unfortunately, for an industry that historically often begrudges serious investment, this may prove tricky. But clearly initiatives such as the RSR Technologies recruitment grants are to be welcomed. If this industry (and this magazine) want to be around in 30 years’ time we’ve got to invest in developing the next generation of leaders and experts. Batteries International • Autumn 2018 • 5

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PEOPLE NEWS

Monahov steps down at ALABC

Boris Monahov, the ALABC’s technical program manager, is retiring from the organization after nine years, the ALABC announced on September 27. Monahov told Batteries International that it should not come as a big surprise. “Everybody comes to a time in their lives when they need to think about retirement,” he said. “I’ve worked long hours, full-time, with few breaks and huge amounts of travelling for many, many years. It’s time for a little rest and to enjoy other parts of life. “That said, I will continue helping the industry, the ALABC, but in a more relaxed way. I will combine my work with some pleasure for sure, but it’s too early to announce any definite plans.” Monahov will formally step down at the end of the year. He turns 65 next March. Andy Bush, managing director of the ALABC, said a permanent scientific advisory panel would be established and that Monahov would sit on that. “We’re not replacing Boris’s role but creating a new and different position focusing on projects/planning, marketing and other support for the consortium,” he said. “Although the plan will see Boris continuing to provide substantial support to ALABC’s future work, I would nonetheless like to take the opportunity to thank him on behalf of the ALABC membership, and the wider lead and lead battery industries. “He has made a tremendous contribution to advancing the development of lead battery science during his time with ALABC, and indeed his lifetime’s work with the industry over the past 38 years.” Monahov said he was leaving the industry stronger than ever, while admitting it faced challenges. “The performance of lead acid batteries is clearly better than ever, but there are serious challenges,” he said. “First, they come from the market, which requires more and more from every battery, including lead. Batteries need to improve — that’s a clear requirement and that

8 • Batteries International • Autumn 2018

applies to all types — nickel metal hydride, zinc, lithiumion and flow batteries too. The perfect battery doesn’t exist yet. “The second challenge is that these improvements should not increase the price — they should be incorporated and the price go down. “The third challenge is the increasing role of other battery chemistries in markets that have traditionally been the preserve of lead. These chemistries are getting an ever-larger share of the market, even though the overall market continues to grow.” Monahov said lead would become a greater factor in the energy storage sector while shrinking somewhat in the automotive one, where micro-hybrids would become a larger feature. Monahov has come a long way from his roots in Varna, Bulgaria and the coast of the Black Sea. He was born to two of the country’s leading scientists: his father, Ivan, was a research geologist and one of the founders of Bulgaria’s oil and gas industry; his mother, Liljana, was an associate professor in geochemistry at the Institute of Minerals and a widely published academic. Between 1975 and 1980, Monahov read solid state physics at the St Kliment Ohridski University in Sofia, and went on to get a masters. Towards the end of this time he had an internship at the Institute of Metal Science of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. It was there he met Detchko Pavlov — arguably the most important lead battery scientist of the last century — and who was to become Monahov’s mentor, boss and friend till Pavlov’s death in 2017. Monahov worked in lead battery research for Pavlov until 2004, also spending time conducting research in Turin and Moscow. Monahov married in 1981. The family might have stayed on in Bulgaria but after their son Alex was diagnosed with diabetes, they sought to move to the US for the better health care. A stroke of luck intervened when his wife Natasha won the annual US lottery for a green card to live in the country. The family emigrated to the US in 2004, settling in Peoria, Illinois. That November Monahov took up a post as senior electrochemist of the start-up Firefly Energy then a cutting edge firm at the forefront of lead battery technology. Unfortunately the start-up ultimately failed, at which point he was chosen by ALABC to become its technical director. In 2014 he was awarded the prestigious Gaston Planté medal — perhaps the ultimate accolade in the lead acid battery industry — for his achievements and contribution to its scientific advancement. Since he started with the ALABC in 2009 his team has had several remarkable successes in advancing the technology behind lead batteries. “I look back at my time with the ALABC with great affection,” he told Batteries International. “Everybody quickly forgave me my bad English and they’ve been a delight to work with. Together we’ve done some great things and I count myself blessed to have worked with some of the most prominent battery scientists, researchers, managers and CEOs in the world.”

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PEOPLE NEWS Siemens reshuffles board, appoints Sen as head of renewable energy

Michael Sen

Siemens’ supervisory board approved the reshuffle of managing board responsibilities in Munich, Germany on August 2 as the company begins a restructuring where it moves from five to three divisions. The changes take effect on October 1 after the board unanimously supported the Vision 2020+ concept, which introduces Gas+Power, Smart infrastructure and digital infrastructure divisions. Michael Sen will be responsible for the energy storage company Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, which began testing a 120kW/400kWh vanadium redox flow battery in Spain this May. The system complements its existing lithium ion system. Sen became a member of the managing board in 2017 and was in charge of the sell-off of Siemens Healthineers business earlier this year. This raised €4.2 billion ($5.2 billion) in what was Germany’s second largest share offering in 20 years. Apart from a two-year spell at E.On as chief financial officer and member of its management board between June 2015 and March 2017, he has spent most of his professional life with Siemens. He started with the firm in 1996. Lisa Davis will head up operations for the company’s gas and power division; Klaus Helmrich heads up digital industries; and Cedrik Neike is in charge of operating smart infrastructure. www.batteriesinternational.com

Entek promotes Beutelschies to global VP sales Entek, the battery separator manufacturer, has promoted Clint Beutelschies to global vice president of sales. He will relocate to Singapore as part of his new remit. Beutelschies was previously vice president of sales for the Americas and EMEA. He joined Entek in March 2017. Before that he worked for more than a decade for Fortune 500 company ITW (Illinois Tool Works). During his tenure there, he restructured sales and manufacturing units across the Asia-Pacific region for the Dynatec Business Unit, and implemented marketing strategies. He has also spent a couple of years based in Suzhou, China. Beutelschies’ experience in Asia should stand him in good stead for his new position at Entek, as he will be relocated to Singapore “to ensure a smooth transition for Entek’s Asia sales team and its customers”, the firm said. Beutelschies is no stranger to Singapore, having opened a sales office for Wausau Paper there in the late 1990s. “Entek continues to make strategic investments in capital and resources around the globe as part

Clint Beutelschies

of its commitment to be the world’s premier battery separator supplier,” the separator company said. In July, Entek signed an agreement with the Japanese glass company NSG Group to expand production in Asia of its separators, expressing confidence in growth of the lead battery industry in the continent. In January it partnered the Indonesia-based polyethylene battery separator producer Separindo with a view to expanding its market presence in India, China, Korea and southeast Asia.

Hucke new CTO at Skeleton

Thomas Hucke

Skeleton Technologies, the graphene-based ultracapacitor firm, announced the appointment of Thomas Hucke as its new technology officer and managing director in mid-June. The researcher had previously worked at German technology group Heraeus and as the global head of R&D electrochemical applications at Swiss headquartered graphite manufacturer Imerys Graphite & Carbon. Hucke will focus on driving growth of the company in Europe and the wider markets. Batteries International • Autumn 2018 • 9

PEOPLE NEWS

Highview hires Cavada as CEO UK liquid air energy storage firm Highview Power announced on July 2 it had hired Javier Cavada as its president and CEO. He starts before September 30. Cavada previously worked at Finnish energy storage firm Wärtsilä for the past 17 years, most recently as its president of energy solutions, executive vice president and member of the board of management. Highview Power recently launched its second LAES plant. “This is the world’s first LAES plant at gridscale. With LAES technology now being proven at scale, the plant paves the way for the global adoption of LAES technology,” says a company official.

Javier Cavada

“Highview Power has developed its liquid air energy storage technology to provide long duration storage without siting limitations that can absorb the natural intermittencies from wind and solar power, thus enabling greater renewables integration,” said Cavada. “This creates a historic opportunity to increase the speed of this transition, by combining LAES technology with renewables and other smart and flexible sources of energy.” Highview’s CEO Gareth Brett becomes vice chairman once Cavada arrives. Marco Wirén will start at Wärtsilä in October as Cavada’s replacement.

UK’s Faraday Institution appoints Morris as new CEO The Faraday Institution, the biggest independent energy storage institute in the UK, announced Neil Morris had been appointed its CEO on July 30. Morris has more than 30 years’ experience in the energy sector, having worked as CEO for Klesch Petroleum and in various positions at British Petroleum. “Continued advances in energy storage will place the UK at the forefront of a global revolution in transport and help to deliver cleaner air, a better environment and a strong clean economy. We have found in

Neil Morris a leader to help make the UK the go-to place for the advancement of knowledge related to energy storage and capture,” said Peter. Littlewood, executive chair of the Faraday Institution’s board of trustees. “As batteries become big business and the industry matures, we need a leader able to energise large, diverse teams in challenging environments. Morris’s recognized leadership in the energy sector makes him an ideal choice as the CEO of the Faraday Institution.”

Neil Morris

The Faraday Institution was set up in October 2017 as part of a government-funded project to research and advance battery technology.

Zhao Huan quits Leoch International Technology

Zhao Huan

The executive director of lead battery giant Leoch International Technology, Zhao Huan, has resigned. Leoch’s chairman, Dong Li said Zhao had quit effective August 6 “to manage her personal affairs”. Dong thanked Zhao for her contribution to the company. He said: “Ms Zhao confirmed that she does not have any disagreement with the board and there are no

10 • Batteries International • Autumn 2018

other matters relating to her resignation that need to be brought to the attention of the shareholders of the company or the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited.” Zhao Huan was executive director and vice president in charge of international sales, administration, human resources and treasury, as well as the global promotion of the company’s products. She was appointed a director

on June 11, 2010 Zhao joined Leoch in 2004 as a foreign trade clerk. She was subsequently promoted to foreign trade manager, deputy general manager of the foreign trade department and finally to her last position, in which her responsibilities focused more on the overall management and strategic development of the firm’s sales and marketing.

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PEOPLE NEWS

International Lead Medal awarded posthumously to David Boden for services to lead industry David Boden, a much respected electrochemist and lead battery expert, was awarded the International Lead Medal at a special presentation at 16ELBC in Vienna on September 6. It was an unusual step in that David had passed away the previous September after a short illness. He was 82. Mark Stevenson, the organizer of the Asian Battery Conference and lead industry veteran, gave a short tribute to David Boden before handing over for dedications by Eric Holtan, vice president for strategy and global accounts, from Hammond and John Simmons, a vice president from Crown Battery. Both had worked extensively with David — in Holtan’s case for 26 years — and knew him well professionally as a colleague and socially as a close friend. They talked about how he had obtained a degree at Salford University in England, before taking his PhD in physical chemistry at the Polytechnic University of New York. Reviewing his life, they discussed how he had been closely involved with many leading battery firms, such as Exide, Emerson, C&D Power Systems and Douglas Battery, and also consulted for Hammond and the ALABC. David was past chairman of BCI committees and sub-committees on industrial and battery charger technology; deep cycle and electric vehicle technology; test and ratings; and analytical methods, various battery technologies, and spent 25 years advising the world’s leading battery designers. He was the holder of multiple patents and wrote more than 40 scientific papers and 100s of presentations for technical meetings. Holtan in particular said “his leadership in the current additives revolution led to the development and introduction of various additives, including expanders and tetra basic lead sulfate additives that are now used commonly through the lead battery industry.” Their personal recollections to the man were touching. Simmons said: “Perhaps his greatest gift was in teaching and mentoring so many young people in the industry. I recall a series of conversations that I had with Dave many years ago when I was a young engineer struggling to solve a major problem we had. Dave ended up going into great detail about the different crystal structures of barium sulfate and how those different structures would influence the performance of our batteries. “In the end Dave was able to recommend not only using a different crystal phase of barium sulfate but also an optimal loading of that in the expander blend. Needless to say the recommendation worked and he had resolved a major problem that had all of us scratching our heads. Holtan said: “We traversed the globe, going to conferences and working with customers. We had so many interesting times over those years and going to

12 • Batteries International • Autumn 2018

all those places — he was a great mentor and will be greatly missed. “He was exceptionally good at successfully communicating difficult technical concepts in very simple terms. Dave was a man of great humility, he never felt more at home than at a battery plant in his dungarees getting dirty and making batteries better.” Stevenson closed the award ceremony by saying: “Dave’s wife Pattie has expressed the family’s immense appreciation for this recognition, but unfortunately nobody from the family was able to be in Vienna to receive the award personally. They have passed on their thanks to the awards committee and the many members of the lead industry who knew David.”

THE INTERNATIONAL LEAD MEDAL The International Lead Medal is awarded annually at either the European Lead Battery Conference or the Asian Battery conference to honour and recognize above average personal achievement in the lead and lead-acid battery industries. Since its inception in 2003, when it was first presented to John Manders, the medal has been presented to many individuals who have played a leading role in developing and guiding the direction of our industry, in areas such as science, technology or environment. At the time of its inception, it was decided that the guiding principle behind it all was that it would be: “A prestigious award for exceptional service to the lead industry as related to the production, processing or use of the metal, in such areas as: promoting increased use or awareness of lead, improving lead’s image and encouraging individuals to excel.”

www.batteriesinternational.com

PEOPLE NEWS

Aqua Metals appoints Terri Bradfield as VP of human resources Lead battery recycling All of her work has firm Aqua Metals been in the state of announced on August Nevada. 27 it had appointed Recognizing Terri Bradfield as vice Bradfield’s track record president of human in human resources, resources. She will Cotton said: “With her report directly to Steve insight into the local Cotton, president. talent pool, Terri is Bradfield joined Aqua uniquely qualified to Metals from Klondex help build and sustain Mines, where she was a high performance, Terri Bradfield director of human inclusive and rewarding resources for two years, working environment that will help propel across the firm’s four mines and three Aqua Metals to the next level and mills — where more than 1,000 staff ensure the company has the right are employed. people and capabilities to deliver on She has considerable experience in its strategies and initiatives.” human resources, working at Firth In April, Steve Clarke stepped Rixson as vice president of human down as CEO, chairman and resources in 1999, then at NV director to be replaced in an interim Energy for seven years as manager of period by Selwyn Mould, company employee and labour relations from co-founder and chief operating 2001. officer. In 2008, she became director of Cotton was then appointed CEO in human resources with Hamilton June, to continue in the post ‘through Company until 2012, then worked at this crucial time in our evolution’, HR consultants for four years before according to board chairman Shariq joining Klondex Mines. Yosufzai.

EUROBAT appoints Gert Meylemans as head of public relations

Gert Meylemans

14 • Batteries International • Autumn 2018

EUROBAT, the European battery manufacturers’ association, has appointed Gert Meylemans as senior manager of communications, it was announced at the 16ELBC in Vienna last week (September 3-7). Meylemans is former head of PR and corporate communications at the tyre company Bridgestone Europe. Since leaving Bridgestone in 2016 Meylemans has worked as a communications consultant for CLEPA, the European automotive suppliers’ association, and before that Propel RC, a drone manufacturer that makes, among machines, Star Wars battle drones. “There’s a lot of stuff coming our way, with legislation, and there’s lots of work to be done so I am going to be spreading the message, getting the industry on the map,” Meylemans told Batteries International.

INBRIEF Changes made in Wärtsilä’s management board Wärtsilä Corporation will make two changes to its management board in October. Marco Wirén has been appointed president of Energy Solutions, executive vice president and member of the board effective October 1. 2018. He is responsible for Wärtsilä’s Energy Solutions business globally, and reports to CEO Jaakko Eskola Wirén is currently the chief financial officer of Wärtsilä, and has held this position since August 2013. Before that, he had broadranging experience of financial management and international business management from the steel manufacturer SSAB, the infranet company Eltel Networks, and the construction company NCC. Arjen Berends takes over from Wirén as CFO, executive vice president and member of the, effective October 1. Berends joined Wärtsilä in 1988. He has held several key positions in financial management within Wärtsilä’s business areas and subsidiaries. Since 2012, Berends has been vice president finance and business control for Wärtsilä Marine Solutions.

Schoenfeldt moves from Younicos to CellCube Vanadium flow battery maker CellCube Energy Storage Systems, the company bought and renamed by Stina Resources, has hired Alexander Schoenfeldt as the managing director of its Austrian subsidiary Enerox. He was most recently VP of sales for Europe, Middle East and Africa for German ESS company Younicos. In May, Stina named Brett Whalen as its new finance adviser to the company’s board of directors. Whalen is a vice president and portfolio manager at Goodman Investment Counsel, a wholly owned division of Dundee Corporation. He is also president and CEO of the CMP Group of companies and director of Enwise Holdings. www.batteriesinternational.com

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PEOPLE NEWS Hendry to chair SP Energy UK distribution network operator SP Energy Networks has appointed former Conservative party energy minister Charles Hendry as the independent chair of its transmission user group. Hendry will help shape the UK firm’s plans beyond 2021 as it becomes a distribution system operator model to meet the demands of the country’s move to a decarbonized transport and heat infrastructure.

Swinerton Renewable Energy hires Horne Swinerton Renewable Energy announced on July 31 it had hired Craig Horne as senior director, energy storage. “He brings to the new position 25 years of experience with energy storage systems including flow, lead-acid and lithium-ion batteries,” says the firm. He joins from Renewable Energy Systems, where he developed new international markets for storage, worked to bring new technologies to RES’s portfolio, evaluated project performance and expanded the company’s storage business models. Horne is also chair of the Energy Storage Association (ESA) and has been on its board since 2014. He has been active in advancing energy storage initiatives in the US.

Meseldzija new CTO at American Manganese Lithium ion battery recycling and minerals firm American Manganese announced on July 25 it had appointed Zarko Meseldzija as chief technical officer. American Manganese has been at the forefront of developing hydrometallurgical processes to extract and so recycle the valuable metals contained in lithium ion cathodes — cobalt, manganese, nickel and lithium. Meseldzija had been a consultant at the Canadian firm since last December, and brings with him knowledge of hydrometallurgical process development projects, particularly in the field of e-waste and lithium ion battery recycling.

16 • Batteries International • Autumn 2018

American Manganese has recently published the first results of its lab tests with Kemetco, where a single pass of its regular cycle extracted 97.5% of the cobalt, 97.6% of the manganese, 97.2% of the nickel and 68.7% of the lithium. The company recently appointed Jim Hahn to its advisory board. As part of his remit he will help the company to locate, identify and procure supplies of lithium ion batteries for its recycling process.

Callman quits Tesla to join Macquarie Capital Greg Callman, Tesla’s US company’s former global director, business development and market entry, moved in June to head the energy storage and distributed solutions efforts of Macquarie Capital, part of the Australia-headquartered financial group. Callman’s hire comes as banks are increasingly positioning themselves to profit from the explosion of storage and mobility technologies being commercialized. Callman spent three years with Tesla. From January 2015 to May 2016 he was regional manager for Australasia before moving to California as global director for business development and market entry. Before that he spent two years with the US energy department. Callman will report to Michael Silverton, head of Macquarie Capital Americas, and Mark Dooley, Macquarie Capital’s global head of green energy.

Sunverge co-founder Kenneth Munson moves to DC Systems Kenneth Munson, the co-founder of energy storage firm Sunverge, was named on May 31 as the new COO of California company DC Systems, a provider of integrated software solutions for power systems and gridoperators. Munson will lead operations and engineering and spearhead the development, communication and implementation of a global growth strategy with utilities, EPCs, developers and large power generators.

Blunden joins ESA board of directors In Washington, US, trade body Energy Storage Association announced on June 7 that Julie Blunden has joined its board of directors after a position became vacant in May. Blunden became electric vehicle charging firm EVgo’s executive vice president for business development in March when Cathy Zoi moved from interim to permanent CEO at the Los Angeles, US, firm.

Milan the next ELBC venue for 2020 The next European Lead Battery Conference, the 17ELBC, will be held in the Italian city of Milan, it was confirmed at the 16ELBC gala dinner in Vienna on September 7. The venue for the next ELBC is kept secret from delegates until the gala dinner at the end of each conference. The ELBC alternates with the Asian Battery Conference, which was held in Kuala Lumpur in 2017 and is set for sunny Bali next year.

First Indian lead business joins ILA The International Lead Association announced in mid-July that the Jaipur-based lead smelting operations of India’s largest secondary lead producing companies, Gravita India, has joined its membership. It is the first Indian business to join the ILA. The business, founded in 1992 and headquartered in Rajasthan, recycles used lead batteries and aluminium scrap. Rajat Agarwal, the managing director of Gravita, said: “We’re an ambitious and growing business, with international interests, and we are keen to work with lead producers worldwide through our membership of the ILA.”

Lightsource appoints Folgado as director Lightsource BP announced on June 29 it had appointed financial services professional Ricardo Folgado as its new structured finance director. Ricardo will be responsible for structuring investments and PPAs as well as fundraising at the company.

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Paul Frost (1952-2018)

A larger than life character with an enormous range of both expertise and friends

“His encyclopaedic technical knowledge was superb — there seemed scarcely a question on lead that he couldn’t answer. More importantly, he was very generous with his time and took genuine delight in helping people throughout the industry improve the quality of our research and products”

18 • Batteries International • Autumn 2018

Paul Frost, a well known, well respected and well liked figure in the lead industry died on September 30 after a short illness. He had been unwell for some time but his death was sudden and unexpected. Paul was best known for his work at Britannia Refined Metals, which he joined as a business development metallurgist in November 1996. Brian Wilson, who recruited him, recalls: “Paul was an outstanding candidate for the job, he had a huge range of technical knowledge and he soon proved his worth. He was also an outstanding person to work with.” Paul’s career was never a conventional one and never a predictable route to become a worldwide authority on lead. Born in 1952, he left school aged 16 and spent the first years of his working life as a metallurgical apprentice with the UK’s defence ministry. In 1972, after completing his apprenticeship, he moved to Imperial College, London as a research technician. The college — the full name is officially The Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine —then, as now, one of the most celebrated technological educational institutions in the world. Imperial College gave Paul a foundation that he was to build on until the end of his life. In a move that would surprise many

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Paul Frost (1952-2018) “He was well respected by everyone for his unbeatable knowledge of lead processing. I haven’t met many people with such a deep understanding of lead” in the industry, Paul, apparently the quintessential Englishman, quit everything in 1975 and spent a year as a volunteer on a kibbutz in Galilee in the north of Israel. It was just over a year after the Egyptian-Syrian attack, known as the Yom Kippur War, on the country. Paul woke up each morning with the Golan Heights — the front line between Israel and Syria — dominating his view. On his return to England, Paul moved to Kidlington, north of Oxford, in 1977 to work for the Cookson Group in its technology centre, initially as a researcher but eventually as a senior research scientist. As part of his remit he also supported Cookson’s lead business. In 1994 he moved to become chief metallurgist, mainly focusing on product development for Calder Industrial Materials. In 1996 he started work at Britannia Refined Metals, a firm he held in high regard and with great affection right up to his death. At Britannia Paul worked in a variety of positions — all related to his appointment as business development metallurgist — but essentially as the in-house expert on all things lead. However, poor health meant that he spent the last year of his life working as a consultant for Britannia. Florian von Steinkeller, Britannia’s executive general manager, described Paul as having a “deep, profound understanding of lead and its applications, an outstanding attention to detail … we all had a deep respect for his knowledge and abilities. “I used to say to Paul that he was the oil in the machinery guaranteeing smooth production as well as outstanding customer support. He was well respected by everyone for his unbeatable knowledge of lead processing. I haven’t met many people with such a deep understanding of lead. “He was also a real character and a thoroughly nice guy.” Peter Hawkins, a close friend of Paul and colleague since his first days at Britannia, said that in addition to his technical knowledge he had many endearing qualities. “When he travelled on business he liked to do so in

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comfort but arriving at the airport one time in lounge moccasins was maybe just a bit too comfy. “But at the same time he formed an enormous rapport with customers, often solving manufacturing problems totally unrelated to our supply of lead. He was just knowledgeable about so many things … from high voltage cable extrusion to fast cars. His last car was a beauty, a sports coupe Mercedes.” Farid Ahmed, who knew Paul for more than two decades as colleague, collaborator and friend, said: “Paul and I spent a good deal of time togeth-

“He was both universally respected and liked throughout the profession, excellent company to be with, and a true gentleman of the lead industry” er when we were both at Britannia Refined Metals, and later at various conferences and events, and I always thoroughly enjoyed his company. “His encyclopaedic technical knowledge was superb — there seemed scarcely a question on lead that he couldn’t answer. More importantly, he was very generous with his time and took genuine delight in helping people throughout the industry improve the quality of our research and products. “Paul’s eyes would light up when talking about subjects about which he was passionate — and there were many, such as good food, fine wine, real ale and, of course, the lead industry. He was both universally respected and liked throughout the profession, excellent company to be with, and a true gentleman of the lead industry.”

Paul was known on the conference circuit as an occasional speaker but more generally as an advocate for better communications within the industry to create a better understanding of lead recycling. In a white paper published in 1999, his views on the future of the industry were remarkably prescient when he argued for the need for a better dialogue between car manufacturers, battery manufacturers and lead producers. He was particularly keen on bringing end users more fully into the recycling loop. He also argued in the same white paper, and well ahead of his time, that life cycle analysis … “was a sometimes sterile exercise if approached in the wrong way and lead, which suffers from a knee-jerk antipathy in many areas, including governments, regulators, pressure groups, and even in some areas the general public” would be able to make the case for the chemistry. Paul also made a significant input into the International Lead Association’s early discussions over the REACH regulations introduced in the EU in 2006. REACH seeks to restrict and finally ban the use of certain chemicals, including lead. Von Steinkeller, who has been chairman of the ILA for the past five years, says: “Paul was instrumental in rebutting many of the REACH proposals for lead and the first industry defences were built around his arguments.” Andy Bush, managing director of the ILA, said: “I remember Paul fondly from my very first days at ILA more than 20 years ago, and since then I have relied on his extensive knowledge of lead metallurgy. “He was always an enthusiastic supporter of ILA and ALABC, never hesitating to help and provide advice. He was also great company, and will be sadly missed.” Paul Frost is survived by his son Adam and daughter Jessica. He will be remembered as an outstanding figure in the lead business and sorely missed for the contributions he made, and could yet have made had he lived, and the friendships he forged across the whole industry. He was only 66 when he died.

“Paul was instrumental in rebutting many of the REACH proposals for lead and the first industry defences were built around his arguments” Batteries International • Autumn 2018 • 19

Ken Peters (1928-2018)

Ken Peters The lead battery veteran who, among other things, pioneered the development of the VRLA battery, taking it from early product concept to the manufacturing line.

20 â&#x20AC;˘ Batteries International â&#x20AC;˘ Autumn 2018

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Ken Peters (1928-2018) Ken Peters, one of the stalwarts of the lead battery industry for more than half a century, died peacefully in his sleep on September 10. He was greatly admired for his deep knowledge of the lead battery, from a technological and business perspective, as well as his kindness and generosity. Ken’s contribution to the industry is almost certainly the huge steps he made in solving many of the early teething problems of the VRLA battery, but he remained a cutting edge figure even into his 80s for his insights into the battery. “He had an encyclopaedic memory,” says Geoff May at Focus Consulting, who knew Ken from their early days together at Chloride some 40 years back. “So if you ever had a problem that you were stuck on, he would be willing and able to help. Especially his friends. He was a good and wise source of information. Moreover, his intellectual powers did not diminish with age.” He was active until just recently in evaluating technical papers for conferences and historically was one of the guiding and founding figures of the European Lead Battery Conference. “Ken was a true gentleman of the industry, a delightful guy, always help-

“Ken’s only fault was his support for Manchester United. It was unflagging, total commitment. He once told me he’d had a season ticket at Old Trafford for more than 50 years and was sad to recently give it up. Now if he’d said Palace, I could have understood it. I’ll miss him greatly.” ful and kind — he was a pleasure to know and it’s very sad that he’s no longer with us,” says David Wilson, who worked with Ken from the beginning of the ELBC in the late 1980s. “He was one of the ultimate problem solvers too,” said Mark Stevenson, a lead industry veteran, organizer of the ABC meetings and a friend of Ken’s for many years. “If there was a practical problem that needed fixing, he was the person to go to. He knew all about manufacturing batteries. “Moreover, because of his experience, frequently he had encountered and solved the same problem many years before.”

Early years with Chloride

Ken’s story started in 1928 with his birth in Salford, part of the industrial heartland of the UK. His early education was interrupted with the second world war, when he was evacuated to

PCL1 AND PCL2 In the 1990s, it had become clear that premature capacity loss (PCL), whereby the life of VRLA and flooded lead batteries were drastically shortened under deep cycling, was

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a major concern for the lead battery industry and was holding back its growth. A special group of two dozen international experts met in a

Sussex country hotel to thrash out the subject. From left to right: Ken Peters, David Prengaman, Kathryn Bullock, Michael Mayer and Frank Fleming.

Batteries International • Autumn 2018 • 21

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Ken Peters (1928-2018) In a sense the rest is history. The new valve regulated cells had appreciably higher volumetric energy density than the existing batteries. Power outputs were better and with no water losses or gases evolving they could be located on power racks in offices or where most convenient to the end user. The first prototype designs were supplied to British Telecom for trials in the late 1970s and production began at the Clifton Junction factory in 1983. rural Lancashire to escape the nightly bombings of Manchester. After the war, he obtained London University (Imperial College) degrees in General Science and Special Chemistry before the mandatory two years’ National Service. In 1953, shortly after leaving the army, he married Joyce — who survives him — and shortly after that joined Chloride Electrical Storage Company at its Clifton Junction plant in Manchester. In those days the global battery industry was dominated by three major companies: The Electric Storage Battery Company (ESB) with over 70% of the North American market; Accumulatoren-Fabrik AG (AFA) — now known as Varta — with factories throughout Europe; and Chloride, with plants in the UK and in all its old Imperial empire countries. These companies were almost selfsufficient in materials and components. The Clifton Junction factory employed more than 3,000 workers producing two million car batteries per year: tubular motive power cells, Planté and flat plate stationary cells, submarine, aircraft and signals defence batteries with smelters, alloy,

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oxide and separator production on the same site as were expanders and additive preparation. Additionally, Chloride made containers a few miles away. Design and manufacturing technology was closely guarded and supported by a substantial technical team. As a trainee Ken worked in all the manufacturing areas. In those days there was little automatic equipment and he was involved in installing and operating their first automatic Winkel pasting machines. Because of his academic background he joined the research department, which later moved to a new technical centre away from the demands of the manufacturing plant and was equipped with the then most advanced analytical and test facilities.

Coordination versus competition

The technical director was Montefiore Barak, a New Zealander, a Rhodes scholar — and a keen sportsman, who claimed to have introduced rugby to the US during his post graduate stint at Princeton University. His impact on Ken’s attitudes to the industry was huge — Barak was instrumental

in starting the International Power Source Symposium (IPSS); Ken was there at the inaugural meeting in October 1958. “It was unique within the industry at that time,” Ken later told Batteries International. “Companies did not share even limited technical and test data, and it was the principal industry conference for many years. “Until about 1960 all the major battery companies were more or less self contained in terms of their technology, so they did their own development of virtually everything and up to then, any innovations, either design or additives, separators, alloys, containers and the like, were developed in-house and closely guarded. R&D consisted of electrical engineers, material scientists as well as electrochemists and designers. “But after 1960, separate and independent companies were set up to supply materials and knowhow. Nowadays if a battery maker requires a special expander, separator or whatever, they contact the suppliers.”

Early research work

Ken was immediately involved in a range of programmes including the manufacture of electrodeposited plates for torpedo batteries for the UK Admiralty, and the development of impregnated cellulose separators. Chloride produced both microporous and sintered PVC separators (Porvic). Cellulose separators were a further cost reduction and were subsequently made at several plants from 1956 until the mid-1970s, when microporous polyethylene separators became widely available. With about 20 chemists, engineers and technicians, a workshop for making experimental designs and its own plate and cell test equipment plus supporting laboratories for physical and chemical analysis, the department’s brief was process and product development and assessment of new materials. One of the first early and successful jobs was to assess and qualify leady oxides produced in a new Chloride

Batteries International • Autumn 2018 • 23

Ken Peters (1928-2018) designed oxide mill fitted with in-built classifiers and temperature controls, the forerunner of many later installed at numerous factories. He later said he learned a lot about the rheology of battery pastes during that work: “Maintenance-free car batteries were topical and we studied gassing rates and impurity influences, and developed and patented low antimonial alloys producing ductile thin grids which could be cast on automatic machines. This was before the widespread use of calcium alloys, a technology adopted initially from ESB, which had developed these alloys for telecom batteries.” Chloride sponsored basic research at several British Universities and as industrial supervisor Ken visited and contributed to numerous publications in academic journals. Several of his students subsequently joined the company. Later, the University of Salford awarded him a masters degree. In 1960, Chloride, ESB and AFA (Varta) signed a technical exchange agreement. All three companies employed experienced and well known electrochemists and researchers. It was almost a pantheon of people who would become the leading figures in the battery industry. Paul Ruetschi, Alvin Salkind and David Boden worked for ESB, while alongside Hans Bode, a professor and also research director at AFA, was Ernst Voss, Dietrich Berndt and Eberhard Meissner. Unfortunately the regular meetings at the three research centres were deemed to be unlawful and cooperation stopped in 1968. This idea of greater cooperation within the industry was at the heart of Ken’s enthusiasm for the ELBC when it emerged 20 years later and he achieved his life-long desire to see the industry advance through conferences and technical meetings.

The ‘fit-and-forget’ days

Positive electrodes were the principal interest of researchers in the 1960s, with studies on the polymorphs of lead dioxide on how to increase cycle life and corrosion resistance, how to improve the efficiency of the active material and of course to develop and make low maintenance or mainte-

It was almost a pantheon of people who would become the leading figures in the battery industry. Paul Ruetschi, Alvin Salkind and David Boden worked for ESB, while alongside Hans Bode, a professor and also research director at AFA, was Ernst Voss, Dietrich Berndt and Eberhard Meissner. nance free batteries. In the latter case the objective was not so much to limit water additions but to market a ‘fit and forget’ battery that was highly desirable to both the car makers and the private customer. In 1964 he started work on a programme which subsequently had a major influence on battery design. At that time, sealed rechargeable Ni/ Cd cells, which were leak proof and lost no water in service due to the recombination of oxygen at the negative plate inhibiting hydrogen evolution, were popular for portable equipment. Earlier gas recombination devices used expensive and inefficient catalytic systems.

VRLA — making history happen

“The same recombination approach seemed possible with lead and we started work to study its feasibility,” Ken subsequently told Batteries International. “At that time I was also particularly interested in charge acceptance, not just of the cell or battery as a whole, but the individual charge acceptance of the plates. I measured this by monitoring the cathodic hydrogen and anodic oxygen evolution at different rates and temperatures and at different states of charge. “Of specific interest was the high charge factor of the negative plate with 100% charging efficiency, that is no hydrogen evolution, until the plates were almost fully charged over a wide range of charging rates and temperatures. “High charging rates with good recombination efficiencies were possible with separator saturation being the main controlling parameter. Subsequently we made several hundred D sized cells with wound lead electrodes and Porvic separators, the most porous separator available at that time.

Ken had many interests — from angling to steam trains to an “unflagging total commitment to Manchester United”

Ken won the prestigious LABAT industry award in 2011

Ken was at the inaugural meeting of the International Power Source Symposium in October 1958. “It was unique within the industry at that time. Companies did not share even limited technical and test data, and it was the principal industry conference for many years.” 24 • Batteries International • Autumn 2018

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Ken Peters (1928-2018)

Ken with ALABC co-founder Jerry Cole at 9ELBC in 2004

There were cost benefits over alkaline cells but the output was relatively poor and with no great enthusiasm for this work within the company, it was shelved.” Although the project was no longer live, at this point fate intervened with a series of meetings that were to help change the face of the battery industry forever. “I later presented a performance comparison of three types of D cell (primary Leclanché, alkaline and lead acid) at the IPSS conference in 1971,” he said. “At the same meeting I was approached by Don McClelland of Gates Rubber Company. I didn’t know Don nor the company, whose principal business was tyres and hoses. Gates apparently had similar ideas some years earlier and had formed a venture group specifically to develop batteries for cordless equipment, nickel/zinc and lead acid being the obvious candidates. “McClelland sent me 50 wound, D size lead acid cells, which we tested and I reported to my management that they were rather special.” The reason for this was that the highly porous resilient and compressible glass separators maintained close contact with the plate surfaces and

resulted in cells that had high power capability, cycled well and, claimed Gates, could be charged seemingly forever without water loss.

Validating VRLA

“I suggested a similar design approach could be used in Chloride’s main industrial and automotive batteries with very beneficial effects. Subsequently I was invited to visit Gates at their Denver head office for discussions with their management board,” he said. Gates had put together an experienced team: both John Devitt and McClelland had worked on nickel/zinc and silver/zinc cells; Will Bundy, who had spent many years with the National Lead Company; and a young electrochemist named Kathryn Bullock, later to become president of The Electrochemical Society. “It seemed I was invited to the Gates board meeting to validate, and possibly explain, the claims of their scientists,” Ken later recalled. “Their interest in batteries was based on advice given to them by ADL, that small rechargeable wound cells for cordless equipment could conveniently be marketed on garage forecourts alongside their tyres and hoses. “I explained the key points and the potential benefits of their patented

cell design and subsequently a joint working group was set up to review the situation and consider the way forward.” Over the following months the group had several further meetings. The Gates team were keen to stick to their wound cell design but their manufacturing process was slow, expensive and with very high scrap levels. High purity, and expensive, lead, litharge and red lead were used with high density pastes and formation over several days. The separators were high quality glass filter papers bought from the UK and although they were exploring cheaper US supplies, nothing had been qualified. “It was difficult to see how Gates’ approach could be used to manufacture the larger batteries needed for industrial and automotive applications in the numbers required and at acceptable cost,” Ken said. “We agreed to follow different approaches. Gates would pursue their wound cell approach for the cordless appliance market while Chloride would consider how their existing manufacturing plant such as casting and pasting machines could be used to make products with the same beneficial features as the Gates cell.” Ken went on to develop a range of telecom and UPS standby batteries using more or less conventional methods. Plates wrapped in compressed glass microfibre separator were inserted in strong plastic containers fitted with one-way valves. New processes and equipment for acid filling and formation were developed and a source of good quality glass microfiber paper at a reasonable price was found at a small paper mill in Gloucestershire, which Ken’s team had previously worked on in the cellulose separator programme. Subsequently this company was acquired by H&V, which sent a team to Chloride’s workshops for extensive discussions on quality standards. At that time, telecom and UPS batteries were located in central stations, often in large basements near conurbations. Open top cells were common and needed frequent service and maintenance with the atmosphere both

“Maintenance free car batteries were topical and we studied gassing rates, impurity influences, and developed and patented low antimonial alloys producing ductile thin grids which were could be cast on automatic machines. This was before the widespread use of calcium alloys.” www.batteriesinternational.com

Batteries International • Autumn 2018 • 25

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Ken Peters (1928-2018)

Vintage finest: From left to right, the Bentley, Laurie Gardiner, Ken Peters, David Rand and Michael Mayer

noxious and hazardous. Distributed power supplies were being considered.

Success

In a sense the rest is history. The new valve regulated cells had appreciably higher volumetric energy density than the existing batteries. Power outputs were better and with no water losses or gases evolved they could be located on power racks in offices, or where most convenient to the end user. The first prototype designs were supplied to British Telecom for trials in the late 1970s and production began at the Clifton Junction factory in 1983. The success of the new batteries was astonishing. By 1989 BT had installed 500,000 2v/100Ah valve regulated cells in power racks in their system X digital telephone exchanges and were installing them at a rate of 120,000 per year. In 1990 their reported reliability, based on mean time between failure (MTBF), exceeded their target and was very much better than the Planté cells in BT’s central stations. Post1990 various design changes were made to extend service life. Within a few years distributed power supplies with similar valve regulated designs was adopted by Telecom companies everywhere. Parallel with the standby battery programme, Ken’s team were developing valve regulated car batteries 28 • Batteries International • Autumn 2018

with similar beneficial features; leak and spill proof, improved cycling and a much higher cranking performance than equivalent flooded batteries. These batteries also had a respectable reserve capacity, always difficult to achieve in limited electrolyte designs. They had dual terminals (top and side), multiple hold-downs, a carrying handle and stackable features, all novel at that time, giving suppliers the opportunity to better display and hold a smaller range. Production of the battery — called the Torquestarter — started in Brisbane, Australia in 1984, and was soon followed by manufacture in Tampa, (US), Benoni (RSA) and Dagenham (UK). The batteries made in Tampa and Benoni had major quality problems with many early failures and production ceased a year later. In Australia and the UK, after good early sales, the demand decreased due to the higher cost and production stopped about three years later. Ken officially retired in 1992 but remained active as a consultant — in various capacities — but mostly for the International Lead Association. He was active on the organizing committee for the ELBC conferences until recently. “Ken’s only fault was his support for Manchester United,” says Mark Stevenson. “It was unflagging, total commit-

ment. He once told me he had had a season ticket at Old Trafford for more than 50 years and was sad to recently give it up. Now if he’d said Palace, I could have understood it. I’ll miss him greatly.” In his last years Ken, with his close friend Mike Mayer — the inspiration behind the ELBC meetings — and another friend, David Rand, the wellknown lead battery scientist — when over from Australia — used to indulge their passions for steam engines, locomotives, science and expeditions across the country. Eberhard Meissener, who was close to Ken in recent years, said: “This is a big loss for the battery community and also a personal one for myself. Ken in particular helped a very green Eberhard in the early 1990s to understand the battery world outside Varta and how organizations such as the ALABC held a promise for the future. “He was helpful to the end, indeed he assisted me in the very early stages of preparing my paper last week in Vienna.” He leaves behind him his wife of 65 years, Joyce, his daughter Kim and son Andrew. The lead battery industry has lost another of its giants. It will be a long time until we see another capable of eclipsing his shadow.

Kenneth Peters 1928-2018 www.batteriesinternational.com

NEWS

JCI to decide on battery business sale imminently International lead battery maker Johnson Controls says it could be making an announcement by as early as this month — October — as to the sale of its battery business Power Solutions. However, it refused to confirm press speculation that it has been put up for auction. Fraser Engerman, director, global media relations, told Batteries International on July 31 that an announcement could be forthcoming by early October, but would not confirm whether media reports were correct about four firms that have been shortlisted for their interest in the purchase. “We don’t have any comment to make about rumours or speculations about our power solutions business at this time,” he said. “I can refer you back to our announcement some months ago that we were performing a strategic review of the business. “I don’t know what the announcement will be as we still haven’t made a decision and are still going through the process. But I would imagine we may have an announcement by early October.” In a Q4 earnings call on July 31, CEO George Oliver said: “We are analyzing multiple options, including a spin-off or a sale versus retaining it as part of our portfolio. We are analysing the viability and benefits of a tax-efficient spin of the business, and, in parallel, have been discussing the potential sale of the business with interest parties. “Management, along with the board of directors, have decided to continue to explore these alternatives and expect to conclude the review by the release of our fourth quarter earnings. We will communicate more de-

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tails when a final determination has been made.” News agency Bloomberg reported on July 25 that four companies, Apollo Global Management, Brookfield Asset Management, Clayton Dubilier & Rice and a consortium of Onex Corp and the Canadian Pension Plan Investment Board, were vying to buy the Power Solutions business at a suggested price of around $12 billion, but none of them would confirm their interest to Batteries International. The agency said the four were preparing presentations to give to JCI this week. On August 2, news agency Reuters reported that banks were anticipating a similar financing level, in ‘what is expected to be one of the biggest buyouts of the year’, according to an unnamed loan syndicate head. The source also told Reuters a deal could be made over the summer and announced mid to late September. Apollo Global Management and Brookfield Asset

Management are both asset management companies with offices all over the world. Brookfield already operates businesses in the energy storage sector, with pumped hydro and battery storage facilities across the US and UK, it says. Apollo was founded in 1990, and says its assets under management have grown by six times since then. London-based buy-out firm Clayton Dubilier & Rice began life in 1978. One

of its notable acquisitions was IBM’s typewriter and printer division, Lexmark, which more than doubled in value in six years after CD&R bought it, according to The Economist. Onex Corp is a private equity firm founded in 1984 and with reported managed assets of $32 billion. Johnson Controls is based in Cork, Ireland, although its Power Solutions business is based in Glendale, California. While the company makes one out of every three car batteries on the road today, and its plants can recycle 8,000 batteries an hour, its core business is temperature systems in buildings.

CEO George Oliver said: “We are analyzing multiple options, including a spin-off or a sale versus retaining it as part of our portfolio … have been discussing the potential sale of the business with interested parties.

JCI in collaboration with Amara Raja Johnson Controls and Amara Raja Batteries have signed an agreement aiming to bring new battery technologies to India, the two firms announced on October 3. While the two firms have already worked together for 20 years, the new pact will share product design and manufacturing technologies for SLI, EFB and AGM batteries, a statement said. No further details of the technologies were given, but under the deal, Amara Raja has licensed Johnson Controls’ PowerFrame grid technology, which JCI claims is critical for meeting

requirements dictated by the ‘Bharat VI norms’, which will go into effect in 2020. These are emission control standards on fuel introduced in 2000 in India, based on European standards which limit the amount of sulphur in petrol and diesel to 10 parts per million. Manufacturing the PowerFrame grid, which JCI says is 66% more corrosion resistant than other battery grids, uses 20% less energy and releases 20% fewer greenhouse gases than other manufacturing methods, and is thus more environment friendly. Marc Andraca, vice presi-

dent of strategy and business development with JCI, is also the Johnson Controls lead upon the Amara Raja board of directors. Andraca told Batteries International: “This. It provides both of our organizations with a powerful platform to introduce leading advanced lead-acid battery technologies and accelerate Amara Raja’s drive to achieve undisputed leadership across the dynamic Indian automotive battery market.” The Galla family and Johnson Controls each own 26% of the company’s equity.

Batteries International • Autumn 2018 • 29

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NEWS

First of five grid-scale lead carbon ESSs in Germany inaugurated China lead carbon battery maker Narada will hold an inauguration ceremony for a 16MW/25MWh lead carbon energy storage project in the Leipzig area of Germany on September 14. The system, one of five planned (Narada’s second 15MW/25MWh system is under construction in the same area), will deliver primary control reserve grid services — balancing frequency and capacity changes automatically — using advanced lead carbon technology. The project by German energy storage firm Upside Germany, part of the Upside Group, uses advanced lead carbon batteries in the central German region. Narada says its lead carbon batteries combine the advantages of a lead acid battery and supercapacitors. “Our lead carbon battery provides high energy density, but also high power, rapid charge and discharge and a longer cycle life.” Marc Reimer, managing director of Upside, told

Batteries International: “We use the battery for the sole purpose of providing primary control reserve in the ENTSO-E [European Network of Transmission System Operators] area. “Therefore the performance of lead carbon is just perfect. It is more reliable than most plain lead acid batteries we know, it has very low maintenance requirements and it is cost efficient.” The Langenreichenbach battery system uses two medium-voltage rings at two separate network connection points in parallel, and independently in nine inverters with 1.8MVA each, each equipped with its own frequency control. The plant has been fully operational since July 2018 and is prequalified for the provision of primary control power. After completion of the prequalification phase, the Upside Group and Narada will operate the facility. In the plethora of lithium ion and vanadium redox flow battery storage

systems, the Narada and Upside projects are interesting, but not unique to Germany, although according to the Department of Energy’s storage data base it will be the biggest in the country. Upside has already used lead acid batteries in a 2.2MW/2MWh system at the Alt Dabar solar park in the north-eastern region of the country, which began operations in 2016. There is also a 1.5MW lead acid system in the same area, which was developed in 2016 for regulation reserve applications. The Energy Buffer Unit is a prototype project where Belectric’s system provided millisecond grid stability services. This July, Narada completed a 20MW/160MWh lead carbon energy storage system in China — where it has delivered around 500MW of behind the meter system this year. The system was deployed by State Grid Zhenjiang Power Supply Company and leased by State Grid Jiangsu

EnerSys confirms contract boosts to supply TPPL batteries Battery manufacturer EnerSys has extended a contract with the US Navy to supply thin plate pure lead batteries for all four classes of nuclear submarines, the firm announced on July 30. The contract is worth a maximum of $75 million over an unlimited number of years. “As the only supplier of TPPL submarine batteries to the US Navy, we are excited to continue the advancement of our proprietary technology to meet the needs of this very demanding application,” said

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Jeffery Long, EnerSys president, Americas. On July 23, the company announced it had launched a line of TPPL batteries for commercial and general aviation applications, the Hawker SBS J-16 battery. “Hawker batteries manufactured with TPPL technology have been powering military and business jet aviation applications for years,” said Steve Benulis, marketing director at EnerSys, Americas. As Batteries International reported on July 19, EnerSys has also signed a four-

year agreement with truck maker Navistar to supply it with its Odyssey AGM batteries, also TPPL. EnerSys makes a wide range of lead batteries, as well as fuel cells, lithium ion, nickel cadmium and nickel zinc batteries, but its recent focus continues to be on its TPPL range. In Europe at the end of June, the firm announced it had extended its PowerSafe 2V battery line for reserve power applications, which when launched in 2013 had a capacity range of up to 900 ampere hours.

Integrated Energy Service. This power station is the key project of the State Grid Jiangsu Electric Power during peak load in summer, and it is also the largest modular pre-installed energy storage power station in China.

Daramic announces capacity expansion in France to meet EFB demand Battery separator company Daramic is expanding its separator facility in France by 15% in response to growing demand, president Bryan Moorehead told Batteries International on September 13. “We are responding to the growth of the EFB market in Europe and to service our partners there and in the Middle East and Africa, we are going to increase our capacity by 15% in Europe,” Moorehead said. “We have a very broad product portfolio but our focus in Europe is on the growth of the EFB market, with startstop systems not only in Europe but throughout the world along with CO2 regulations. “EVs will also certainly have a place in the market but if you look at start-stop technology that’s a very large population of vehicles that’s growing around the world. There will certainly be a need in that market for years to come.” Moorehead said the new expanded plant in France, where the company owned ‘a lot of land’, was likely.

Batteries International • Autumn 2018 • 31

NEWS

India’s Exide pushes ahead with bipolar batteries, NiCd batteries and recycling Exide Industries, the Indian automotive battery giant, announced a variety of plans in early August to invest more than Rs5.5 billion ($78 million) in creating new facilities at its existing plant in West Bengal. This is in addition to introducing manufacturing lead bipolar batteries following its link up with Advanced Battery Concepts earlier this year. The plans will make it one of the biggest batterymaking centres in southeast Asia, producing everything from recycled lead to finished products. It also signals a shift in emphasis as the firm moves to adopt different battery technologies into its manufacturing streams. Location of the bipolar plant will be a choice between two spots. “If we want to tap the e-rickshaws segment, then the plant could come up in Haldia [the company headquarters in West Bengal],” Exide managing director Gautam Chatterjee said after the firm’s AGM in early August. “But if we wish to tap the telecom sector, then we would prefer to have it at Hosur in Tamil Nadu.” Don Hobday, vice president of business development with ABC, told Batteries International: “Exide is talking to its investors about their plans to build a facility to manufacture the Green Seal batteries — it’s an update to investors to say they have seen it, like it and want to build it themselves. When you acquire the technology there’s some proving out to do, that’s what they’ve been doing — and now they are commercializing it. “We have others that we are working with but cannot talk about, but there should be an announce-

ment within the next few weeks.” It will take up to a year for the company to develop and firm up its plan on the product or segment it wishes to tap for bipolar batteries. More definitive were the firm’s plans to expand its existing facilities in regular lead batteries but also a move to make nickel cadmium batteries. This will mainly involve production of high-end nickel cadmium batteries in technical collaboration with Japan’s Furukawa Battery. The batteries are used in applications for bullet trains, metro rail and other critical installations. The NiCd and lead battery projects will be completed in the next 12-18 months. Exide says it has procured around 40 acres at Haldia from Kolkata Port Trust and Haldia Development Authority. “The first 20 acres are adjacent to our existing factory and we plan to go for capacity expansion of lead acid batteries there. On the other 20, we plan to set up

Chatterjee: “The first 20 acres are adjacent to our existing factory and we plan to go for capacity expansion of lead acid batteries there. On the other 20, we plan to set up a scrap battery recycling unit.”

a scrap battery recycling unit,” Chatterjee said. Media reports say this will be the country’s largest battery recycling plant with a monthly capacity of 15,000 tonnes. It will involve a technical tie-up with an Italian firm. The company already has two scrap battery recycling units, one at Pune and Bengaluru. The Haldia unit would take around 12-15 months for the unit to be operational. The company’s lead recycling operations are carried out by its subsidiary Chlo-

ride Metals. In July Exide said it had entered into an agreement to acquire the Gujaratbased facility of Tudor India, where it will make a joint venture with Swiss firm Leclanché in the manufacture of lithium ion batteries. Tudor was the Indian arm of the US-based Exide Technologies. Last year, Exide Industries had announced that it had reached an outof-court settlement with Exide Technologies over rights for using the Exide mark in India.

Hoppecke wins £1m lead-acid battery forklift order in the UK Hoppecke Industrial Batteries has won a contract valued at £1 million ($1.3 million) from forklift truck distributor Briggs Equipment to supply lead batteries and battery chargers for the company’s short-term hire fleet. Hoppecke, the largest battery manufacturer in European ownership, has been awarded the status of approved supplier to deliver and service 600 of trak | air batteries. The trak | air

32 • Batteries International • Autumn 2018

system comprises a traction battery with electrolyte circulation and a microprocessor-regulated charger to ensure rapid charging of the battery Briggs Equipment is the UK distributor for the Hyster and Yale ranges of forklift trucks and a variety of other materials handling equipment. Briggs says it is taking the batteries and chargers to enable renting units to cope with seasonal or emer-

gency peaks in demand and changing work patterns. Briggs Equipment has been expanding its shortterm hire fleet — around 5,000 machines are in operation at any one time — with a particular focus on next-day delivery so that where customers have an urgent requirement, such as a critical deadline or a truck unexpectedly being out of commission, they can be back up to their full quota within 24 hours.

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NEWS

Quemetco plans to increase lead battery recycling by 25% The public review period of the proposed upgrade of Quemetco Inc’s recycling plant in Los Angeles by the South Coast Air Quality Management District, the Southern California regulatory agency, closes on October 2. The Quemetco Capacity Upgrade Project, according to the SCAQMD, is seeking to increase the rotary feed drying furnace feed rate from 600 tons per day to 750 tpd. In doing so the furnaces will be operating continuously — up from 20 hours a day.

The bottom line for Quemetco is that its output of refined lead will increase from around 460 tons per day to 575. This boost in productivity will eliminate the existing daily idle time of the rotary feed drying furnace and reverberatory furnace. A local meeting held on September 13 to discuss the matter with angry residents was later described by a regional newspaper as ‘chaotic’. The application to increase operations comes three years after the perma-

nent closure — and related scandal — of Exide Technologies’ lead battery recycling plant at Vernon, some 19 miles away. This increase will help eliminate the shortfall of smelting facilities following the Exide closure. According to the local newspaper, residents were not allowed to ask questions at the meeting, in which Michael Krause, the planning rules manager of the SCAQMD, gave an introduction to the plans. Instead, they were asked to write their questions upon

Megapulse looks for expansion in North America Megapulse International, an Australian firm whose products help resolve some of the problems of lead battery degradation and so extend battery life, is expanding its operations in North America. Ross Naddei, technology director of Megapulse and the firm’s founder (pictured), told Batteries International it is looking to use its existing offices in North Carolina with a later view to building a manufacturing facility in the US state. Megapulse is represented in the US by the distributor firm Colony Tires. “Part of our future plans,” says Naddei, “is to move away from white labelling our product, which we’ve had to do in the past, but get our brand name as a product out there.” Megapulse is distributed across Europe through Belgian firm Battery Supplies. “As part of this we’d like to establish a manufacturing facility in the US so as to comply with military rules on sourcing domestic products.”

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Megapulse is already a familiar name to European car manufacturing OEMs. After some seven years of testing, Volvo, the Swedish car manufacturer. took some 100,000 units of Megapulse’s products, says Naddei. Mercedes has also taken 10,000 units. Naddei says the firm’s VEES and HD648 technology is a patented dual pulse system which … “drasti-

cally reduces battery degradation, this is important to customers because this degradation causes voltage losses in the electrical system which is the prime cause of electrical faults and failures thereby increasing down-time, unnecessary repairs, warranty claims, loss of capability all of which negatively impact the environment. “Our technology has

white boards around the room. In the review document the SCAQMD will increase the amount of total coke material allowed to be processed in the rotary feed drying furnace and reverberatory furnace from 600,000 pounds per month to 750,000. It will allow petroleum coke, in lieu of or in addition to calcined coke, to be used as a smelting reagent in the reverberatory furnace and electric resistance heated slag reduction furnace. Quemetco, which is owned by RSR Corporation, says the plant “is the cleanest lead recycling facility in the world”. helped European OEM manufacturers such as Volvo, Scania and Mercedes to reduce electrical system faults from 56% down to less than 1% and at the same time increase battery life from an average of two years to seven years, keeping batteries out of the recycling loop (or land fill) up to three times longer.” Naddei says the firm is continuing to advance its pulse technology and is preparing the release of its sixth generation of pulse products. The first was released in 1997.

DBS Leoch plans to regain foothold in UK maritime sector DBS Leoch, the UK arm of the Chinese battery maker Leoch, has joined the British Marine Association in a bid to regain a foothold in the marine market, the company said on July 31. Joining the boating organization — which represents any company operating in the 24m commercial and recreational and super yacht sector — will give DBS Leoch access to networking events, business services at

government and EU level and exposure in the industry, said Tom Foy, senior regional executive of the membership team for British Marine. DBS Leoch managing director Henry James said “There are two major developments we would like to become part of. The first is the super yacht market, offering 2V cells with lead carbon or gel tubular products, or the lithium products which are available in 24V or 48V;

The second is the emergence of electric propulsion, in particular the inland waterways, using 48V systems in 2V or 48V lithium — this market will grow significantly in the next five years. It may also be the case that super yachts develop low-speed silent electric propulsion in the future.” In June, DBS Leoch — then DBS Energy — won contract by boatmaker Aqualine to supply it with specialist marine batteries.

Batteries International • Autumn 2018 • 35

NEWS

US DOD to install UltraBattery in its first self-sufficient independent microgrid The US Department of Defense unveiled an UltraBattery-backed microgrid at its Air National Guard base on Cape Cod in Massachusetts on August 29 in what will be the first independent, battery-backed microgrid to support 100% of the electricity needs of a US military facility while ‘islanded’, or cut off, from the national grid. In case of outages, which happen at Cape Cod once or twice a year, the Otis Microgrid will be able to respond within less then 60 milliseconds, according to project manager Shawn Doyle, VP operations and energy resilience, program management office director renewables with the Department of Defense. Provided by East Penn-owned subsidiary Ecoult, the 1.6MW UltraBattery will store power generated by a 1.5MW wind turbine at the base in

what could be a major step for Ecoult if the project is replicated in other Department of Defense projects, or other federal facilities, which Doyle said was likely. “The UltraBattery has been deployed with solid performance and data back-up to prove that. It was designed for frequency regulation and its chemistry allows it to be rapidly charged and discharged at four-second intervals. “The battery can last for between 30 and 90 minutes depending on its state of charge and load, and is going to be used as the black start, the establisher of the microgrid when the commercial grid goes down.” Doyle told Batteries International the Otis microgrid was at an intelligence wing on Cape Cod, which had around 30 buildings and some critical

loads to do with cyber security that were mission critical and could not go down. “The threat to the electrical system is different now than in the past – now it’s cyber security that’s very important,” he said. “The DoD approach is to plan for a two-week outage.” Once the system is fully operational, by the end of October, it will be able to pay some of its costs back by selling excess power to the national grid. John Wood, Ecoult CEO, said the company was “gaining important and relevant experience in this project”. Private contractor Raytheon developed the microgrid control system and has overseen all of the cyber security, design, procurement and engineering. The Air National Guard will operate the microgrid itself.

Mesa Technical Associates buys Alcad, Saft’s lead battery business Mesa Technical Associates, the US provider of power products for telecoms, utilities and industrial markets, has bought the North American lead-acid battery arm of Alcad, the firm announced on September 13. Alcad which predominantly produces nickel cadmium batteries, was acquired by Saft in 1987. Carey O’Donnell, vice president for business development and a partner in Mesa, said the two firms had worked together for many years and the deal was a “really good fit”. “Last March we were approached by Saft, who were looking for a buyer for the business. Alcad has always been an anomaly as the bit of the company that was selling lead-acid,” he told Batteries International. “There was so much synergy and we bought all of the intellectual rights, the customer base, a very professional sales channel and the designs, which are to the

original American standard. “We do a lot with lithium and the projections for energy storage are staggering. But lead’s not going to disappear. Pound for pound, the value that lead offers is still really good.” O’Donnell said Mesa would target utility power, power generation, substations, DC back-up stations,

telecommunications and mobile hubs as well as a variety of industrial hubs. He said the company’s lead selenium batteries all contained an external recombinant catalyst, which captured escaping hydrogen gas then combined it with free oxygen to form water, which was then returned to the battery.

“More and more companies are making this product,” he said. “We were the first company to make it as standard, and it has resulted in a cycle life for lead selenium batteries of up to 1,500 cycles.” Alcad says it will now focus on its flagship nickelcadmium products, which have seen an increase in demand from outdoor utility switchgear applications, generator set engine starting and other applications in the oil and gas business.

Furukawa signs UltraBattery contract with Exide Industries Exide Industries, the Indian battery maker, has signed an agreement with the Furukawa Battery Company that allows it to make and sell the UltraBattery for the Indian automotive sector, Furukawa announced on August 16. The sub-licence agreement includes a contract for Furukawa to provide technical assistance to Exide, with which it has had a technological alliance

36 • Batteries International • Autumn 2018

since the mid-2000s, the company said. “Furukawa Battery is providing Exide with technologies to produce high-quality, long-life lead-acid batteries. By doing so, Furukawa Battery will support the upgrading of Exide’s batteries and the expansion of its product line-up,” a company statement said. Ongoing technical assistance contracts were made between the two

companies in 2005 for automotive batteries, in 2007 for valve-regulated lead batteries for motorcycles, and in 2012 for stop-start batteries. The brainchild of Australian scientists at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), the UltraBattery is supplied in Japan, Thailand and India by Furukawa. Elsewhere, East Pennowned Ecoult supplies the product.

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NEWS

IESA brings lead-acid battery voices together to lobby for tax cut in India India’s lead acid battery companies are intending to lobby the government to give their products a similar tax cut to the one just given to lithium ion batteries, a member of the India Energy Storage Alliance told Batteries International on August 1. In what has been hailed by the IESA as a major boost to energy storage technologies, the Goods and Services Tax Council cut the GST rate on lithium batteries from 28% to 18% at a meeting on July 21, along with a cut to 12% for fuel cell vehicles. However lead acid batteries, and other battery chemistries, were not mentioned at the meeting. A spokesperson for Customized Energy Solutions India, a member of IESA and an advisory body that works with companies to navigate wholesale and retail electricity markets across the world, said: “There is no change in the GST for lead acid batteries, which remains at 28%, although if the lead acid battery is integrated with solar components, then the effective GST is 5%. “IESA is working with lead acid companies such as Microtex, LivGuard and others to put forward this voice to the ministries on future GST reduction. “India’s lead acid battery market is growing at 7% to 8% with newer applications like e-rickshaws, rooftop solar etc. IESA’s Lead Acid Battery Market Landscape report suggests the current market size for lead acid batteries is around $5 billion, which includes both stationary and motive applications.” While the GST cut was applauded by members of the IESA, some said it did not go far enough, and that

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other chemistries should not be ignored. Rahul Walawalkar, executive director of IESA (pictured), said: “A reduction of GST is essential to boost energy storage adoption in India, which can help accelerate investment in manufacturing as well. “We urge the finance ministry to extend the rate reduction to other forms of energy storage technologies including advanced lead acid, sodium-based batteries, flow batteries, metal air batteries, ultracapacitors, fuel cells and thermal storage technologies.” Hiren Shah, senior director of energy storage, Delta, said a GST cut to 5%, as had been made on products within the solar industry, would have been “ideal”.

Walawalkar: “A further reduction of GST is essential”

Amara Raja Batteries expands domestically and in UAE too Two new initiatives from Amara Raja Batteries were announced in August. In a regulatory filing on August 11, the firm said it had approved setting up a green field automotive battery plant with a capacity of 6.5 million units a year. At the end of July the firm set up Amara Raja Batteries Middle East, a wholly owned subsidiary, at Sharjah Airport International Free Zone in the United Arab Emirates. In its regulatory filing it said it had an authorized share capital of AED150,000 ($41,000). The expansion at home and internationally reflects a growing optimism about the state of the Indian economy. The IMF predicted in May that India will be the fastest growing major economy in 2018 with a growth rate of 7.4%. Next year it is forecasting 7.8%.

Jayadev Galla, managing director at Amaram, said: “The economy is poised to grow and provide opportunities for increasing production and consumption. In line with the growth and demand expectations, we are expanding capacities and adapting new technologies well in time.” The firm has set aside Rs7 billion ($99 million) for the domestic project. This is in addition to the Rs5 billion already planned for development this year. The domestic project, likely to be built in the state of Andhra Pradesh — where Amara Raja is headquartered — will be developed in three phases. The first phase should be completed by early 2020. The regulatory file for the Sharjah subsidiary said it would enable the firm to “tap the growing West Asian market”.

Separately, the Indian business press says Amara Raja Group is consolidating the group holdings across the various companies under a newly formed holding entity, RN Galla Family Pvt Ltd. A corporate structure for the holding entity, so far a partnership firm, is being created by a demerger of Amara Raja Electronics, to which the group’s shareholding of listed entity Amara Raja Batteries has been transferred. Amara Raja Electronics Pvt Ltd, a promoter-held company that manufactures products like digital inverters, battery chargers and converters is being demerged to carve out two resulting companies, RN Galla Family Pvt Ltd, the group holding company, and Amara Raja Power Systems.

Batteries International • Autumn 2018 • 37

NEWS

European Commission report warns of end-of-life lithium dangers, and ‘imperative need’ for new technologies The European Commission report Towards the Battery of the Future, released in September, says innovation in battery technology is imperative, and while hailing lithium as today’s battery of choice, delivers stark warnings about the chemistry. It is particularly scathing about the issue of the end-of-life for lithium batteries. “Spent lithium-ion batteries are a pressing concern, given their high number,” the report says. “Globally, it is predicted that there will be over 25 billion by just 2020, driven largely by the rise in electric vehicles. “Within the EU, these batteries cannot be landfilled as they leach substances that are potentially toxic and can also explode. Likewise, they cannot be incinerated as the ashes remain toxic in landfill.” Produced by the EC’s Science for Environment Policy team, the report emphasizes the importance of batteries for the future health of the environment. “High-quality and technologically innovative batteries are imperative for the EU in the context of its move towards a low-carbon, climate-friendly and more circular economy,” it says. “At the global and EU level, leadacid technologies are expected to still prevail in 2025 in terms of volume, but the lithium-ion market is expected to become greater in terms of value from 2018. “The use of lithium-ion batteries is expected to accelerate in the near future. Their design is likely to evolve during this time, but scientists believe that they may soon reach their performance limits, particularly in terms of their energy density. “Thus, in addition to efforts to develop future evolutions of lithiumion, the quest is now on to identify

potential alternatives that offer better performance with an improved environmental profile.”

“[Lithium] batteries cannot be landfilled as they leach substances that are potentially toxic. They can also explode. Likewise they cannot be incinerated as the ashes remain toxic in landfill” The report warns that although “there appear to be sufficient reserves of most of the key constituents of lithium batteries — the most quickly growing form of technology on the battery market — to meet near-term and predicted increases in demand for batteries”, it would be misguided to rely on these reserves in the event of an increase in demand or flaws in supply chains. “In addition, concerns remain surrounding the toxicity and safety of certain battery components. For instance, there are issues relating to some of the materials used in lithiumion technologies, including active materials in the electrodes and electrolytes, notably cobalt, as well as the substances that bind electrode materials together.” The report advocates increasing the energy density of batteries or finding alternatives to the toxic materials, but while it says a combination of battery technologies will be used in the future, it says these are impossible to identify and are likely to be the most environmentally sustainable.

While devoting three case studies to solid-state lithium, redox flow and printed batteries, lead-acid batteries are hardly mentioned in the report, despite the emphasis on end-of-life treatment and future environmental issues. (It is widely known that lead-acid batteries are almost 100% recyclable.) ““We welcome the EU’s commitment to environmentally friendly battery technology, as lead batteries are of course highly sustainable,” Alistair Davidson, director products and sustainability at the International Lead Association, told BESB. “This is the circular economy in action. And as Europe’s energy storage needs expand over the coming years, advanced lead battery technology will become increasingly important in delivering Europe’s decarbonization and electrification ambitions.” “The report rightly raises questions about the sustainability of battery technologies, and lead batteries are in a strong position because of our ongoing record of high recyclability and adherence to the circular economy principles. The issue Europe faces is that it needs a wide range of battery technologies to meet future energy storage needs, and only lead batteries and some other technologies realistically offer that level of scale and capability. “And of course advanced lead batteries and the work we’re doing to innovate and improve performance just serve to enhance their value to Europe’s energy storage future.” Another industry commentator said: “This is a damning report, showing the inability of the latest technology to fulfil the exacting environmental standards that we believe are necessary for the energy storage systems of the future.”

JCI to defend $28 million lawsuit from GM Johnson Controls has responded to a lawsuit launched on October 3 by General Motors, which is claiming costs of more than $28 million from the battery giant. “We have fully com-

plied with all of our contractual obligations to GM and intend to continue to do so in the future,” a company statement said. “While we truly value our long-term relationship and partnership,

40 • Batteries International • Autumn 2018

we intend to defend the case vigorously.” The action relates to the supply of batteries to GM between 2014 and 2016. GM claims JCI owes it for costs associated with

warranty claims on batteries for models, which include Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac during the period. GM had named Johnson Controls as its supplier of the year in 2014.

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PRODUCT NEWS

AI-driven renewable energy system to reduce fossil fuel consumption in UK

Calder: “digital energy management reduces costs”

A scheme launched in the UK Isles of Scilly will use 43.8kWh of residential batteries, 450kW solar panels, smart heating and electric vehicles to support the British islands’ energy system and tackle fuel poverty, PassivSystems and Moixa announced on July 24. The Hitachi Europe-led £11 million ($13 million) Smart Energy Islands project aims to reduce the islands’ reliance on imported fossil fuels and electricity. It should be completed by November. The scheme includes UK company PassivSystems’ cloud-based management systems in 100 homes (10%

of the islands’ homes). It will then use artificial intelligence to learn patterns of consumption to balance supply and demand. PassivSystems’ technology will forecast energy demand and control the use of energy for heating, storage and generation. It will integrate with Hitachi’s Internet of Things platform and Moixa’s batteries. Ten homes will pilot a variety of additional smart energy technologies, including smart batteries by UK firm Moixa and air source heat pumps. Colin Calder, chief executive PassivSystems, said:

“This project will demonstrate the effectiveness of using leading-edge digital energy management systems to reduce costs, carbon and a community’s dependence on imported fossil fuels.” Solar panels will be installed on more than 70 council-owned homes, on the islands’ fire station, the recycling facility and desalination plant, and in a solar garden by the airport (subject to planning). The project aims to meet 40% of the islands’ energy demand through renewables and enable 40% of vehicles to be electric or lowcarbon by 2025. A pilot vehicle-to-grid system will use learning algorithms to keep an electric van battery at a state of charge that will allow it to support the islands’ grid when not being used. The not-for-profit Isles of Scilly Community Venture will sell power generated by the panels and recycle the

New electrodes could pave way for faster cycling of lithium ion in ESS UK researchers from Cambridge University’s science department announced on July 25 they had identified a group of materials that would increase the cycling efficiency of lithium ion batteries — opening up the possibility of large-scale storage for renewables. The researchers used materials, known as niobium tungsten oxides, to create a crystalline structure that allows lithium ions to move through them faster than typical electrode materials. The results are reported in the journal Nature. Researchers have previously tried to increase performance by making

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electrode material particles smaller — but it caused unwanted chemical reactions with the electrolyte, shortening the battery life. Professor Clare Grey, one of the paper’s senior authors, said: “Nanoparticles are challenging to work with on a practical level, as they tend to be quite ‘fluffy’, so it’s difficult to pack them tightly together, which is key for a battery’s volumetric energy density.” Most anodes in lithium ion batteries use high energy density graphite, which can form dendrites when charged at high rates. Although the oxides do lead to a lower cell voltage

than some electrode materials, the operating voltage is beneficial for safety and the high lithium transport rates mean that when cycling fast, the practical (usable) energy density of these materials remains high, said a statement from the university. While the oxides may only be suited for certain applications, Grey says the important thing is to keep looking for new chemistries and new materials. “Fields stagnate if you don’t keep looking for new compounds,” she says. “These interesting materials give us a good insight into how we might design higher rate electrode materials.”

income to reduce electricity bills for all islanders through a special energy tariff that is to be launched this summer.

Skeleton reveals Skelgrid Omni, a supercap for grid integration Estonian graphenebased ultracapacitor firm Skeleton Technologies announced in midJune the introduction of its grid-scale Skelgrid Omni technology that can be integrated alongside a UPS to provide short-term back-up power. The 0.5MW, 1MW and 2MW scalable units are designed to stop power outages at critical applications such as manufacturing plants, data centres and hospitals. Taavi Madiberk, the firm’s CEO, said: “Grid codes do not regulate short-term voltage sags, but modern manufacturing equipment requires high power quality. “As a result manufacturing business companies suffering from scrapped products, down time and damage to the manufacturing equipment find themselves between a rock and a hard place.” Separately, the company announced it had formed a partnership with Slovakian energy storage distributer Menestor. The partnership aims to drive sales of Skeleton’s technology in the Slovak, Czech, Hungarian and Austrian renewable energy markets.

Batteries International • Autumn 2018 • 41

PRODUCT NEWS

Tydrolyte unveils new electrolyte with ‘potential to replace sulfuric acid’ An electrolyte developed by the battery firm Tydrolyte that could potentially replace the sulfuric acid in lead acid batteries was demonstrated at the 16th European Lead Battery Conference this September. The CEO of the US company, Paul Bundschuh, says its electrolyte already has several patents pending. “Fundamentally what we have is a new acid chemistry,” Bundschuh told Batteries International. “Our chemistry has the same negative sulfate so the core reactions are the same as with sulfuric acid. But our positive ion structure is completely different than what’s in sulfuric acid. “Sulfuric acid gives the needed conductivity but it’s also responsible for the corrosion and toxicity. We improve all those metrics with our material.” Bundschuh claims the electrolyte is so harmless that it could be used to wash hands, or even be drunk. Tydrolyte is a member of the ALABC now being rebranded as the CBI. Bundschuh would not give specific details of the electrolyte but said a white paper on the product had been peer reviewed and independent testing firm Electric Applications Inc had verified the firm’s claims.

“One of the big benefits in addition to improvements in things like water loss and corrosion, as well as charge acceptance and charge resistance, is its lack of toxicity. We believe that once it’s finished being tested, this will be considered non-toxic.” Bundschuh says the electrolyte is more expensive

than sulfuric acid, but because of the performance benefits and cost reductions in getting rid of regulatory burdens — where lead acid batteries require special shipping requirements, for example, or liability in case of spillage — the additional costs would disappear. “It’s an opportunity to

potentially eliminate the use of millions of gallons of sulfuric acid,” he said. Bundschuh says work has been going on behind the scenes with the CBI, other organizations and customers to carry out accelerated life testing and other trials, including with the testing company Electric Applications Inc.

Abertax announces two new patents Abertax Technologies announced two new patents at 16ELBC in Vienna in early September. The first is another advance in the development of GRS valves for VRLA batteries. The second is an improvement to battery monitoring. Both are patented by the Maltabased firm. “Continuous improvement is one of the things

that underpin our research approach,” said Jo Cilia, managing director. “And our two new patents are a result of that thinking.” Abertax, which has teamed up with Accumulux for the first project, has developed a system guaranteeing an equal gas release pressure for all cells within a battery. This eliminates any imbalance of excessive

42 • Batteries International • Autumn 2018

water loss from particular cells — resulting in an improved battery performance. The second development is a refinement on a wireless communication technique between chargers and batteries. Working with charger manufacturer IEB, the Abertax R&D team has developed a system that identifies which battery is

connected to the charging system and automatically transfers the battery information through radio frequency communication. “This wireless connection will simplify the careful control of the right charging regime to optimize quality performance and ensuring the expected lifetime of the battery,” says the firm.

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PRODUCT NEWS

Fiamm Energy Technology displays latest range of stop-start batteries Fiamm Energy Technology, the Italian automotive and industrial lead battery business unit taken over by Hitachi Chemical in February 2017, presented an international preview in September of a new range of batteries designed for start-stop vehicles. At Automechanika in Frankfurt, the company displayed its new ecoFORCE range of batteries,

which include AGM and EFB technology for 15 specific models for European and Asian cars. The batteries will be available on the market in the first quarter of 2019, the firm said. “Stop-start batteries’ market volume in the aftermarket is growing every year, therefore our interest is to enlarge the product range to offer a complete portfolio to

our customer base. We have no concerns as to the future of the industry, as we estimate the EU stop-start battery market to be approximately 25 million units by 2025,” a spokesperson said. In June, Fiamm said it was aiming to ‘optimize the integration process’ between new owner Hitachi’s lithium focus and developing new models of lead batteries produced in Italy to

Wirtz introduces thin gauge strip caster Wirtz Manufacturing Company announced mid-September that it was launching a new product line called the Thin Gauge Strip Caster. This casts strip at a thickness of 5mm. This strip is then reduced through two rolling mills to its final thickness for punched grids. The strip is cast using a completely enclosed lead delivery system and a patentpending feed nozzle, which guarantees dross-free strip of the highest quality. ‘The Wirtz strip caster maintains complete control through each stage in the casting process, thereby providing a flexible platform that can be optimized to handle casting parameters for both common and

exotic grid alloys,” said John Wirtz, the company head. “It is designed to be easily serviced without the use of heavy equipment, with the casting drums measuring less than 40cm in diameter.” The strip caster is similar in size to the Wirtz Continuous Caster.

44 • Batteries International • Autumn 2018

be distributed in Asia by Hitachi. “Over time, the market demand will shift towards lithium but lead is still a major resource also within the industrial field,” an official said.

Microporous reveals new DuroForce separator Microporous announced mid-September the introduction of DuroForce ULR, a new Ultra Low Resistance battery separator designed specifically to increase the power of EFB batteries for startstop applications. “We’re using a blend of highly engineered silica and Ultra high molecular weight polyethylene ULR with a backweb of 250 microns, which has an electrical resistance that is industry leading at only 40 milli-ohm cm2,” George Brilmyer, a director of R&D at Microporous, told Batteries International. “In creating DuroForce ULR, Microporous has succeeded in matching the electrical resistance of thinner, 150 micron separator products without compromising the mechanical or chemical properties. “The tensile strength, elongation and puncture resistance of ULR is designed for high speed battery manufacturing, as well as exemplary performance under the demanding conditions of EFB operation.”

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ENERGY STORAGE NEWS

Plans for London’s first VPP revealed Energy aggregator Powervault to go live with 40 virtual power plant installations in Q4 this year Plans for London’s first virtual power plant using rooftop solar and residential energy storage systems was unveiled on June 22 by UK distribution operator UK Power Networks. The system, which will be run through London-based battery manufacturer and energy aggregator Powervault, allows homeowners to access a flexibility contract where they are paid to support the distribution network using their assets. The fleet of 40 8kWh batteries are to be installed in homes across the London Borough of Barnet in Q4 this year. Each system can charge from either solar or off-peak grid power, which will be controlled remotely via Powervault’s aggregation platform. During high demand, UK Power Networks can instruct the batteries to discharge in unison to relieve pressure on the power network. Local residents will receive a payment when their batteries discharge. The new flexibility contract is the first time in London that people with solar panels and battery storage installed at home will be paid to support the distribution network in this way. Barry Hatton, director of asset management at UK Power Networks, said: “Our plans to create the capital’s first ever virtual power station are paving the way for a smart, flexible electricity network that puts people in charge of their energy use. “Projects like this are just the start as

we move towards a decarbonized, decentralized and digitized network.” The shift to local renewable generation has transformed the UK’s energy system, and the virtual power plant is just one of a number of innovation projects giving customers greater control

UK Power Networks described the transformation in energy as being similar to the impact the advent of broadband had on telecommunications in the early 2000s over their energy use. When UK Power Networks launched its vision for the future, ‘A Smart Grid for All’, last year, it described the transformation in energy as being similar to the impact the advent of broadband had on telecommunications in the early 2000s. The system will also defer investment costs for the network operator by providing an alternative to the traditional approach of adding more cables and substations to increase capacity. The agreement follows a successful trial of the technology using 45 Powervault batteries by the DNO this February. UK Power Networks claims to

have reduced the average household evening demand by 60%. Joe Warren, managing director of Powervault, said: “This is a really exciting development for our business. A payment for supporting the local networks, on top of the savings from solar and time-of-use tariffs, will enhance the business case for customers, moving us closer to our goal of delivering a massmarket product as commonplace as a dishwasher. It also proves the value of domestic battery storage to the whole energy system. We think this contract is just the first step in what will be a huge growth area.” Daniel Burgess, a resident who participated in the trial in February, said: “I’m excited to be involved in this. If you think about it, in the UK we’ve got solar already installed on nearly a million households, and if everyone moves to having batteries that’s a massive change in how local power is supplied.” Powervault first came to Batteries International’s attention when it launched a 2.5kWh-4kWh lead acid home storage system, at a time when firms such as Tesla and Sonnen were releasing lithium ion products. The company said their all glass mat system could handle 800 cycles, while the tubular version could operate 1,800. The company has since launched its lithium ion phosphate system that can store 2kWh– 6kWh of usable AC energy.

Japan to scale up VPP project to test flexible response capabilities Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry is expanding a virtual power plant project to include the country’s Tohoku and Hokkaido regions as it tests the technology’s ability to provide a flexible response to meet supply and demand. The project runs until February 2019 and will examine potential technical and institutional issues in hardware and software as Japan explores the best

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use of surplus power. Participants include utility The Kansai Electric Power, energy management firm Eneres, telecommunications company KDDI Corporation, utility Tokyo Electric Power Company Group, and ceramics and PV firm Kyocera. The VPP will remotely control and integrate distributed power resources including batteries and renewable generation assets with the goal of establish-

ing a system that optimizes supply and demand. Kyocera will use its home energy management system POM SYSTEM to remotely control energy resources from its own batteries. As part of the demand testing, one of the tertiary power adjustment capacity tests will examine if the VPP can respond to changing power demand signals, which will be examined every 15 minutes based on real-operation scenarios.

Japan seeks to have renewable energy account for 22%-24% of all its electrical power generation by 2030. In 2014, Kyocera participated in an earlier phase of the project with METI and the Institute of Applied Energy. In that phase participants established an automated demand response systems with aggregators and a demand response system. In 2016, Kyocera participated in a VPP test project using its own storage batteries and IoT technologies as well as the ADR system.

Batteries International • Autumn 2018 • 45

ENERGY STORAGE NEWS

NiZn firm investment to disrupt stationary storage market Nickel zinc firm ZAF Energy Systems announced on July 1 it had received the first instalment of a $600,000 investment to help expand production and forge supply chain partnerships in its goal to replace lead acid batteries with nickel zinc in stationary and motive applications. The second instalment of $300,000 from Missouri’s Department of Economic Development fund, part of the US state’s Venture Capital Co-Investment Program, is due in the next 60-days. Randy Moore, CEO of ZAF, told Batteries International that nickel zinc was well suited for replacing lead acid because the incumbent technology wasn’t keeping up with the increased electrical load demands of many applications and customers didn’t want the added complexity, cost, or safety concerns of lithium ion. “As to disrupting the stationary storage markets, we think that is possible as well,” said Moore. “Perhaps other technologies are better suited to a four-hour backup of a large wind farm or solar installation, but for most data centres, hospitals, industrial behind-the-meter applications, NiZn is well suited to take on lead acid. “In a data centre, we’ve done the analysis and are involved in testing now that looks like we can eliminate 40% of the battery volume and 55% of the battery weight. “Data centres are all about reducing the footprint of anything that isn’t data. In addition, because of the weight savings, co-located data centres in highrise office buildings would be possible. Because of the

ZAF’s Wilkins: energy density is the key

safety of NiZn batteries, they would do well in areas where local codes are restricting the use of lithium ion in buildings that are occupied.” ZAF also claims to be able to double the life cycle of traditional lead acid batteries. Executive vice president at ZAF, Craig Wilkins said: “Life cycle is a function of depth of discharge, and people quote some really crazy numbers, for example a lead acid battery with 80% depth of discharge normally has anywhere between 300-400 cycles. “We will be in the 700800 range for life cycle for deep cycle 80% depth of discharge. Of course, if

Moore: “We’ll make a 20th of a gigafactory in 18 months”

46 • Batteries International • Autumn 2018

you cycle it to 20% depth of discharge we are in the couple of thousand range. So it’s all a matter of sizing the battery correctly.” ZAF is looking to get its technology down to $0.13 per kilowatt hour levellized cost of energy, per kilowatt hour delivered. The LCOE is low volume in comparison to lead and lithium, said Wilkins. It is also using the company’s current design, so ZAF says it expects improvements when its Gen3 and Gen4 products arrive and expect it to bring that cost down by another 20%-25%. The difference between it and say Encell’s nickel iron (LCOE of $0.04) technology is the energy density and the services that ZAF can provide to the high valued market sector. “We can provide frequency regulation response and that’s why people are looking at this largely for renewable projects area because it’s great for frequency regulation, control and ramp,” Wilkins said. “I want to make a real distinct difference, when batteries out there are performing long-cycle life, multiple thousands of cycles that obviously impacts the value on the dollar per kilowatt hour and also on the dollars per kilowatt hour delivered over its lifecycle. “So when you go off and start comparing using that method there’s one thing you’ve got to realize is what is the value of the services you can deliver me at kilowatt hour not just the cost of that kWh. “If you can only deliver energy services and not power services the value of that kilowatt hour delivered is less because you are not driving revenue with

the same impact as what the battery can provide.” Last October Zaf announced the opening of a new production facility in Joplin, Missouri, that is dedicated to manufacturing its initial line of batteries. The latest round of funding will allow the firm to increase electrode volumes from 40KWh to 2MWh this month. Next year ZAF aims to expand to 25MWh and then to 50MWh in two shifts by the end of 2018. “So, we’ll be at 1/20th of a ‘gigafactory’ in about 18 months,” says Moore. “Because we are looking at many battery formats it’s best to not talk in terms of quantities at this point. There is no comparing the quantity of 6D batteries to Group 31, or Group 31 to Group 54. “Where we go is really going to be determined by end-customer demand and license adoption. We foresee needing 140MWhr by 2022 for the markets we intend to service ourselves.” The company’s motive battery offering, and its first for long-haul trucking aims to answer the concerns raised by new anti-idle regulations, which have created demand for 10-hour battery operated air conditioning systems. Wilkins said: “The US ABC standards for startstop is 10,000 cycles and maintaining 95% of capacity. We’ve tested to those standards and at 10,000 cycles we are still at 98% capacity. So we cycle very well compared to lead acid.” The company is also working with a robotic inventory handling company to put inductive charges in the floor and fast-charging the robots whenever they pause on a spot to load/unload.

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ENERGY STORAGE NEWS

Plans for 2GW storage network in UK for grid and EV demands Grid-scale energy storage company Pivot Power has revealed ambitious plans to build 2GW of lithium ion capacity in the UK to meet grid and electric vehicle demands, the company announced on July 17. The plans will begin with a 50MW system in Southampton, a busy city in the south of England, that will initially provide grid-scale flexibility services with the

aim of gaining permission to add an EV ‘superhub’ rapid-charging facility that will share the same grid connection as the battery. Construction of the system, which will be housed in 25 containers on a 1.6acre plot owned by UK transmission operator National Grid, should start around March 2019 and be operational by July. A Pivot Power official said

RedT replaces coal with VRFB for German grid UK firm RedT Energy has announced plans for 770MWh of projects on July 26 after signing an exclusivity agreement with German energy development company Energy System Management. RedT will initially deliver two 40MWh vanadium redox flow battery projects in Germany, with plans to roll out the full capacity portfolio of network reinforcement projects in the future. It is the first time VRFB technology will be used to provide secondary control reserve, also known as automated frequency response reserve, to the German and Austrian markets. These services have traditionally been provided by ramping coal-fired power plants. Construction on the initial phase, which will use more than 1,000 RedT Gen 3 tank units, is expected to begin next year subject to financial close being reached. German transmission system operators require long duration, flexible energy storage infrastructure to balance their grids. Scott McGregor, CEO, RedT energy said the Ger-

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man market, of which around 8GWh was serviced by coal, was a long term market that provided good revenue, but now storage was displacing fossil fuels to allow it to go to full renewable generation. He said: “Unlike conventional lead and lithium batteries, flow machines are able to store large quantities of energy, meaning they can offer charge/ discharge durations of four hours or more. “The machines are highly flexible too, as they do not degrade and can also perform short term services (matching the response times of conventional batteries). “In the context of this deal, flow machines have been chosen over conventional batteries because they are longer lasting (20+ years), ramp faster than conventional power generators and can provide the four hours of energy which is required to support the grid. “This is highly significant as this is the first example of flow machines replacing conventional coal power plants for this grid support service.”

gest barriers to EV adoption identified by the UK’s Department for Transport’s survey Public attitudes towards electric vehicles: 2016 (revised). Pivot Power says it aims to have the systems operational at 10 sites within 18 months and all 45 within five years. If successful Pivot Power would be one of the biggest single suppliers of the UK’s battery capacity by 2021 — at least according to a UK government paper released in January whose medium forecast was for 8GW of capacity, up from around 300MW nowadays. The government paper was written by the UK Renewable Energy Association, an All-Party Parliamentary Group on Energy Storage, and an interest group made up of members of the House of Lords and House of Commons.

that the lithium ion batteries would be sourced from multiple suppliers because of the volume required. Southampton is the first of 45 sites near towns and major road networks that the UK-based firm has earmarked for projects combining 50MW ESSs with rapid charging stations, Birmingham and Oxford will be among its first such projects. The superhub will be a mass-charging infrastructure for commercial fleets such as electric buses, taxis and vans with the ability to charge up to 100 vehicles at the same time. The projects aim to address concerns about the availability of chargers, distance travelled on a charge, and cost — the three big-

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ENERGY STORAGE NEWS

Massachusetts sets out 1GW seven year clean energy plan The US state of Massachusetts has laid out plans to deploy 1GW of energy storage by December 2025 after the Act to Advance Clean Energy (Bill H.4857) was signed into law on August 9. The act encourages the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources to boost the cost-effective deployment of energy storage systems to increase renewable energy penetration and reduce peak cost power.

The law requires electric distribution companies to submit annual reports outlining their energy storage installations. It demands that the department of energy study the feasibility of a mobile battery storage system to serve as an emergency relief system that can respond to extreme weather or power outages. The system would also shave peak demand and lower distribution costs when not in use for emergencies.

Fuel cells used as microgrid at Connecticut US naval base A ground-breaking ceremony took place on July 25 on an 7.4MW fuel cell park in the US that will act as a microgrid at the Naval Submarine Base, New London in Groton, Connecticut. FuelCell Energy of Danbury will install and own the installation under a long-term power purchase agreement for utility Connecticut Municipal Electric Energy Cooperative. The agreement be-

tween the Navy and the utility was announced last October following a competitive solicitation and review process. The facility is scheduled for completion by next spring. Power from the fuel cells, which will be managed in Connecticut, is to meet a majority of the average daily energy needs of the base. Excess power will be exported to the Groton Utilities distribution system.

Funding deadline for sustainable energy SMEs announced by InnoEnergy Small and medium sized enterprises seeking support and investment to bring their technology to market had until October 4 to apply to InnoEnergy’s, the sustainable energy engine, 2018 Investment Round. The funding round aims to help sustainable energy companies scale up and quicken the commercialization of their business case. The Netherlands-based firm, supported by the European Institute of Inno-

vation and Technology, seeks firms with proof of concept (pilot or type test validation) technology in clean-tech and sustainable energy innovations. Applicants must also be part of a consortium of between three to seven European partners from two different countries, from both the research and industry sectors. As well as funding, InnoEnergy offers applicants access to an innovation ecosystem of more than 385 industry partners

Canada commissions 20MWh behind-the-meter storage system Convergent Energy + Power (Convergent), the US energy storage developer, and IHI announced on August 15 the launch of a 10MW/20MWh behindthe-meter lithium ion energy storage system, located in Ontario, Canada. The system, which uses hardware and software by the energy storage division of IHI, will offer

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peak shifting services to industrial customers. The system brings Convergent’s operating capacity to 26MW in Ontario, since it entered the province’s power market in 2014. This project marks IHI Energy Storage’s entry into the Ontario market, with another 21MW contracted in the region.

from all areas of the sustainable energy industry. Diego Pavia, CEO of InnoEnergy, says: “It is our mission to accelerate the clean energy transition in Europe. We go beyond the mere contribution of cash to help our partners grow. Not only do we provide access to Europe’s leading network of clean-tech and sustainable energy expertise, but we provide sustained support through marketing and other value-building services.” InnoEnergy has invested €190 million ($220 million) in projects spanning eight technology areas across Europe — resulting in €3 billion of forecasted sales since launching the funding round in 2011. Those areas include energy storage — for integrating renewables on to

the grid, enabling a more responsive distribution system and improving security of supply — smart electric grids and renewable energies. Success stories include EOLOS in Europe’s Iberian peninsular, which developed a low-cost offshore wind assessment tool to help reduce the financial risks associated with the siting of offshore wind installations. Its ‘LiDar’, a reusable floating buoy, can be deployed at any offshore location to gather accurate and reliable wind energy measurements up to 200m above sea level.

Details about the investment round, including how to apply, can be found at: https://investmentround. innoenergy.com/ aplicationcriteria.html

The funding round aims to help sustainable energy companies scale up and quicken the commercialization of their business case. Batteries International • Autumn 2018 • 49

ENERGY STORAGE NEWS

China ESS boom doubles previous deployment during first half of 2018 A total of 340MW of planned, under construction, and operational energy storage projects have been announced in China during the first half of the year — almost doubling the country’s entire capacity. Projects in Jiangsu, Henan, Qinghai, and Guangdong provinces have helped the country rapidly increase its operational capacity — last year it only installed 121MW, according to China Energy Storage Alliance’s Global Energy Storage Database. The projects were largely concentrated in grid-side, behind-the-meter, and ancillary services applications with lead carbon and lithium ion being the technologies most frequently used. By the end of last year, China’s electrochemical storage capacity was 370MW of its total 30GW, of which 99% was pumped hydro. The rise follows the introduction of the country’s first national-level policy on energy storage — the Guid-

ing Opinions on Promoting Energy Storage Technology and Industry Development — last October. This has been augmented by regional energy storage policies such as those released in Jiangsu province and China Southern Grid.

Jiangsu

Jiangsu’s ‘263 plan’ introduced grid-side and behindthe-meter storage systems to ensure security of supply following the decommissioning of three generators totalling 33MW at the Jianbi power station last year. Eight grid-side projects totalling 101MW/ 202MWh began operation on July 18 using lithium iron phosphate batteries supplied by ESS developers eTrust, China Aviation Lithium Battery, Contemporary Amperex Technology, Guoxuan, and ZTT. Of these, start-up eTrust provided the largest battery at 40MW/80MWh. Despite being little more than two years old, the company es-

tablished in Zhenjiang as a holding company of CITICPE, has already delivered a 53MWh grid-side battery project in Canada, and a 9MWh grid-side energy storage project in California. More than 500MWh of behind-the-meter storage has been added, mainly using lead carbon batteries from Narada, which echoes the company’s success last year according to the alliance. This year the Zenith Group’s 400MWh system was the company’s largest contracted singular project for commercial applications.

Henan

Henan province released two policies in 2017, the Henan Province Energy Development Program for the ‘Thirteenth Five-Year Plan’ and the Henan Province Development Plan for the Energy Transition.

Qinghai

In the Qinghai province, Huanghe Hydropower’s —

Record breaking ESS paves way for Tesla’s second system in Australia Tesla, the US energy storage system manufacturer, is to supply a 25MW/52MWh system to Australia’ Infigen Energy after the renewables firm announced on August 15 it had secured investment for the project. The system, sited opposite the Lake Bonney Wind Farm in the state of South Australia, will be connected to the National Electricity Market via a substation owned by transmission company ElectraNet. The BESS will allow Infigen access to dispatchable generation, to enter into energy supply contracts with commercial and industrial customers, and provide an-

cillary services to guarantee security and quality of supply. Construction should start within months, and once completed should offer at least 18MW of firming power depending on the customer load profile. The A$38 million ($28 million) development includes A$5 million grant funding from the South Australian Government and the Australian Renewable Energy Agency. Tesla supplied the world’s biggest lithium ion system to South Australia in 2017 after the company’s CEO Elon Musk boasted he could deliver the

50 • Batteries International • Autumn 2018

100MW/129MWh battery within 100 days. That system is also paired with a wind farm, French renewable energy provider Neoen’s Hornsdale Wind Farm near Jamestown. Time will tell if Tesla has once again over promised after it had to turn to Samsung SDI — rather than its long term partner Panasonic — to deliver the cells to complete the system on time. Since it begun operations in December 2017, the Jamestown ESS has delivered power to the frequency control and ancillary markets faster and more accurately than conventional

a subsidiary of State Power Investment Corporation — clean energy plans include energy storage, with its 1GW hydro-solar-wind demonstration project also including a 20MW/17MWh energy storage element this June. The company has also called for bids to supply 45MW/90MWh and 10MW/20MWh of storage capacity — using lithium iron phosphate, lithium ion, zinc bromine and vanadium flow batteries — to support two wind generation projects.

Guangdong

The Guangdong province announced four thermal power plant plus energy storage projects totalling 57MW/28.5MWh. A report by CNESA, the China Energy Storage Alliance, said: “Although market mechanisms are still taking shape and the full value of energy storage applications have not yet been recognized, enthusiasm from grid companies is a positive signal providing energy storage companies with confidence.” generators, according to a report by The Australian Energy Market Operator this April. Separately Tesla has denied reports it will supply 350MWh ESS to a UK solar park on the Kent coastline. The Kent solar farm has been devised by Cleve Hill Solar Park, a joint venture between solar industry specialists Hive Energy and Wirsol Energy. Cleve Hill Solar Park said the company is proposing to include battery storage technology in addition to the PV array. And although a range of scenarios will be presented in the application for the project, the type and final number of batteries for the project is not yet specified.

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COVER STORY: THE NEW ARGONNE PARTNERSHIP A research partnership between Argonne National Laboratory and the ALABC could alter our understanding of how lead batteries operate forever. The possibilities for better advanced batteries are truly exciting.

The game-changer: Argonne+ALABC It’s no longer one of the worst kept secrets in the battery industry. But a research agreement between the US Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory and 14 members of the Advanced Lead Acid Battery Consortium has finally materialized. The three-year research agreement will allow the ALABC to use groundbreaking Argonne equipment, most particularly its synchrotron, which allows real-time analysis of the electrochemical processes in a battery while charging and discharging. “This is a game changer for the entire battery industry,” said one commentator. “There’s an ironic twist to this. This is the same equipment that helped lithium ion batteries to advance so quickly. Hopefully we’ll see rapid progress with lead batteries. “This could be a watershed moment.” Don Karner, the head of Electric Applications Inc, has been the key broker in setting up the partnership and he will coordinate the research efforts. “Three years ago I began talking to the ALABC about the opportunity to use some of the US laboratory resources to study lead batteries,” Karner told Batteries International. “The US government has put a tremendous amount of resources (human and capital) into lithium research, so we said let’s try and make some of that available to lead research. So I approached the ALABC and we worked to organize members here in the US. “We’ve just got the paperwork sorted for the CRADA (Cooperation Research and Development Agreement) that will operate with the ANL for conducting the research. All the paperwork is in place and work is under way as we speak.” The research findings will be distributed first to the participating ALABC members — there are nine actively involved in directing the study and five associates that don’t participate but are privy to the results. All the members are

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bound by non-disclosure agreements. The research is limited to US firms because the US government has provided the funding. ALABC — although technically part of the UK-based International Lead Association — will be able to use its European research projects with institutions such as Fraunhofer to complement the US research. “The ALABC Roadmap sets clear goals and targets for future research that will support lead batteries in current markets and critically give us a foothold and the ability to take up opportunities in new markets,” says Alistair Davidson, a director of the ALABC. “Our goals are well aligned with the EU’s battery initiative which aims to ensure a strong value chain for batteries.

“The US government has put a tremendous amount of resources into lithium research so we said let’s try and make some of that available to lead research ...” — Don Karner, EAI

We think there are significant opportunities for EU funded lead battery science projects and we are in discussions about various projects. “All the work being conducted by ALABC will be complementary to the ground breaking work being conducted in ANL in Chicago.” Tim Ellis, chairman of ALABC and president of RSR Technologies, said: “Lead batteries are a critical foundation technology underpinning everything from the cars we drive to the cell phone networks they back up. “This new project, with Argonne’s scientists, will help make the leap to the next generation of advanced lead batteries, as well as support efforts to meet the growing demand for reliable, safe and effective rechargeable battery energy storage. This is cutting edge research employing techniques not previously utilized for lead batteries, and we are confident the results will prove groundbreaking.” “This is a beautiful example of how synergy between industry and science can drive innovation,” said Venkat Srinivasan, director of the Argonne Collaborative Center for Energy Storage Science (ACCESS). “These leading companies want to do pre-competitive R&D using some of the most advanced tools, techniques and capabilities at Argonne to help improve the longevity of lead batteries. Every company faces this problem. Once you understand the complex chemical interactions inside these batteries, you can start to propose solutions to further extend their life.” The research will be a collaborative effort between Argonne’s Advanced Photon Source (APS) and the laboratory’s Chemical Sciences and Engineering and Materials Science divisions. The APS is a DOE Office of Science User Facility that provides ultra-bright, high-energy X-ray beams for research in almost all scientific disciplines. Tim Fister, an Argonne materials sci-

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COVER STORY: THE NEW ARGONNE PARTNERSHIP THE ALABC WORK PROGRAM Phase 1: To investigate the dissolution, nucleation and growth kinetics of different crystallographic planes of lead sulfate crystals, determining the morphologies preferred for enhanced performance and extended battery life. Phase 2: Investigate the real-time operation of negative electrodes, with and without the addition of a proven concentration of carbon addition, employing ex-situ and in-situ electrochemical and basic material science techniques. Future work could investigate different carbon types and concentrations, and the role of nano-carbons when added to the PAM. Phase 3: Understand the impact of varying electrolyte concentration on battery performance, using μ-analysis techniques within the electrode pores to investigate any differences in the precipitation and dissolution mechanisms of lead, lead dioxide and lead sulfate crystals in both the PAM and NAM as electrolyte concentration and temperature are varied. entist in the Chemical Sciences and Engineering division, will be using the state-of-the-art tools at the APS to understand the changes in the battery during its operation. “We are particularly interested in the lead sulfate crystal growth and dissolution process, and in learning how to control the latter in a more effective manner,” Fister said. The lead sulfation issue limits lead battery performance to less than half its potential. Tapping that unused potential would result in better low-cost, recyclable bat-

teries for mobile and stationary market applications. Once Argonne researchers better understand these processes, they will begin analyzing how the addition of various additives may improve lead battery performance, much as they have done with lithium-ion batteries. Argonne’s Materials Science division operates the Electrochemistry Discovery Laboratory, where a team of experts led by Vojislav Stamenkovic, senior scientist and tech leader, will explore the behaviour of materials at the atomic scale to reveal the structure-function re-

“There’s an ironic twist to this. This is the same equipment that helped lithium ion batteries to advance so quickly. Hopefully we’ll see rapid progress with lead batteries. This could be a watershed moment.” lationships responsible for lead battery operation. “We’ve developed so many tools and techniques and now have a chance to understand how to unlock the potential for the next generation of batteries. We can see things that we couldn’t have seen even 10 years ago,” Srinivasan said. The nine full members from ALABC include Crown Battery, Doe Run Resources Corporation, East Penn Manufacturing Company, EnerSys, Exide Technologies, Johnson Controls, NorthStar Battery Company, RSR Technologies and Trojan Battery Company. The five associate members are Superior Graphite, Microporous, Cabot Corporation, Borregard Lignotech and Advanced Battery Concepts.

WHAT IS A SYNCHROTRON? A synchrotron is a type of circular particle accelerator where electrons produced by a hot cathode, that has been heated to about 1,100 °C, are accelerated to just under the speed of light with an energy of 450MeV in a linear accelerator. From the linear accelerator, the electrons are injected into the booster synchrotron. Here, the electrons are sent around an oval racetrack of electromagnets, providing further acceleration. Within

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one half second, the electrons reach 7 GeV of energy. Synchrotron science depends on one physical phenomenon: when a moving electron changes direction, it emits energy. When the electron is moving fast enough, the emitted energy is at X-ray wave length and can then be used in real time to look at physical structures in three dimensions — a process called nanotomography.

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COVER STORY: THE NEW ARGONNE PARTNERSHIP

RSR research turns into commercial production The first fruits of using the facilities at the Argonne National Laboratory to investigate lead battery operation have emerged — and are already being used by the industry. A ground-breaking lead alloy developed for the active material of lead acid batteries by RSR Technologies with the aid of real-time X-ray imaging technology has gone into commercial production at the South African battery firm Auto-X, the maker of the Willard brand of batteries following tests that show it doubles the cycling life of lead batteries. Kelvin Naidoo, Willard’s manufacturing and technical director, told Batteries International the results were ‘spectacular’, and had shown vastly improved cycling and greatly reduced water loss — the holy grail for lead batteries. The breakthrough Supersoft-Hycycle material contains an engineered suite of micro-alloying additions, which enhance the cycling and charge acceptance of the active material in a lead acid battery, said RSR Technologies’ president Tim Ellis. (For full details of the process see the presentation on the following pages.) The effect of the proportions of the micro-alloying additions on the microstructure of the active material were determined with the use of an Advanced Photon Source synchrotron, housed at the Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) and is used in a huge range of scientific disciplines. Scientists have been able to watch the performance and evolution of the active material micro-structure in

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“We talked to the Argonne people and they welcomed the idea of looking at lead ... they looked at some of the data and said they would like to work on the PbSO4 to a more easily dissoluble crystal form — thus prolonging battery life.” — Tim Ellis, RSR Technologies the batteries as they cycled in real time by using the APS synchrotron, allowing far more accurate analysis of the dynamics of crystallization phenomena occurring in the battery during charge/discharge cycling. How and why crystals do or do not dissolve is key to improving performance in applications. “Lithium has used the APS synchrotron to make advances, but no one has tried it with lead,” said Ellis. “We talked to the Argonne people and they welcomed the idea of looking at lead because they haven’t had much exposure to it before — they looked at some of the data and said they

would like to work on the PbSO4 to a more easily dissoluble crystal form — thus prolonging battery life.” In the laboratory experiments that followed, when the Supersoft-Hycycle alloy was placed against a ‘control’ lead element typical of standard lead batteries, the careful selection of micro-alloying additions and removal of specific contaminants were found to directly aid in changing the PbSO4 to a more easily dissoluble crystal form — thus prolonging battery life. Auto-X has been trialling the technology from day one, using it as standard in its products while tests were being carried out. It tested a 12V battery us-

ing Supersoft-Hycycle combined with 009, a grid alloy engineered for higher use temperatures also developed by RSR Technologies following a long history of development by David Prengaman. The battery achieved more than double the number of cycles achieved by the control lead material using standard industry testing protocols, thanks to the retardation of Ostwald ripening and other failure mechanisms. “We’ve been through the journey with them,” said Auto-X’s Naidoo. “Our problem has always been corrosion on the positive plate. It’s not a problem any more. “We are getting results that we can’t understand because we expect there to be a failure amount and we’re not getting one at all. “In Africa with the high temperatures you expect grid corrosion and we’ve just tested some imported batteries in the field, which all failed. But this alloy is performing remarkably well.” Naidoo says he expects the new material will prove to be a spectacular game changer for the lead battery industry. “The cyclability test is based on a specification of a 17.5% depth-of-discharge, and you would normally see a cycle rate of between 800 and 900,” he said. “Using the RSR alloy we did in excess of 1,200 cycles — up to 1,600 cycles. “It’s only just now being marketed, but for us it’s already standard. It was a game-changer to us — and there’s still more development that will follow.”

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COVER STORY: THE NEW ARGONNE PARTNERSHIP The ability of lead battery researchers to use the Argonne National Laboratory’s synchrotron to look into the depths of a lead acid battery — in real time — is opening up a world of opportunity of converting research into reality, as this recent ELBC presentation shows.

Improving battery performance through in situ electrochemical techniques This is an extract of a presentation written by Tim Ellis, president of RSR Technologies and his chief researcher on the project Matthew Raiford that was given at 16ELBC in Vienna this September. The full title of the paper is a mouthful — Microalloyed control of lead battery active materials and resulting improvements in battery performance through in situ electrochemical techniques — but the results are truly exciting. Cycle life is the most vital concern in renewable energy storage and grid backup, and indicates how long the service life will be for the battery. Operational failure modes such as oversulfation in the negative electrode and paste shedding and grid corrosion in the positive electrode must be inhibited as much as possible to improve cycle life. Another way to look at failure modes is to think of failure to be caused by accumulated damage, and that managing damage is paramount to extending the working life of a lead acid battery. Sulfation, the formation of PbSO4, is a necessary step in the chemical and electrochemical processes governing LABs. The slow dissolution of PbSO4 is the underlying reason for poor charging performance of LABs under partialstate-of-charge (PSOC) operation. Dissolution of PbSO4 crystals occurs at different rates based on orientation, crystal plane termination, surface free energy, available surface area, and presence of crystal modifiers. Understanding how to control the dissolution will open new avenues to improve LAB performance. Many scientists have studied the effect of various trace elements on gassing in LABs, but there is no understanding of how these same elements

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affect the crystallization and dissolution processes of PbSO4, Pb, and PbO2 phases in LABs. Based on work done on electrochemical systems, like electrocatalysts and the influence LAB additives have

on crystal structure, certain elements could help control and benefit crystallization and dissolution process occurring in LABs. Our approach to improving LAB performance focuses on monitoring electrochemical and materials behavior at the same time. Studying elemental effects on not only electrochemical characteristics but the fundamental crystal processes is important to uncovering new pathways for performance enhancements.

Product performance

SUPERSOFT-HYCYCLE is a secondary soft lead alloy developed to im-

Many scientists have studied the effect of various trace elements on gassing in LABs, but there is no understanding of how these same elements affect the crystallization and dissolution processes of PbSO4, Pb, and PbO2 phases in LABs.

Figure 2. (left) SEM image of typical leady oxide (control) after MHT cycling showing PbSO4 covering the surface. (right) SEM image of SUPERSOFT-HYCYCLE oxide after MHT cycling. PbSO4 crystals occur less frequently and are smaller in particle dimensions.

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COVER STORY: THE NEW ARGONNE PARTNERSHIP

Figure 3. MHT comparison of control (typical leady oxide), SUPERSOFT-ULTRA (ultra pure secondary lead), and SUPERSOFT-HYCYCLE.

Product

One Hour Capacity (mA-Hrs/mg)

MHT Cycle Life (Cycles)

Dynamic Charge Acceptance (A/A*hr)

DoD 17.5% Cycles

DoD 50% Cycles

DoD 100% Cycles

Control

8,000

0.21

3,000

810

765

SUPERSOFT-HYCYCLE® Patent 20170317351

42,000

0.49

4170

1140

990

Test Method

BCI

EN 50342:2015

BCI

Improvement

13.5%

39.0%

40.7%

40.1%

Table 1. Performance summary of SUPERSOFT-HYCYCLE performance in 2V test cells.

prove the active material of lead acid batteries. The alloying elements greatly improve the ability of the PbSO4 to dissolute, resulting in higher cycle life, especially in PSOC applications. Micro-hybrid cycling testing of SUPERSOFT-HYCYCLE in 2V test cells, when compared to typical leady oxide, showed a significant increase in performance. Furthermore, analysis of samples with SUPERSOFT-HYCYCLE and samples with typical leady oxide showed that the PbSO4 formed in the SUPERSOFT-HYCYCLE active

material was smaller in quantity and size. Figure 3 shows the MHT performance of SUPERSOFT-HYCYCLE compared to typical leady oxide (control) and an ultra-pure secondary soft lead (SUPERSOFT-ULTRA). Further testing of SUPERSOFT-HYCYCLE in different DOD cycling tests indicated further improvement. Table 1 shows a performance summary of SUPERSOFT-HYCYCLE in various cycling categories and in EN DCA (full run-in) testing.

Dissolution of PbSO4 crystals occurs at different rates based on orientation, crystal plane termination, surface free energy, available surface area, and presence of crystal modifiers. Understanding how to control the dissolution will open new avenues to improve LAB performance. www.batteriesinternational.com

In conjunction with SUPERSOFTHYCYCLE, failure mode inhibition and accumulated damage management has been approached from the grid alloy perspective. SUPERSOFTHYCYCLE inhibits over-sulfation and increases particle cohesion, helping with positive paste shedding issues, but positive grid corrosion issues were addressed by the development of new grid alloys. The grid alloy, 009, uses barium and silver to greatly improve corrosion resistance and high temperature durability in positive grids. Willard Battery was an early adopter of SUPERSOFT-HYCYCLE, and DOD 17.5% testing of Willard AGM batteries with SUPERSOFT-HYCYCLE and 009 grid alloy shows the benefit of improving the active material/grid interface. Willard batteries achieve exceptionally high cycling performance with SUPERSOFT-HYCYCLE and 009, especially at higher temperatures.

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COVER STORY: THE NEW ARGONNE PARTNERSHIP

Figure 4. DOD 17.5% testing of Willard Batteries with and without SUPERSOFT-HYCYCLE show the improvement offered by crystal modifying leady oxide.

Figure 5. PbSO4 growth in SUPERSOFT-HYCYCLE lead and control lead electrodes. Each line represents a different plane in the PbSO4 crystal pattern monitored using synchrotron radiation X-ray diffraction.

Fundamental studies of crystallization

Synchrotron experiments at the Advanced Photon Source in Argonne National Laboratory were planned and performed to better understand the difference in crystallization habit and dissolution of PbSO4 in SUPERSOFTHYCYCLE containing electrodes. X-ray diffraction was performed on SUPERSOFT-HYCYCLE electrodes and control electrodes during PbSO4 growth over many discharge/charge cycles. The results in Figure 5 indicate that SUPERSOFT-HCYYCLE grows more homogenously than typical leady oxide. The control lead measurements indicated that two distinct crystal

56 â&#x20AC;˘ Batteries International â&#x20AC;˘ Autumn 2018

habits ((311)/(212) and (140)/(231)) preferentially formed, resulting in PbSO4 crystals that grow quickly on certain crystal areas. Over the life of the battery this would translate to large PbSO4, less easily dissolved PbSO4 crystals over the operational life. SUPERSOFT-HYCYCLE, on the other hand, forms PbSO4 crystals

that have a much weaker preference with resulting growth occurring in a more homogenous, controlled mode. We have utilized a combination of internal instrumentation, as well as techniques, methods, and instrumentation at Argonne National Laboratory, to deeply study the changes in PbO2, Pb, and PbSO4 crystals in LABs during operation.

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LEAD/LITHIUM HYBRIDS When it comes to choosing the chemistry for an energy storage system most project managers opt for either lithium ion or lead batteries. But some pioneering companies are combining the energy density benefits of one with the safety and cost advantages of the other. Paul Crompton reports.

The best of both worlds

Two Germany-based companies — Balance of Systems (BoS) and Hoppecke — are bringing lead and lithium battery chemistries together in hybrid stationary applications. In these hybrid systems, the leadbased battery provides backup power while the more expensive lithium batteries — costing as much as $400/ per kWh — are used for the daily cycles. Lead remains a good choice for backup applications because the chemistry is best left fully charged to avoid sulphation and its life cycle cost per kWh remains competitive — from $131 for flooded lead-acid to more than $200 for VRLA — once it does not have to be charged and discharged daily. Jonas Meyer, sales and business development manager at Hoppecke, says that although there is a wide variety of battery storage technologies, each with its own distinct properties and advantages, lead-acid and lithium ion are primarily the industry’s focus for industrial stationary applications. By combining both technologies,

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developers and manufacturers can increase the system’s overall performance, including increasing reliability and safety, while having high performance parameters regarding cycle lifetime and discharge performance. “Lithium ion batteries have a strong performance regarding energy density, cycle lifetime and charging time,” Meyer says. “The high performance of lithium ion batteries comes at the cost of safety, which is caused by a lower chemical stability. If a lithium ion battery is operated outside safe operation parameters it can easily become a fire hazard. “Lead batteries show high safety and reliability, bring a great value for money and are a proven concept. Lead batteries have been used in industrial applications for many decades, which brings a great trust to this proven technology.” Thomas Kündiger, chief technology manager at BoS, says when it comes to price and ease of deployment, lead batteries are still a cheap and reliable backup battery and many systems are

built to work with lead batteries only.

Working together

So how do the two contrasting technologies fit together? Imagine a standard 12V lead acid battery system, like any off grid PV system or a motorhome, says Kündiger. “When the lead acid battery gets charged, the charger will switch from constant current charge to constant voltage charge. “Constant voltage charge means that there is more energy available than the lead acid battery can charge. Now our extension battery, connected in parallel to the lead acid battery, recognizes that there is constant voltage charge at appropriate voltage level and charges the lithium battery by all the over-plusses that the lead acid battery can’t take.” In the case of high power demand the batteries can also discharge in parallel to avoid high C rates in the lead acid battery, says Kündiger. This enables the system to fit in well with regular lead battery chargers. “Once the sun goes down we first discharge the lithium battery, keeping the lead acid battery and loads around 13V,” Kündiger says. “The lead acid battery does not get discharged yet. This way we keep the lead acid battery at high SoC, while the lithium battery is doing most of the cycles.” At the moment they only combine lead acid with LiFePo4 cells, but the company is looking at matching this with other lithium chemistries. Hoppecke’s hybrid system allows the coupling of the two technologies on the DC bus of a specially designed inverter system. The inverter system controls each battery string as an independent system. This allows the company’s energy management system to operate the hybrid system at the point of highest system efficiency to maximize the lifetime and benefits of the overall system.

Price wars

Hoppecke and BoS say that a system using lead batteries is cheaper, overall. But does the argument of using lead because of cost still hold weight?

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LEAD/LITHIUM HYBRIDS By using the combination, Meyer says it is possible to bring down the cost of the total system by up to 30% compared with a purely lithium ion based system. But what if the price of lithium ion battery packs continues to fall? During Tesla’s 2018 annual shareholders’ meeting in June, company CEO Elon Musk made a claim that at the cell level the company could ‘possibly’ do better than $100/kWh ‘maybe later this year’. This, he said, was dependent on stable commodity prices. “With further improvements to the cell chemistry, the production process, and more vertical integration on the cell side, for example, integrating the production of cathode and anode materials at the gigafactory, and improved design of the module and pack, we think long-term we can get below $100/kWh at the pack level,” he said. Clearly this is debatable but lithium ion cell prices have steadily fallen in the past few years. Putting aside concerns around cobalt, lithium and nickel supply as demand increases, that trend looks set to continue. While there might still be room to cut the production costs of lithium ion batteries, those costs can never be less than the cost of the raw materials needed for the batteries. “Taking into consideration the strong increase of prices for lithium, nickel and cobalt in recent years, it is obvious that lithium ion batteries don’t have unlimited room for further price falls,” says Meyer. “The massive increase in demand for lithium ion batteries, which is mainly coming from the automotive sector, is another factor that won’t necessarily support a strong price decrease.” That demand from the automotive industry is still a prediction, however. The forecast for electric vehicle adoption does not necessarily match the reality. In it’s Global outlook 2017 report the International Energy Agency stated that although registrations of electric cars hit a new record in 2016, with more than 750,000 sales worldwide, the market had shown a slowdown in growth rate compared with previous years The report noted that despite the decline, maintaining the 2016 rate of growth over the following years would still allow vehicle OEMs to meet their sales and stock objectives for 2025.

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By combining both technologies, developers and manufacturers can increase the system’s overall performance, including increasing reliability and safety while having high performance parameters regarding cycle lifetime and discharge performance. But for now, Kündiger believes that price/kWh is still a valid argument since the cell prices are cheaper than end-customer prices at the system level. “So in 2020 there might be applications that Musk can power with his $100/kWh battery cells but there will be enough systems remaining at the higher price level as well,” he says. “Also, there are many systems which were originally designed for lead batteries where the hybrid battery is still an appropriate solution. Also, in many places of the world it is still difficult to import large lithium batteries, so there the modular small lithium batteries will support large lead batteries.” Another key point when discussing the two chemistries is recycling. The industry is still waiting for a fully formed strategy and technique for recycling lithium ion, especially to access those key materials, cobalt, nickel and lithium. Meyer says: “Lead batteries are one of the most and best recycled products. Due to the recycling process of lead batteries around 99% of the material can be reused for the production of new lead batteries.” Hoppecke operates its own lead acid battery recycling facility in Germany. However, the arguments for lead batteries don’t rely on the cost and recycling advantages but more importantly on the high reliability and safety of acid-based batteries. This is of special interest to applications where the batteries are the last resort back-up as in large power stations or data-centres, where a malfunction of the battery system can lead to high monetary losses.

Emerging markets

Before wide-scale adoption, the question of what applications do lead/ lithium hybrid systems best suit must be answered. Meyer believes that the systems can operate in any application that requires large numbers of small cycles but also require a large back up capacity several times a year. “The high number of small cycles will be covered by the lithium ion part of the system,” he says. “The large

back up capacity is given by a reliable, more economic lead battery system. “These applications can be the timeshifting of renewable power generation, peak-shaving and frequency regulation, just to name a few.” Kündiger says a hybrid system could be used in all applications that currently use lead batteries, and which require both cheap backup capacity and daily cycling. BoS’ smallest unit uses a 300Wh lithium battery with a 12V 100Ah lead acid battery. So this is not for grid-scale applications but better suited for home storage, caravans, mobile homes and even remote PV-powered traffic signals. BoS has ventured into minigrids. A project in Nigeria powers a village using the firm’s hybrid systems with its GSM monitoring platform. Another in India uses a DC minigrid to deliver power to 100 households in a village in Uttar Pradesh, which has limited access to the main power grid. The project was delivered with the German Energy Agency and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy in 2017.

Choosing the chemistry

Hoppecke uses valve regulated lead acid AGM batteries in its hybrid system, especially in applications where there is the potential for a high variety of requirements. For the lithium ion part, Meyer says the company favours the superior performance of NMC (nickel, manganese, cobalt) technology. “Combining the lithium NMC and VRLA AGM batteries ultimately covers a large range of performance parameters for the overall BESS,” he says. Because BoS’ system puts all the excess energy into the lithium battery, they find all common lithium chemistries work, while on the lead acid side, because the battery does not need better charge acceptance, since there are more hours to slowly charge to 100%, the company’s system could use cheap standard lead batteries for most backup purposes.

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FORMATION EQUIPMENT

Raise your performance

ALTERNATIVE ENERGY STORAGE As traditional methods of power generation, from nuclear plants to gaspeakers, are phased out for greener alternatives, the biggest concern will be how to deliver terawatts of power from renewables. Paul Crompton asks, is ammonia the key to delivering a secure, cost effective and green power supply?

Kicking up a stink! Ammonia to be next energy storage disrupter Electrochemical technology is still in its infancy when it comes to storing energy, and that is certainly true when it comes to the terawatt-scale required to run a country. Natural gas and potentially ammonia could hold the key to the world’s transition to a decarbonized future. And two projects run by Siemens — one in the UK and one in Denmark — are key to demonstrating that alternative approaches to energy storage may be more than viable. “We are familiar with chemical energy storage today, it’s just that in all of our chemical energy stores the fuels we use are carbon based and that’s an issue with CO2 emissions,” says Ian Wilkinson, programme manager, Siemens Corporate Technologies. “We are looking at an alternative fuel that’s carbon free but can potentially store and be an energy vector to transporting green energy in the kind of scale we are used to in the oil and gas industries; so in the gigawatt hours scale.” It means ammonia is not a direct competitor to batteries, which have their sweet spot for more modest durations, a few minutes to hours, and more modest capacities, a few megawatt hours, and few tens of megawatt hours storage capacity. While the world’s energy consumption is growing, power production from oil and nuclear is falling. In the UK some of that shortfall is being filled in the form of wind, solar and hydro, with capacity from bioenergy generation rising for the third consecutive year in 2017. Although batteries and flow machine energy storage is the darling

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of the mainstream media, those in the know question whether relatively small electrochemical projects — the biggest lithium ion energy storage system is a 100MW project in South Australia, and the majority are in the low double-digit MW range — can fulfil the energy demands of even a small country such as the UK. A look at the UK power market

shows that 20% of its electricity comes from renewable sources, but electricity generation is only around a quarter of the UK’s energy usage. Mobility and heat account for 75%80% and these use fossil fuels such as natural gas and oil. Those numbers show the UK’s domestic renewable energy production is unable to meet energy demand. To-

“Particular markets are now coming on that start to make batteries feasible on a reasonably modest scale …ammonia only makes sense if you want to go big and a long distance” — Ian Wilkinson, Siemens www.batteriesinternational.com

ALTERNATIVE ENERGY STORAGE Siemens’ two prototype plants in the UK and Denmark aim to show how ammonia can unlock the future of large-scale storage to deliver seasonal shifts of power on the grid and power electric vehicles day, the UK brings in 4GW of power through interconnectors — large-scale power lines connecting the UK to mainland Europe. This moving of energy between the source of production and demand on an international basis is where stationary energy storage projects fail, but where ammonia comes to the fore. “Ammonia only makes sense if you want to go big and a long distance,” said Wilkinson. “If you want a carbon free energy vector to get this energy out of these renewable resource-rich areas to, for example, western Europe, then ammonia could be part of that picture. “Particular markets are now coming on that start to make batteries feasible on a reasonably modest scale; we are starting to think about smart grids and energy usage, EV charging and things like that, but it’s a big challenge economically, rather than technically and that remains true for ammonia for electricity use. “So you might want to start considering ammonia to efficiently shift the energy in bulk from distant centres of production to centres of consumption. Within this whole decarbonization is a massive change, I’m not sure people understand the scale of the challenge.” A bonus to using ammonia is the infrastructure for storing and transporting ammonia already exists, around 180 million tonnes a year is produced worldwide already. It has various uses, notably as an essential ingredient in artificial fertilisers used by farmers. And in this World Cup summer some countries nearly had to go without beer — a shortage of carbon dioxide gas (CO2 is a byproduct in ammonia production, with ammonia plants serving as one of the largest sources of food grade CO2 in Western Europe) — as ammonia plants closed for maintenance works and others suffered technical issues. The tankers to ship it around exist, the terminals to store it and pump it exist, the safe handling procedures, road transportation of ammonia happens, “so all that exists and we can piggy back all that, and that’s what makes it exciting,” said Wilkinson. Conventional methods of producing

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ammonia use fossil fuels. The prototypes will instead use a wind turbine to generate power. The UK project will use this energy to run an electrolysis machine that splits water into hydrogen oxide, and an air separation unit to remove nitrogen from the atmosphere. The two elements are then combined to make ammonia, which can be used to run gas turbine engines to generate power, or by ‘cracking’ it back into nitrogen and hydrogen for use in fuel cells to power electric vehicles. Wilkinson said: “The way to think about it is the fuels we use today are really hydrogen stores and its much easier to store the hydrogen if you hang it off a carbon atom first or a chain of carbon atoms to get hydrocarbon fuels. “What I’m doing in the UK is using nitrogen instead of carbon.” The objective of the UK demonstra-

tor is to show that the technology is fit for purpose and to enable Siemens to learn about operating the various technology components as a system. One of the challenges of such a system is to operate the ammonia synthesis intermittently, which is a design requirement if using renewable power from the wind turbine. Many existing ammonia plants are designed to run continuously to make them productively and financially efficient. The challenge for Wilkinson and his team will be in how to optimize the plant for this intermittent process: when is the best time to charge and discharge, and what impact does that have of the synthesis step. “That’s what we want to learn, and will begin to learn with this system,” said Wilkinson.

Proof of concept

But while the infrastructure exists, the technology to make carbon-free ammonia does not. That is why German technology conglomerate Siemens’ two prototype plants in the UK and Denmark aim to show how ammonia can unlock the future of large-scale storage to deliver seasonal shifts of power on

“One solution may be the use of surplus wind-based electricity to produce eco-friendly ammonia. This solution would offer double benefits: using the surplus energy that arises in peak wind situations, and creating a new, sustainable product we call ‘green’ ammonia” — Jens Schiersing Thomsen, Siemens Gamesa Batteries International • Autumn 2018 • 63

ALTERNATIVE ENERGY STORAGE the grid and power electric vehicles. Both look at ammonia as a potential means of storing surplus energy from onshore and offshore wind farms. The system in the UK is the world’s first demonstrator of its type to close the cycle of renewable power using carbon free ammonia (NH3). Using a 30kW generator and 13kW electrolyser the project will explore the technology’s ability to disrupt the energy storage industry. Developed by Siemens, with the Science and Technology Facilities Council, the University of Oxford and Cardiff University, the system uses industry available components. The individual components are all mature technologies, which was one of the attractions to using them, said Wilkinson. However, it is the first time they have been fitted together to use ammonia to go from renewable electricity through to a green fuel back to renewable electricity. “I’m not inventing anything I’m innovating in the purest sense of the word in that I’m using existing technology to put together a new system to solve a new problem,” said Wilkinson. “And that new problem is how do we store and transport renewable energy in bulk.” The second project follows an agreement between Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy and Energifonden Skive to build a pilot plant at Greenlab Skive — a park for businesses integrating renewable energy, energy storage and resource efficiency near the town of Skive in northern Denmark. Initial investigations will include determining plant size and capacity. Senior key expert, Jens Schiersing Thomsen of Siemens Gamesa said: “In the green, sustainable energy supply systems of the future, one of our biggest challenges will be storing and converting energy and resources. “One solution may be the use of surplus wind-based electricity to produce

The lower heating value of ammonia is about 5MWh per tonne so the UK project has a 100GWh capacity in a 20,000 tonne ammonia tank — one just cannot do things that big with batteries, or at least economically eco-friendly ammonia. This solution would offer double benefits: using the surplus energy that arises in peak wind situations, and creating a new, sustainable product we call ‘green’ ammonia.”

Batteries versus ammonia

As lithium ion cell costs fall they might get bigger, but to date the largest deployed system remains Tesla’s project in South Australia. That system operates on the frequency control and ancillary services market, which requires sub-second response times. The ammonia system being tested in the UK cannot meet these requirements because its response time is in the minutes range because synthesizing the ammonia takes time and that process is not located near an engine to release the energy. “At scale you would be looking at a gas turbine to do this, and you can turn them on in about half an hour or so, but it’s not seconds or a few minutes like it is with batteries,” said Wilkinson. “There’s a whole host of energy storage technologies you can consider and we will need them all if we are to de-carbonize our energy systems. “But it’s not just electricity that we need to de-carbonize. That’s where a lot of the attention goes particularly with batteries, but if you look at mobility and heat they are almost totally carbon-based fuels today and that needs to change, and that’s what we are aiming to demonstrate with this project.”

Ammonia can be stored in tanks ranging from 2.5 tonnes to 30,000 tonnes depending on ambient temperatures and pressures. The lower heating value of ammonia is about 5MWh per tonne so the UK project has a 100GWh capacity in a 20,000 tonne ammonia tank and “you just cannot do things that big with batteries, or at least economically”, said Wilkinson. “It makes the transition over to a chemical fuel, you will have to take a hit in round trip efficiency but the cost of that capacity is so much lower that it wins at that scale and of course if you want to start moving that energy around ... because batteries are static. “The UK is a net energy importer. We are an island, yes we have interconnectors but they are very expensive and ammonia tanks exist today, you can do it now; it’s an intriguing possibility.” Ammonia has its place as a carbon free energy store and hydrogen vector. When discussing frequency control and the myriad of sub-second services required from a grid growing more reliant on renewables then batteries remains the best fit, for now Instead of second-by-second shifts in power on the grid, ammonia offers the chance to store huge amounts of power for seasonal time shifts in energy and into areas that need bulk storage from places that have the ability to generate it. As the UK keeps decommissioning coal-fired peaker and nuclear plants there will be an increasingly important role for ammonia storage.

TRANSPORTING HYDROGEN VIA AMMONIA In Australia, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation — better known as CSIRO — has devised a method of transporting hydrogen in the form of ammonia as fuel for vehicles. The organization developed a metal membrane that separates ultra-high purity hydrogen from ammonia, while blocking all other gases.

64 • Batteries International • Autumn 2018

It simplifies the transportation and storage of hydrogen, which is a complex and relatively expensive process, by using liquid ammonia that can be reconverted back to hydrogen at the point of use — a modular unit used at, or near, a refuelling station. Hydrogen generated using the technology was demonstrated

in Queensland during August by powering Toyota’s Mirai and Hyundai’s Nexo vehicles. Following the demonstration, the technology will be increased in scale and deployed in several larger-scale demonstrations, in Australia and abroad. CSIRO’s chief executive Larry Marshall said the technology was a “watershed moment for energy”.

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CONFERENCE IN PRINT

Welcome to a special section of our magazine, called Conference in Print. Our aim is a simple one. We want to offer you the readers a section where you can highlight your products, technology and skills to our broader audience — rather like going to a conference or an exhibition without the inconvenience of all the travel! We’re putting no restrictions on what you’d like to showcase — this is your section not ours — but hope that this will prove an invaluable and cost-effective way to reach our audience of subscribers and readers.

CONFERENCE IN PRINT: LASER WELDING Using aluminium and copper for battery tab to cell welding improves electrical efficiency and battery module/battery pack performance. By David Van de Wall and Mark Boyle, Amada Miyachi America

Dissimilar metal joining through new lasers can boost battery performance Increasing battery life requires lower electrical resistance to reduce loss. New laser sources, including single mode fibre lasers and lasers with nanosecond pulses, provide an important opportunity to reduce resistance by enabling the joining of aluminium and copper battery tab material — reducing resistance and improving performance. Tests have shown the technology works well with metal thickness of less than 0.25mm, providing good pull and peel strengths in these dissimilar joints. This article concentrates on commonly used cylindrical cell batteries to explain the concept of dissimilar metal joining with lasers. The same technology can also be used for some other battery types, including pouch cells, which typically feature one aluminium and one copper tab that requires an electrical connection to the busbars. Most cylindrical battery cans are made of cold rolled steel that has been nickel-plated for corrosion resistance. Figure 1 shows one of the most common cells — lithium ion 18650. To connect multiple cells together, or connect one cell to outside equipment, a strap or tab must be connected to the battery. Historically, tabs were made of nickel, stainless steel, nickel plated steel, or Hilumin (an electro nickel-plated diffusion annealed steel strip) due to their similar properties and the ease with which they can create a fusion bond. These materials join well in a variety of welding techniques, including resistance spot welding, pulsed arc welding, and laser welding. As the demand for battery and battery pack performance

Figure 1: Typical cylindrical 18650 battery with its terminals

increases, new materials are being considered to improve current delivery. When we assume a certain type of battery is being used, the material of the two terminals of the battery is a given and can’t be changed by the battery module manufacturer. So a further optimizing of the electrical performance of the battery module requires consideration of dissimilar metal bonding to allow the usage of highly electrical conductive battery tabs to the battery terminals.

Dissimilar metal joining

Designers of battery packs for hybrid and electric automobiles, motorcycles, buses, heavy industrial vehicles, and hand-held power tools are looking for more energy to support the vehicle or device and increase its life. To do this, they must change the batteries’ electrode, isolator, and electrolyte, and lower its internal resistance to reduce energy losses on a battery cell level. The lower the loss, the more efficiently energy is stored in the battery. These improved batteries store more energy and can also charge and discharge faster, as measured by the battery’s C rate — the ratio between the charge/discharge acceptance and its capacity. The higher voltages and currents generated by improved batteries means the battery interconnection (battery tab) must improve its electrical conductivity. The higher electrical conductivity results in lower electrical losses when charging and discharging, so more electrical energy is available for the vehicle or device powered by the pack. By improving the electrical conductivity, the pack also stays cooler during operation, which provides additional performance and battery lifetime benefits. And clearly, improving battery performance lowers costs, because fewer batteries are required for a particular performance level. The three options for improving battery interconnect performance are using thicker tabs to carry more current, using different tab materials (for example, copper or aluminium) with higher conductivity, or creating a larger tab to battery pole contacting area. In the past, steel and nickel-based materials were com-

More recently, as batteries have moved towards higher capacity and higher ‘C’ values, designers have begun looking at using aluminium or copper materials for tabs to reduce electrical losses

68 • Batteries International • Autumn 2018

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CONFERENCE IN PRINT: LASER WELDING monly welded to the cold rolled steel terminals. However, more recently, as batteries have moved towards higher capacity and higher ‘C’ values, designers have begun looking at using aluminium or copper materials for tabs to reduce electrical losses. See Figure 2. This rise in the use of dissimilar material welding comes with a variety of challenges for traditional welding options like pulsed Nd:YAG (neodymium-doped yttrium aluminium garnet) lasers, which typically make spots that are 0.5mm in diameter with one pulse. Each weld pulse takes between one and 10 milliseconds; depending on its power level, the laser can generate about 10 of these pulses every second. To create a joint with sufficient electrical and mechanical properties, between two and 50 welding spots must be placed on each battery pole. See Figure 3. This method worked well for the traditional battery tab materials because of their weldability. However, welding of dissimilar materials is significantly more challenging because of: • Different melting temperatures (see Table 1) • Different absorption coefficient of laser light • Incompatible chemistry and atomic structures Joining aluminium to stainless steel has always been an impossible welding combination. The mixing of these two metals creates a brittle intermetallic zone leading to weld cracks.

needs to be 10mm to 100mm per battery pole. To fit this on to the 3mm to 6mm diameter available on a battery pole, the line must be in a spiral shape or concentric circles, rather than spots. Using a galvo scanning weld head, the total weld can be very fast; it takes about 50 milliseconds of weld time. Another method of welding dissimilar metals is to concentrate the laser energy in time by using nanosecond pulsed fibre welding instead of the traditional millisecond pulse. The weld pulses are typically 100,000 times shorter, providing energy in a much shorter period. This increases the laser peak power level by the same amount. The spot size is also very small, about 30 to 40 microns. The high peak power on a small area results in

Table 1: Melting point of alloys Combination

Melting temperature (˚C)

Aluminium/Steel 660/1500 Aluminium/Copper 660/1080 Aluminium/Titanium 660/1700

Innovative laser welding

New laser technologies are rewriting the textbooks on which materials can be joined together. Single mode fibre lasers and lasers with nanosecond pulses are joining new combinations of metal that were previously not considered compatible. The single mode laser can be focused to spot diameters of 20-50 microns — smaller than the diameter of a human hair! This makes a very small welding line of 20-50 microns wide, which can be pulsed like a hot knife through butter to make a weld. The linear speed of this laser beam movement is typically in the 100mm/sec to 1000 mm/sec (4-inch-40-inch/second) range. See Figure 4 on next page. To create sufficient joint area, the length of this joint

Figure 2: Example of dissimilar metal welding: A highly electrical conductive aluminium battery tab on CRS steel improved battery module performance

Figure 3: Traditional laser weld of battery tab showing several large (200-600 micron) weld spots

Another method of welding dissimilar metals is to concentrate the laser energy in time by using nanosecond pulsed fibre welding instead of the traditional millisecond pulse

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Batteries International • Autumn 2018 • 69

CONFERENCE IN PRINT: LASER WELDING such a high peak power density that all metals are molten. This process can be best described as pushing a hot needle in the material and pulling it out again. The spots are very small, so a great many spots are needed, typically 10,000 or more. As the timeframe for creating one spot is very small, the laser can be fired at high repetition rates, typically 30kHz and above. The best method of getting enough weld spots with the nanosecond laser on a small area like a battery pole is to make a line coiled into a spiral. This spiral is typically

Figure 4: Copper battery tab welded with single mode laser

Figure 5: Example of a spiral weld

welded from the inside to the outside, so the laser beam always sees a fresh and cold piece of metal in front of it. If the laser went from the outside to the inside, there would be heat build-up and increased penetration depth towards the centre, as the part heats up during the welding. Figure 5 shows an example of a spiral weld made on aluminium tab material. Testing showed single layer shear strengths of around 44N (10lbs) and double layer shear strength at around 88N (20 lbs). Figure 6 is an application photo showing an aluminium battery tab welded to a nickel-plated cold rolled steel can using the spiral weld technique. A closer look at the cross sections reveals that the spot welds do not show the characteristic form of conventional pulsed spot welds — they more closely resemble multi-staking. The intermetallic zone was less than 10 microns. Pull strength was good and peel strength was adequate. There was barbed solidification of aluminium into steel. One example of the new technology is Amada Myachi’s 70W LMF70-HP OEM fibre laser, which can be integrated into the LMWS pulsed fibre laser welding system. The new technology is an advanced processing system for welding battery cans with wall thicknesses of 300-350 microns. It features shorter pulses, resulting in less mixing of materials, and hence less of an intermetallic zone and less brittleness with aluminium tab materials. This laser solution is good for contract manufacturing settings, where operators may be producing one product one day and something different the next. The XY galvo program quickly positions welds; a new program can be loaded in as little as five minutes, and operators can be ready to start the next product. New battery tab welding technologies widen the design portfolio by providing good solutions for dissimilar material joining.

THE PROMISE OF BETTER TECHNOLOGY

Figure 6: Using the spiral weld technique (left) and nickel-plated cold rolled steel can

70 • Batteries International • Autumn 2018

The new nanosecond pulsed fibre laser and the single mode fibre laser provide opportunities for dissimilar metal joining and show great potential as a solution for welding battery tabs to cells. Allowing for aluminium and copper tab material, which reduce electrical resistance and improve battery performance, the new technology shows great promise for a wide range of industries.

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CONFERENCE IN PRINT: SEPARATOR TECHNOLOGY Melchor Fernández, a former expert in the technical department at Exide Technologies and consultant to Atomised Products Group, reports on recent developments in negative expander mix formulations.

New ways of making startstop separators special New expander mix formulations for the negative plate continue to be developed to satisfy the special conditions in which the negative plate works in start/stop applications. In start/stop, the lead acid battery works in a partial state of charge (PSoC) — normally in a range of 70%-90% — and that as created some unexpected problems. Among them are the development of considerable levels of negative active material sulfation as a consequence of the partial discharge and the other is the recrystallization process of the negative active material that leads to the formation of big lead sulfate crystals. These are very stable and it is difficult to reduce them back to lead. To counteract the deleterious effect of sulfation and recrystallization processes, new expander mix formulations have been developed in recent years. The main component being varied has been the inclusion of special carbon and graphites. The aim is to provide extra conductivity and other characteristics to the heavily sulfated negative active material. Also, new organic expanders have appeared that provide special characteristics for the negative plate such as hot temperature resistance and improved DCA performance.

Expander mix formulation and battery performance Expander mix formulations include three main components — barium sulfate, organic expander and carbon. They are added to the negative active material during the mixing process. Barium sulfate — barium sulfate crystals — are isomorphs with respect to the lead sulfate ones and consequently they can act as nucleation sites for the lead sulfate crystals generated during discharge. Their function

72 • Batteries International • Autumn 2018

is especially important during High Rate Discharges (cranking), in which a high amount of Pb+2 ions are generated that can lead to oversaturation in the pores with a decrease of the discharge voltage. Organic expanders — This is a derivative of the wood pulp process obtained through the fermentation of the lignin liquor. From fermentation a series of oxylignines such as Vanisperse A and HT are obtained. Their function in the battery is to increase the specific surface area of the negative active material by being adsorbed on charge in the pores over the fresh lead and avoiding the deposition of the reduced lead into a coarse structure. Typically, negative AM SSA is increased from 0.3 m2/g to 0.6 m2/g. Carbon — This serves two main purposes. The first is to provide some extra conductivity to the heavily sulfated AM to recover from deep discharge. It is also cosmetic, as it imparts a light grey color to the negative plate, which helps to distinguish it from the positive.

Expander mixes for different battery applications Different battery applications require the use of various expander mixes with different formulations adequate for the different requirements of the battery. Expander formulations can be divided into the three typical battery uses, namely SLI, UPS and cycling. SLI (Starting Lighting and Ignition) — In this type of application, the most important function is the cranking of the internal combustion engine, which is characterized by the use of very high currents of the order of 500A-700A. These high currents tend to produce an oversaturation of Pb+2 ions in the pores, which decreases the discharge

voltage by concentration polarization. To deal with, it is necessary to have at the same time enough inner SSA and nucleating sites in the pores — a situation that requires the use of relative high levels of barium sulfate and an organic expander at the same time. A typical SLI expander formulation includes • 60% Barium sulfate • 25% Organic expander • 15% Carbon Loading on the mixing is typically 1-1.2 % with respect to oxide. UPS (Floating use) — This application is characterized by having the battery under almost permanent charge between mains failure. The charging voltage is quite low, of the order of 2.18V/cell to 2.21V/cell, with a very low overvoltage of the order of 60mV with respect to the open circuit. These batteries are not intended to be high rate discharged. Organic expanders have a strong effect on the negative plate polarization, a condition that, together with quite low charging overvoltage, can lead to quite low floating currents. To deal with it these formulations include a very low percentage of organic expander. A typical UPS formulation includes: • 85% Barium sulfate • 5% Organic expander • 10% Carbon Cycling applications — Cycling applications vary enormously with their different usages. In some, the battery receives regular daily charges, while in others — such as in PV use — daily charges cannot be assured. What is especially harmful is when the battery is forced to work under partial state of charge conditions, and consequently acid stratification can develop with its associated sulfation problems.

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CONFERENCE IN PRINT: SEPARATOR TECHNOLOGY Under cycling applications, cranking operations at high current are generally not needed, and consequently the organic expander amount is low. However, discharge currents can be quite different as well as deep of discharge, hence the amount of barium sulfate is very high — close to 80% — and the amount of carbon is rather low.

• Continuous shallow cycling after each cranking • Work under partial state of charge • Possibility of developing acid stratification • High degree of negative active material sulfation. The factor that affects the performance of the negative plate most directly is the possibility of developing acid stratification. This, in turn, origiA typical cycling nates from the development of high formulation would be: degrees of negative active material • 85%-90% Barium sulfate sulfation. • 5% Organic expander When acid stratification develops, • 5%-10 % Carbon what in fact exists are two different electrochemical systems operating in Expander mix for the battery due to the different acid start/stop applications density in the upper and bottom part of the cell. cycling at partial state of charge and SBA test and can cause The work of the lead acid battery unAs the open circuit voltage (OCV) is dangerous situations such as the by development ofon the der start/stop use is characterized a dependent thenegative acid density, the upper series of distinctive factors that make and bottom part have different OCV, lug thinning phenomena. them more prone to developing sev- lower in the upper part and higher at eral problems that can severely limit the bottom. Both parts are short-circuitWorkexpected under partial of charge (PSoC) grid. their life andstate eventually lead conditions ed by the supporting to battery to failure. Two short-circuited cells with difThese are: ferent OCV can no longer exist. The EFB batteries when tested in PSoC conditions tend to • Very high number of cranking bottom part will experience a slight develop very high amounts of lead sulfate during thethetesting. operations discharge and upper part a slight charge, according to the reactions. In the 17.5% DOD test conducted at 50% SoC, lead sulfate 2edevelops, especially in the lower partPbof> Pb the+2 +plates. When (Discharge bottom testing according to SBA specications — to simulate part) work +2 Pb +2e>Pb under start/stop conditions — lead sulfate is more evenly (Charge Upper part) distributed with a tendency to accumulate in the upper part. In +2 both tests and in real life, the levels ofPblead sulfate steadily In the bottom part react with sulfate increase and at the end of life values above can belead found. ions50% generating sulfate that increases the sulfation The only way to deal with these kindprogressively of problems is to try process. to provide some extra conductivity to the plates by the use of These reactions are can identified in the special carbons and conductive graphites. This situation previous graph (graph 1). The curbe seen in the following graph that corresponds to are batteries rents involved quite low, of the These reactions are identied in the previous graph. The Graph 1 with and without conductive carbon in the negative order of µA, but active they are occurring currents involved are quite low of the order of μA but they are occurring all the time as long as acid stratication develops. all the time as long as acid stratificamaterial. The nal result is a very high degree of sulfation sometimes above 60%-70% in the bottom part. This phenomenon is known as mass stratication. The negative plate is also submitted to the so-called recrystallization process, that converts the initially small crystals to larger ones that are quite stable and difcult to reduce back to lead. Both sulfation and recrystallization processes steadily take place during the battery operation and in the end there will be large amounts of lead sulfate crystals; the most part of them of very large size. When this situation develops, the negative plates can no longer sustain the discharge reactions and as a consequence they limit the performance of the battery in tests such as

tion develops. The final result is a very high degree of sulfation, sometimes above 60%-70%, in the bottom part. This phenomenon is known as mass stratification. The negative plate is also submitted to the so-called recrystallization process, which converts the initially small crystals to larger ones, which are quite stable and difficult to reduce back to lead. Both sulfation and recrystallization processes steadily take place during the battery operation and in the end there will be large amounts of lead sulfate crystals; the majority of them of very large size. When this situation develops, the negative plates can no longer sustain the discharge reactions and as a consequence they limit the performance of the battery in tests such as cycling at partial state of charge and SBA test, and can cause dangerous situations such as the development of the negative lug thinning phenomenon.

Work under partial state of charge conditions (PSoC) EFB batteries when tested in PSoC conditions tend to develop very high amounts of lead sulfate during the testing. In the 17.5% DOD test conducted at 50% SoC, lead sulfate develops, especially in the lower part of the plates. When testing according to SBA specifications — to simulate work under start/stop conditions — lead sulfate is more evenly distributed with a tendency to accumulate in the upper part. In both tests and in real life, the levels of lead sulfate steadily increase and at the end of life, values above 50% can be found. The only way to deal with this kind of problem is to try to provide some extra conductivity to the plates by using special carbons and conductive graphites. This situation can be seen in graph 2 (below), which corresponds to batteries with and without conductive carbon in the negative active material. Battery life in this case under 17.5% DOD test has been extended from 850 to 1275 cycles. The tendency is similar for the SBA test.

Negative lug thinning

Graph 2

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Negative lug thinning is a corrosion effect. In this case, it is not a standard corrosion because lead is no longer oxidized to intermediate (PbO) or PbO2 oxides. Oxidation only occurs to lead

Batteries International • Autumn 2018 • 73

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the SBA test.

CONFERENCE Negative lug thinning

IN PRINT: SEPARATOR TECHNOLOGY when the lug and strap connection is broken. The more logical way to deal with it is to counteract the harmful effect of the heavy sulfation by providing extra conductivity to the plate. This can be achieved by the use of conductive carbons, and especially by the use of conductive graphites such as expanded ones.

Expander mix for EFB start/stop batteries

Lug thinning

Negative is a corrosion thisthecase, it plate posulfatelug levelthinning and the amount generated effect. In thisIncase negative on each corrosion step is quite low. tential achieves values slightly above is not a standard corrosion because lead is no longer oxidized Once lead sulfate is generated, it will equilibrium during discharge after only to intermediate orinPbO 2 oxides. be slowly(PbO) dissolved the acid, expos- Oxidation stopping, and welloccurs above equilibrium ing in this way new fresh lead from the (>100 mV) during to lead sulfate level and the amount generated on cranking. each lug to be corroded further. This situation is exacerbated when corrosion step is quite low.sulfate Once occurs lead sulfate is generated, it Oxidation to lead the battery is heavily sulfated when during dissolved engine cranking, in which, approaching end of life. will be slowly in the acid, due exposing in thisitsway new to the very high currents involved, the In this case, plate potentials go fresh leadohmic fromdrop the can luglead to be further. to acorroded potential of much further above 100mV and the the negative lugsulfate above the Pb/PbSO lugengine thinningcranking effect rapidly Oxidation to lead occurs during in increases. 4 equilibrium potential and consequentThe root cause for negative lug thinwhich duely to very to high currents involved drop Pb the oxidation Pb+2 can occur. ning isthe theohmic very high sulfation that This fact can be seen in the following develops in the negative can led the potential of the negative lug above the Pb/PbSO4plates, with graph (graph 3). percentages of lead sulfate well above +2 equilibrium potential and consequently Pb oxidation to Pb 50%. This situation can be seen in the table below (table can occur. This fact can be seen in the following graph (5).1), in which per-

In this case the negative plate potential achieve values Graph 3 slightly above equilibrium during discharge after stopping, and well above equilibrium (>100 mV) during cranking. This situation is exacerbated when the battery is heavily sulfated when approaching its end of life. In this case, plate potentials go much more above 100mV and the lug thinning effect rapidly increases. The root cause for negative lug thinning is the very high sulfation that develops in the negative plates, with percentages of lead sulfate well above 50%. This situation can be seen in the attached table in which percentages of lead sulfate at the bottom of negative plates are above 80%.

Table 1

centages of lead sulfate at the bottom of the negative plates are above 80%. In this situation, negative plates can no longer sustain the discharge and the plate makes use of all the available fresh lead, including that of the lug, which becomes oxidized. Negative lug thinning is dangerous. It is one of the main causes of EFB battery life limitation, and in extreme cases can result in battery explosions due to the electric sparks that develop

As discussed already, the expander mix for EFB should include a relatively high content of conductive carbon or graphite. Ideally, the content should be above 0.5% with respect to lead oxide. To include such a high amount of conductive carbon, expander formulation can be modified at the expense of barium sulfate, whose concentration could be lowered below the standard value of 60%. To provide extra conductivity to the plate, it is necessary to have the best possible distribution of the components during paste mixing. This is To provide true extra with conductivity to to thecarbon plate, it is necessary especially respect to and have the best possible distribution of the components during graphite. paste mixing. This is especially true with respect to carbon An even distribution assures a highand graphite. An even distribution assures a higher mean er mean conductivity for all the plates. conductivity for all the plate. To achieve this, the use of a To achieve this, the use of a slurry of slurry of expanders or preferably pre-blended and premixed expanders, or preferably pre-blended expanders should be favored. and premixed expanders, should be favored. BOX

Melchor Fernández is a consultant presently on assignment with Atomised Products Group. He previously worked in the technical department at Exide Technologies. Melchor Fernández is a the consultant presently on His speciality has been assignment with Atomised Products Group and previously development of VRLA technology as well as EFB and advanced batteries for mild hybrid vehicles.

In this situation, negative plates can no longer sustain the discharge and the plate make use of all the available fresh www.batteriesinternational.com lead, including that of the lug which becomes oxidized.

Batteries International • Autumn 2018 • 75

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BACK TO BASICS Working out the health of a battery in a non-intrusive way is making advances with the arrival of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, writes Isidor Buchmann, founder of Cadex Electronics.

Predictive test methods for starter batteries Starter batteries have two end-of-life modes: heat failure and capacity fade. Heat failure is caused by corrosion that appears early in life and manifests itself in poor cranking caused by high internal resistance. This deficiency can easily be measured with a CCA (cold cranking amp) tester. A skilled mechanic can also estimate CCA performance by cranking response. Capacity is more difficult to estimate and specifies the energy a battery holds. While CCA tends to stay high during the life of a battery, capacity fades gradually without the user noticing until the vehicle won’t start one day for lack of capacity. An analogy is a bridge that holds up well and then suddenly collapses with little warning. New batteries are overrated to allow for performance drop; 25%-30% is the low-end capacity cut-off of a starter battery. Motorists also get stranded when cold temperatures lower the already low capacity further. Most ser-

vice garages replace the battery when dropping to a capacity of 40%. A quality starter battery lasts for about five years. Auxiliary loads such as heating elements, mechanical gates and start-stop function lowers the longevity because strenuous loading hastens capacity fade. In most cases capacity governs the end of battery life. This hints to the importance of capacity checking, but the measurement is difficult to attain. Measuring CCA alone is insufficient as CCA and capacity do not correlate well. Each battery system manifests capacity loss differently. Lead acid loses active material, which is also known as softening, or shedding. A deep-cycle battery contains thick plates to endure repeat cycling, but the starter battery has thin, sponge-like plates to provide a large surface area and achieve high cranking power but the cycle life is limited to 12–15 full cycles.

Rapid battery testing does not involve measuring a condition but evaluating symptoms that change with state-of-charge (SoC) and temperature.

Figure 1: Effect of acid stratification in a starter battery The heavier acid gravitates to the bottom and the lighter to the top, affecting plate corrosion from the bottom up. Source: iQ Power

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A third variety is the standby battery built for longevity, which is filled with a low-gravity electrolyte to reduce corrosion. The resulting lower specific energy and resulting larger size is less critical with stationary than mobile batteries. Since UPS batteries are seldom cycled, the plates have a moderate thickness. Acid stratification is another battery failure in starter batteries that is caused by a fixed regime of charging and partially discharging. Charged electrolyte is heavier than water and gravitates to the bottom. High concentration hastens plate corrosion from the bottom up, as illustrated in Figure 1. Another common cause of battery failure is sulfation. This occurs when the lead acid battery dwells in a partially charged state and seldom receives a full charge. Batteries in cars driven in city traffic with accessories engaged typically suffer from sulfation because of under-charge. A motor in idle or at a low driving speed may not charge the battery sufficiently. If serviced in time, sulfation can be reversed by applying a slow charge with a regulated current of about 2A for 72 hours. However, once the sulfate crystals turn into large crystalline structures, no longer Figure restoration 1: Effect ofis acid possible. These large crystals are battery. said stratification in a starter to block the electrolyte from entering the The poresheavier of the plates, rendering the acid gravitates to the battery unserviceable. bottom and the lighter to the top, Rapid battery testing does not in-the affecting plate corrosion from volve measuring a condition, but bottom up. evaluating symptoms that change iQ Power(SoC) and temwithSource: state-of-charge perature. Agitation after loading and charging and prolonged idle times also alters these symptoms. The challenge is distinguishing a good battery with low charge from a poor battery with full charge. The performance of both batteries is similar but the condition differs. Figure 2 compares the CCA and capacity of a battery that has suffered heat damage. The capacity is still high

Batteries International • Autumn 2018 • 79 Figure 2: Heat failed battery. Battery fails in 1-2 years due to corrosion,

BACK TO BASICS

Figure 2: H Battery fails Figure 2: H mechanical Battery fail Symptoms mechanica internal res Symptoms sudden but internal res Test Metho sudden bu equivalent. Test Meth equivalent.

If serviced in time, sulfation can be reversed by applying a slow charge with a regulated current of about 2A for 72 hours. but the energy cannot be delivered because high resistance prevents power delivery. Figure 3 demonstrates an aged pack with capacity fade. CCA may still be good but the battery lacks sufficient energy to crank the engine. Figure 4 demonstrates CCA and capacity fade as a function of aging. In a lengthy test, a German luxury car maker examined 175 starter batteries to evaluate CCA and capacity behaviour. Batteries in the green “pass” field were well within specifications but those in the narrow amber “fringe” field were of interest because they still cranked well and were subject to failure because of low capacity. The batteries in the red “fail” area no longer functioned due to low capacity or other defects. Very few batteries examined failed due to low CCA; most went through the capacity line. Testing a battery resembles a medical doctor examining a patient. A serious illness could go unnoticed if only blood pressure or temperature were taken. A false assessment would also occur with a battery if only voltage and internal resistance readings were taken. While medical staff are well trained to evaluate the tests taken, battery analysis does not receive the same care, nor have test devices advanced to the same level as medical instruments. An example of advancements in medical devices is the X-ray. Wilhelm Röntgen invented a non-intrusive way in 1895 to check broken bones. Healthcare since then has progressed to CAT scans and MRI to also reveal soft tissues. Similar advancements are being made in battery testing. Cadex Electronics has been pioneering with electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) to check the state-of-health of lead acid batteries non-invasively with frequency scanning. EIS also evaluates the condition of lithium-ion batteries. Research laboratories have been using EIS for many years to evaluate

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Figure 2: Heat failed battery Battery fails in 1-2 years due to corrosion, mechanical defect or sulfation. Symptoms: Poor cranking due to high internal resistance. Failure mode is not sudden but progressive. Test Method: AC conductance tester or equivalent. Shows low CCA reading.

Figure 3. Ful Battery fails d Figure 3. Fu remains withi Battery fails Symptoms: remains withF capacity fade Symptoms: should be che capacity fade service. should be ch Test Method service.

Test Method Figure 3. Full 4–5 year life Battery fails due to capacity fade. CCA remains within the workable range. Symptoms: Failure mode is sudden as capacity fade goes unnoticed. Capacity should be checked as part of preventative service. Test method: Spectro

Figure 4: Capacit and CCA of 175 starter batteries.

Figure 4: Capacity and CCA of 175 starter batteries.

Most batteries pas through the Capac Line; few fail beca of low CCA. The te batteries were trun mounted and drive in a moderate climate.

Note: Test was conducted by a German luxury ca manufacturer. Capacity and CCA were done accord DIN and IEC stand Heat damaged batteries were eliminated prior.

Most batteries pass through the Capacity Line; few fail because of low CCA. The test batteries were trunk mounted and driven in a moderate climate.

Note: Test was conducted by a German luxury car manufacturer. Test method: Capacity and CCA were done according to DIN and IEC standards. Heat damaged batteries were eliminated prior.

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BACK TO BASICS battery characteristics but high equipment costs, slow test times and the need for trained personnel to decipher the large volume of data has limited this technology to laboratories. Battery scientists predict that future battery diagnostics will be based on EIS technologies. The battery rapid-tester based on EIS and developed by Cadex is ruggedized to serve on the garage floor. Based on multi-model electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, also known as Spectro, the device injects sinusoidal signals into the battery at a few millivolts. After digital filtering, the extracted signal forms a Nyquist plot on to which various electro-chemical models are superimposed. Spectro selects the best matching models; non-fitting replicas are rejected. Data fusion then correlates the values of the key parameters to derive capacity and CCA estimations.

The Nyquist plot was invented by Harry Nyquist (1889–1976), while at Bell Laboratories in the US The parametric plot presents the frequency response of a linear system displaying both amplitude and phase angle on a single scheme using frequency as parameter. The horizontal x-axis of a Nyquist plot reveals the real ohm impedance while the vertical y-axis represents the imaginary impedance. Spectro scans the battery with a frequency spectrum as if to capture the topography of a landscape and then compares the imprint with stored matrices to estimate battery capacity, CCA and SoC. Typical applications are warranty verification on new vehicle batteries and predicting battery end-of-life by estimating capacity as part of after-service. Figure 5 illustrates the Spectro A+ with printer.

Spectro A+ with printer It cecks starter batteries in 15 seconds.

About the Author Isidor Buchmann is the founder and CEO of Cadex Electronics Inc. For three decades, Buchmann has studied the behavior of rechargeable batteries in practical, everyday applications, and has written award-winning articles including the best-selling book “Batteries in a Portable World,” now in its fourth edition. Cadex specializes in the design and manufacturing of battery chargers, analyzers and monitoring devices. For more information on batteries, visit www.batteryuniversity.com; product information is on www.cadex.com

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www.cellusuede.com Batteries International • Autumn 2018 • 81

ELBC: THE HISTORY

The first 30 years are the hardest

From discovering the perils of Polish vodka ... to dining on islands used by James Bond villains ... to uncovering the pleasures and pitfalls of ad hoc Australian choirs (infamous or otherwise), the ELBC has had it all. But mostly it has been at the heart of bringing an industry together, and, as a consequence, resolving some of the toughest scientific and technical questions challenging the lead battery world. The European Lead Battery Conference has had a remarkable and often colourful history — but its importance to the development of lead batteries since the first event in Paris in 1988 cannot be underestimated. It is equally remarkable not just for the way it has created intellectual debate when nothing had existed before but just how affectionately both the pioneers and seasoned attendees speak of the event. Clearly, they also associate the ELBC with forming long and important friendships and they have enjoyed

the social side, which is sometimes quite extraordinary; but they are also quick to praise the technical advancements that have often resulted from the meetings of minds at the event. And these have helped the entire global lead battery community.

Secrecy and paranoia

The ELBC also led the way in terms of helping open a forum where the lead battery industry could talk to each other. The sharing of information and ideas in such an open way has not always been encouraged by the batteries

Before the first ELBC in 1988, it was rare for technical personnel and sometimes senior management in the battery industry to attend conferences. Adversaries from other companies rarely met. Publications were discouraged and even prohibited in some companies.” 82 • Batteries International • Autumn 2018

sector — for a long time many companies positively protected their ideas and baulked at the idea of speaking freely on technical issues. Industry veteran Ken Peters, who is widely credited with helping develop the valve-regulated lead-acid battery, recalled that the ELBC was a pioneering and controversial idea when it first set out to bring senior battery executives together. “Before the first ELBC in 1988, it was rare for technical personnel and sometimes senior management in the battery industry to attend conferences,” he said. “Adversaries from other companies rarely met. Publications were discouraged and even prohibited in some companies.” That said, there were some small battery workshops and symposia that proved exceptions to this attitude, such as those held at meetings of the International Power Sources Symposium (UK), the Electrochemical Society

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ELBC: THE HISTORY (USA) and The Faraday Society. But these were involved in pure research, very academic and rarely attended by engineers, chemists or metallurgists from industry. This mentality was understandable in a sense. At that time, the industry was dominated by a small number of big battery companies including Exide, Varta, JCI, Chloride, GM, Delco, Tungstone, and the Swedish, French and Spanish Tudors. But in reality, the first four of these, with their worldwide subsidiaries, effectively controlled the global lead battery industry. The manufacturers were protective of their work and any research that could give them a competitive advantage. “Their cautious confidentiality was understandable since they all developed, produced and tested new materials — such as alloys, additives, separators — and new manufacturing processes extensively before using them in their products. They were seeking improved, more reliable, performance and durability,” Peters said. Even as the industry started to change and more third-party suppliers emerged, the battery industry retained a suspicion of sharing information and giving away trade secrets. “Only a few years before the first ELBC meeting, independent supplies of separators, additives and alloys became available but most had specifications defined by the battery companies and a restriction on who they could supply,” Peters said. “Consequently, companies were suspicious of conferences and the exchange of technical information.”

A game changer in Asia

The idea of what would eventually become the ELBC was conceived against this backdrop of secrecy by Michael Mayer (see profile on following pages) who, working for the Lead Development Association (LDA) — now the ILA — was maintaining regular communication with the main battery companies through providing information and assistance where possible. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, he started organizing half-day informal seminars at the LDA’s offices in Berkeley Square, London, to which he invited representatives from European battery companies. Around 40 to 50 people would attend and discuss a wide range of topics such as dry charging, wrought grids and alloys.

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The way we were: the famous Australian choir at the Geneva ELBC (far right is guest soloist professor John Appleby from Texas A&M)

“Held every few months they were affable and useful without confidentiality being breeched or being contentious,” Peters said. But it took another catalyst for the concept of the ELBC to truly emerge. In August 1986, the first Asian Battery Conference (1ABC) took place in Hong Kong. Industry veteran David Rand says that in May 1985, Jerry McAuliffe, director of the Zinc and Lead Asian Service, and John Manders and Pasminco Metals, invited him to help in setting it up. Some 180 delegates attended the event. The ABC acted as a catalyst for the European event’s formation, with positive feedback and a good response to the seminars prompting the LDA and key industry figures to turn Mayer’s planning into the solid reality of the European Lead Battery Conference. Rand had some years earlier already met Mayer, who was promoting lead batteries at a BCI conference in Munich. He invited Rand to speak at one of the LDA events in London. They also both attended 2ABC in Singapore in August 1987. “It was there that Michael invited me to help him and Ken Peters form the first European Lead Battery Conference (1ELBC),” says Rand. “This

was held in France in September 1988 and some 220 delegates attended.” The three conspirators became lifelong friends and in discussing topics and themes for discussion at ELBCs enjoyed many escapades together, especially when it involved an atmosphere of old ale and steam trains. On the back of the 1ELBC success, an early organizing committee of sorts started meeting to review offers for papers and consider programmes for future meetings. Some of those individuals included Ken Peters, Michael Mayer, Maura McDermott — still the conference organizer today — and industry veteran David Rand. “It was obvious from the number of offers of papers received that there was great interest in discussing common problems and experiences and, moreover, confidentiality could be maintained,” Peters said. “Some meetings later, I can’t remember precisely when, a more formal selection committee was formed to put the programme together.” In those days, the proceedings from such events were published in the Journal of Power Sources and also distributed in book form by Pasminco Metals. This biennial practice, which

The ABC acted as a catalyst for the European event’s formation, with positive feedback and a good response to the seminars prompting the LDA and key industry figures to turn Mayer’s planning into the solid reality of the European Lead Battery Conference. Batteries International • Autumn 2018 • 83

ELBC: THE HISTORY continued up to 11ABC in 2005, stopped in 2007 after the journal publisher decided that the papers were not attracting sufficient citations, especially when compared with other battery chemistries. It’s not surprising that many today would advocate a return to the status quo of yesteryear.

Keeping focus despite growth

Since those early and very heady days, the event has grown in terms of its sophistication and number of delegates.

Nevertheless, its technical focus and format in many ways has remained little changed. Demand for papers reached the point that the decision had to be made where necessary to run two sessions in parallel to enable more content and more speakers to participate, while allowing delegates to choose the topics in which they were most interested. “There was no theme as such but similar topics were grouped in the five halfday sessions and holding these in parallel, or having several halls at the same

time, was contentious,” Peters said. “The compromise, which was very successful, was to have two sessions dedicated to the suppliers and equipment manufacturers in parallel with two sessions which mostly covered more basic research and technical work. Both were uniformly well attended.” The initial concerns of the battery manufacturers with respect to confidentiality were eventually allayed as they understood the advantages of such an event — and started to see its

LOGISTICS, VENUES, GUITARS AND SING-SONGS Since the first ELBC in Paris, the event has visited many European cities, developed an exhibition — and a quite special gala dinner — that has gone from strength to strength. Peters credits much of the work in this area to Maura McDermott, the conference organizer through thick and thin. “The numbers of delegates grew and there was great competition and interest in the choice of venue, which was handled by Maura and her team,” Peters says. “Then a highly successful exhibition was organized by Allan Cooper and demand for exhibition space has grown ever since.” McDermott has been fully involved since the second ELBC in Brussels in 1990. She undertakes all the administration on the event: coordinating speakers, exhibitors — and making that tough decision each year as to where to host the event. McDermott admits that her greatest challenge every year is finding a suitable venue to host the event. While it is too small for some of the bespoke exhibition centres around Europe, designed to host thousands of delegates, it is too large for many hotels. “And we like to have a certain layout, with everything on one level,” she says. She estimates that whereas the first event in Paris attracted around 200 attendees, Brussels increased this to around 220. To put this number in context, the 16ELBC in Vienna in September 2018 is expected to set a new record with more than 750 delegates expected to register and McDermott says the numbers could even exceed 800 with last-minute guests. An important development for the ELBC was the addition of an exhibition, which has also enjoyed strong growth. She says that from around 19 booths in its first year the event has now reached more than 100 exhibitors. “In the early days it was very academic in its focus; while much of the content still is, one of the big changes has been the exhibition we now do and that has meant a lot more networking and face-to-face time for people,” she says. As more exhibitors and suppliers attended, many started hosting their own dinners and entertainment external to the event itself. With the increasing attendance, the supply companies sought local castles, palaces or well known local hostelries to entertain their customers.

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“It is a case of just going to see what is available in different cities in Europe. We would get lost in a venue that is too spacious,” says McDermott. “And, of course when we do find a venue, getting the right dates can be difficult. We book two to three years in advance, but even then it can be difficult to get the dates we want.” The conference did originally experiment with putting on activities for the spouses and partners of delegates — city tours and other social activities. But these were scrapped after it became apparent these individuals preferred to organize themselves. “We did a few in the early days but there was not much take up and it became apparent that a lot of the ladies who were attending already knew each other and preferred to organize themselves,” she says. “They were used to seeing each other at events and so would be quite happy catching up and organizing themselves.” The gala dinner McDermott is also responsible for what is arguably the highlight of the event — the closing dinner of the ELBC, which has only gained in status in the eyes of delegates over the years. She admits there is pressure to ensure this gala night is delivered to a high standard every year and that everyone enjoys it — and, of course, it is delivered within budget. “This event has very much changed over the years but

Deafening applause greets ILA ladies after singing “(Seven Little Girls) Sitting in the Back Seat”

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ELBC: THE HISTORY increasing popularity globally. The event pioneered the way for similar conferences launched later, perhaps the most notable being the creation of LABAT in Bulgaria and the start of other conferences in India and China.

Must-attend events

But the increasing attendance and willingness to present some details of their work demonstrated their popularity and opportunity for discussing common problems without revealing

confidential details. ABC became an instant must-attend event, ELBC followed in its footsteps. “Programmes tended to follow industry changes and trends. Delegates welcomed the opportunity to hear about other people’s problems and successes and, hopefully, came away with helpful ideas for their work,” said Peters. “In this respect the concept of ABC and ELBC and the following successful series was new and created a template for industry conferences worldwide.”

Organizing team hard at work

we work with local companies to see what is possible. But they always seem to go well and people seem to enjoy them regardless,” she says. The gala dinner has become a focal point of the event, but it has changed drastically in its nature; in its early days, delegates were often persuaded to perform — something that Peters said he did not miss! “The highlight of the week was the conference dinner when everybody let their hair down,” says Peters. “For some years it was common practice for teams from countries to take part in a sing-song on the stage but these became repetitive and tedious and from about 5ELBC, professional entertainers were engaged to perform a cabaret.” One group made an impression for many years, often dressing up in ‘Australian national dress’ — a cowboy hat with dangling bottle corks to ward off the flies — to lead a sing-song. It was a difficult act to do as in reality only one of them was Australian. “One year,” he recalls, “the wives of the ELBC organizing team got involved with a group of them singing the ‘(Seven Little Girls) Sitting in the Back Seat’ with accompaniment.” Geoffrey May, director of FOCUS Consulting, says the social events of ELBC have always been memorable — and some especially so. “In Istanbul we had a dinner on the James Bond island and sang the ‘Wheels on the Bus’ on the boat back to the mainland to the

puzzlement of many non-English delegates,” May says. “In Edinburgh the Programme Committee all wore kilts, which was a spectacle — especially Boris Monahov in a kilt!” One Edinburgh delegate said: “Dave Prengaman, Mark Stevenson and Ralf Beckers looked even better in their kilts! Mark claimed he had Scottish roots — presumably his family had been deported from there a century beforehand — and I guess Dave and Ralf just liked the look of the check pattern.”

ELBC organizers and friends in Edinburgh. Far right, Ken Peters, two to his left David Rand, centre Mike Mayer

A memorable night dining under the stars in the grounds of the Verdala Palace at 15ELBC in Malta

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Moderation in excess And there have been times that, despite the efforts of the organizers, the events of the gala dinner have gone too far. One industry speaker recalls how events took an unfortunate turn after the gala dinner at Warsaw. “The other tables had left and then suddenly the waiters brought out enough vodka shots for all the delegates … but there were barely 40 remaining. “The result was mayhem an hour later,” he says. “But it was all good in the end. Friendships can be forged in the most ridiculous circumstances!” Another recalled a memorable night at the closing evening of 15ELBC in Malta. “It was magical. Dining outside at night. Stars above and opera singers wandering among the tables belting out the most amazing songs. It was unforgettable.”

Batteries International • Autumn 2018 • 85

ELBC: THE HISTORY But these conferences were more than just a template for others. They became a hugely useful forum for the entire industry. Neil Hawkes, lead analyst at CRU, the commodity analysis firm, has attended ELBC for some 20 years — he went to the first one in 1996. He says he likes the consistency the event has maintained in terms of its structure and the real value for him is securing face-to-face time with a high number of senior executives in a short space of time. “The conference hasn’t really changed in terms of its ethos and structure,” he says. “The format usually has people like me on the first morning presenting on the market more generally — the big themes of the moment — and then it goes to much more technical content after that. “But it has grown into a huge event using that formula and has become more formal by necessity as a result. In the early days, it was a more relaxed atmosphere with fewer people, now I sometimes feel like I am speed dating with the meetings there! “But the real value has always been meeting the lead producers that go there. I find it a very friendly conference from that perspective. It is very sociable compared with comparable conferences I attend.” Geoffrey May, director of FOCUS Consulting, who has only missed a couple of events since the start, says the conference’s commitment to staying true to its roots has stood it in good stead. Now, with its steady growth over the years both in numbers and stature, May believes ELBC is an unmissable event. “In an era where conferences are produced rather like stage shows and marketed to the audience to attract

The first ABC and later ELBC events pioneered the way for similar conferences launched later, perhaps the most notable being the creation of LABAT in Bulgaria and the start of other conferences in India and China. 86 • Batteries International • Autumn 2018

delegates and exhibitors, ELBC is organized on more traditional lines with a call for papers and only the keynote speakers are invited by the organizing committee,” he says. “The call for papers brings in a large number of offers of papers and the

Technical Programme Committee has to sift through the offers. New research is given a high priority and the quality of the work, the reputation of the authors and the relevance to current issues is important in selecting the papers.”

SOLVING THE PCL PROBLEM

Some of the various Alpha-Beta members in Berlin at 9ELBC

The ELBC — or at least some of its founders and attendees — also played a pivotal role in solving one of the industry’s great challenges. At the first LABAT Conference in June 1989, Ernst Voss (Varta) and David Rand founded the AlphaBeta PbO2 Society. The object: ‘for lead battery scientists to collaborate in grappling with the ever-emerging demands that new applications place upon the science of lead batteries’. To this day, the members often meet for dinner parties at ELBC, ABC and LABAT meetings. In the 1990s, it had become clear that premature capacity loss (PCL), whereby the life of a lead battery is drastically shortened under deep cycling, was becoming a major concern for the lead battery industry and was holding back its growth. The issue proved more prevalent in designs that used grids made from antimony-free or lead-calcium alloys to reduce water loss. Moreover, it was independent of plate design or how the paste was applied. The problem occurred with both flooded batteries and then with

the new wave of VRLA technology developed in the early 1980s. Recognizing the seriousness of PCL, a number of key industry figures, all heavily associated with the ELBC and predominantly members of the Alpha-Beta Society, including Kathryn Bullock, Ian Dyson, Frank Fleming, Herbert Geiss, Michael Mayer, Eberhard Meissner, Pat Moseley, Bob Nelson, Ken Peters, David Prengaman and David Rand, formed a study group to attempt to solve this challenge. Prompted by this action the ALABC instituted the World Study Group into Premature Capacity Loss of LeadAcid Batteries in 1993, chaired by Rand. Solving the problem was no easy task, it took many years and involved many individuals but it is now widely acknowledged that the work of the ALABC and the uninhibited ad hoc discussions at ELBC gatherings were key factors in ultimately solving this puzzle. “The final piece of the puzzle was ‘compression’. This parameter was pointed out by Alpha-Beta Society member Paul [Rüetschi] and gave us ways to defeat PCL,” Rand said.

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EVENT REVIEW: 16ELBC

A conference for This year’s ELBC has proven to be the best attended since the conference series began 30 years ago. With a technical set of presentations that contained some of the best names in the industry, it also managed to portray the distinctive trends within lead battery development while carefully setting the larger, and more dangerous, picture of its competitive challenge into perspective. Certainly the technical programme was probably the most comprehensive in the conference’s history and oddly, given the sea of challenges that the battery industry is facing, the most fearful and positive at the same time. The first day’s speeches trumpeted out the warnings.

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The opening remarks by Andy Bush, head of the ILA, quickly surveyed the new industry landscape the battery business is experiencing. “We are facing, right here in Europe — in fact right now during the Austrian presidency of the EU — the very real possibility of regulatory restrictions that could ultimately jeopardize our entire industry,” he said. “We have to persuade the European Commission of just how much harm these restrictions would do and crucially not just for our own industries but also for the Commission’s very own aspirations to reduce harmful emissions and boost electrification.” Bush said the message to European legislators is a straightforward one,

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EVENT REVIEW: 16ELBC

all seasons that “we can help deliver the aspirations set out in Europe’s batteries action plan, that we are a key European industry supporting electrification and decarbonization and we absolutely deserve the right to compete on a level playing field with other technologies and there must not be any attempt to restrict EU lead battery manufacturing through the REACH regulations.” Bush then went on to outline the still evolving position of the ILA, which is working with EUROBAT and Battery Council International on what effectively will probably end as a worldwide campaign endorsing the lead battery business. In North America, for example, the US Essential Energy Everyday campaign has been launched and a wider European communication campaign is steadily advancing. It would be wrong to argue, he said, that we are in a simple binary situation of lead versus lithium. There will be room for both chemistries in a variety of markets. “In the future we hear that everything will be connected, everything will be smart, everything will be powered by clean and green energy… everything will be sustainable. And there is a growing recognition that delivering this vision means a huge increase in sustainable energy storage. “But we’re far from the only technology with that vision. Lithium, flow batteries and a host of other technologies are already vying to be the sustainable energy storage technology. “And yes, these other technologies will for sure have a very important role to play. But the sheer scale of battery energy storage demand in the near future — let alone in 20 years’ time — is

Fifth Avenue, 1900. Where is the car?

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so great that no single technology will be able to meet it.” Bush’s opening speech was followed, as is usual for the opening morning of the ELBC meetings, by a detailed overview of the lead battery market. David Shaffer, head of EnerSys in the US, gave the keynote presentation ‘Predicting the Future for Lead Acid Batteries’. Delegates’ reaction to this was fascinating. “It was a strange and disturbing vision of what we know already and what we probably wouldn’t have even dreamed about,” said one attendee. “It showed the real need for us to be realistic about the future.” One minerals consultant later told Batteries International that he left the auditorium so depressed by one of Shaffer’s points — that the cost of lead will factor heavily in the rate of substitution — that he could see once lithium was more price competitive that demand for lead would slump. “For lead miners it’d be a vicious circle and I’d guess if that happened by 2030 then it’d be trading at $500 a tonne.” by 2025. If not earlier! Shaffer’s warning was that the pace of change has historically overturned whole industries. His initial two slides (see below) were worth thousands of words. He also reckoned that all of the largest market sectors for lead are under a long-term threat. The warnings were all the more relevant given that EnerSys sells both lead and lithium. Certainly if the technological advances that could happen to lithium are to happen, there could be difficult times ahead. But the presentation was even-hand-

Fifth Avenue, 1913. Where is the horse?

“But we’re far from the only technology with that vision. Lithium, flow batteries and a host of other technologies are already vying to be the sustainable energy storage technology.”

Batteries International • Autumn 2018 • 89

EVENT REVIEW: 16ELBC ed and also looked at the some of the huge advances made — and in the pipeline — in lead battery performance and the problems ahead for lithium batteries, in terms of such as recycling and cobalt shortages. The mood of doom was echoed slightly later when Rene Schroeder, head of EUROBAT, warned that the EU’s REACH regulations — that, among other things, effectively outlaw lead batteries — had given rise to a crisis situation. “We’re just one minute away from midnight,” he said. Counteracting the apocalyptic message were a host of solid presentations. There were a lot of positive presentations about separators, recently being one of the hottest areas of research. “We’re seeing new ground being broken in this field,” said one delegate. “There’s a lot of new and innovative research coming through that offers significant benefits to the industry.” Daramic’s Kevin Whear, for example, was able to discuss how better separator design could use the stop-start momentum to circulate the acid in the battery and so help prevent stratification. As part of this the addition of carbon to the separator also improved dynamic charge acceptance (DCA). Another fascinating presentation came from Stuart McKenzie, the founder of ArcActive, a firm that has been acquired recently by East Penn and which now has positive data to compare the performance of its new carbon fabric grids to conventional ones. Interestingly he also suggested the industry’s use of the term DCA was frequently vague and sometimes frighteningly misapplied when used across a variety of applications. The range of presentations was excellent, as ever. The major themes of the conference were covered in depth — for example the rise and rise of electric vehicles was analysed from a variety of points of view, by country and region, by market trend, by market type and more. An overall picture, courtesy of East Penn’s Norbert Maleschitz, was presented showing how the ALABC saw the future developing through a potential roadmap.

Additives — most particularly carbon, but others were considered too — was another major theme running through the presentations. A joint presentation by industry veterans Pat Moseley and David Rand set the initial scene following their round-up, written for the ILA, of the use of carbon as an additive. At the cutting edge of things were two presentations from Matthew Raiford at RSR Technologies and Tim Fister from Argonne National Laboratory in the US, who revealed how real time analysis using modern synchrotron Xray resources could show moment-bymoment activity within a lead battery being charged or discharged (see cover story). Synchrotons are synchronized cyclotrons (particle accelerators used to generate X-rays). Fister’s presentation was particularly illuminating in showing how the synchrotron worked and Raiford’s presentation showed how it was possible to put the new techniques together with an existing alloy product. Another fascinating presentation, also from RSR, came from Travis Hesterberg, who argued for the need for yet more precision in measurement techniques to create high-purity lead. There was also acknowledgement that some of the finest brains in the industry are still hard at work. The presentation of the joint research by Don Karner from Electric Applications Inc and Frank Fleming from Northstar battery showed there are still performance improvements to be made by yet better charging methods. This was all the more exciting in that the focus was on improving performance on Northstar’s Battery Energy Storage System, which is using lead batteries for the more demanding side of energy storage at the grid level such as peak shaving and load levelling, where rapid charging/discharging is required. Karner’s conclusion that lead AGM can compete with lithium ion is a welcome message. Fleming also gave a presentation on the real life project that this was based on, a BESS of 1MW/1MWh in Missouri, US.

“In the future we hear that everything will be connected, everything will be smart, everything will be powered by clean and green energy… everything will be sustainable. And there is a growing recognition that delivering this vision means a huge increase in sustainable energy storage.” www.batteriesinternational.com

Batteries International • Autumn 2018 • 91

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EVENT REVIEW: 16ELBC

Time to network too As ever, ELBC proved an excellent place to network in the evenings and several side parties scattered across Vienna also brought the speakers, exhibitors and delegates together. “It’s probably the busiest cocktail reception we’ve ever hosted,” one of the conference organizers told Batteries International. And looking around the packed hall as some 800 delegates mingled with canapés and glasses of beer and wine, it was hard not to disagree, given the sea of faces. “It felt like a Who’s Who of the lead battery business,” said one delegate. “Anyone who is anyone seems to be here. What’s particularly impressive is the fact that the whole industry is represented, from academics to researchers to manufacturers and I’ve even spotted a couple of finance people in the crowd. “That said I do worry that we might run out of drinks!”

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EVENT REVIEW: 16ELBC

Digatron and TBS celebrations There was no doubt about it. It was the conference party to end all conference parties. The joint celebration of Rolf Beckers’ 70th birthday and 50 years since the formation of TBS was celebrated in high style on the evening of the first full night of the conference. The location was the exclusive, historic, Liechtenstein Garden Palace. Built in 1687, the grounds have been used by monarchs and princes over the centuries.

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The celebrations kicked off early and the 150 specially invited attendees were whisked off just after six to the palace to be greeted with champagne and canapés. As dusk started to fall, the gathering was invited to sit in the sumptuous library for their fourcourse meal. During the meal, three musicians performed classical music and the diners were regaled with a selection inevitably including Austria’s most famous musical prodigy Wolfgang Mozart. Later on, professional dancers captured the essence of the Viennese waltz and entertained the guests. Half a dozen couples — men in black suits and beautiful women in white — then turned the tables on the onlookers and invited them to waltz with them. Those that knew how to dance did so, those that didn’t were taught. After that a number of speeches were made, the highlight of which was Rolf Beckers’ presentation — a chronology of events which started with him working out of his garage and leading to the creation of the international electronics and testing firm.

One special surprise was the sudden appearance of a birthday cake for Rolf... shaped like a car battery. “I’ve not seen anything like it at a conference,” one delegate told Karen Hampton, publisher of Batteries International, who was attending the event. “At one moment we had been dragged back to the glitter of a glamorous age, the next we were back in the present. The mood changed from the reflective to the humorous. It was glorious.” Although it was a special 50th anniversary evening it also recognised a common purpose for TBS and Digatron. Both companies started at the same time in Germany and in England and along that journey, in 2009, the two companies decided to set up a joint venture in Qingdao to make TBS equipment. (Digatron was already an established manufacturer in China.) “Rolf and Laurie have been friends for a long time and we were more than happy to hold this event together. It was an appropriate way to celebrate such an auspicious event,” said Kevin Campbell, Digatron CEO.

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EVENT REVIEW: 16ELBC

Entek’s private dinner Entek, the battery separator manufacturer, treated around 130 of its customers and industry partners to a dinner and private tour around the Natural History Museum (Naturhistorisches Wien) on the evening before the conference started. It is the third time Entek has treated

its customers to a private dinner during a lead battery conference, first inviting guests in Malta at the ELBC two years ago, then in Kuala Lumpur last year at the ABC. “The guests could wander around through the exhibits, among the dinosaurs,” said marketing communica-

tions manager Carri Moffatt. “We had the museum to ourselves — we hired the whole thing, the guests were served dinner then given a tour and out on to the roof of the museum, where they had a panoramic view of the city, including Hofburg Palace and the Rathaus (City Hall). “We thought this was a good opportunity for the number of customers and industry partners to get together and unwind after a long day of technical talks.” Moffatt said that representatives from NSG Group, with whom Entek formed a joint venture in July 2017, were at the event. Entek is the ELBC’s prime sponsor.

The gala dinner “Location 10 out of 10, what an absolutely fantastic place to dine. But food zero out of 10.” That was the closing verdict of one of the delegates as he left the spectacular Schönbrunn Palace on the closing night celebration. Indeed the location, a former imperial summer residence — a mere

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1,441-room Baroque bagatelle of a palace — is one of the most important architectural, cultural, and historical monuments in the country. It got off well, and the champagne reception outside the Orangerie as the sun set was memorable. Unfortunately once inside, the catering company took over — and

the food was served an hour late and cold. One delegate summed it up. “It was a shame that the closing night couldn’t have been like so many other ELBC gala dinners but at the end of the day you can’t blame the conference organizers — they didn’t let us down, the caterers did.”

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EVENT REVIEW: 16ELBC

… and it’s Milano!

Master of ceremonies Andy Bush in action

No ELBC Gala dinner would be complete without the dramatic announcement of the next venue for the meetings. In the past the announcement has been greeted with shrieks of delight, wails of disgust and a volley of bread rolls targeting David Wilson for the fun of it. Mostly the rolls were thrown before Wilson came to the front but some of the veterans used to reckon that a bit of target practice during the meal was helpful. “It improves our aim for the big event,” they used to say. This year the ILA played it cool. As Andy Bush took to the stage and the bread rolls were being loaded, ILA directors Binks and Davison — combined height somewhere around 14 foot — patrolled the floor tapping elegant knuckledusters with menacing smiles. “Any guesses?” said the convivial master of ceremonies. “It is the capital fashion city in the world.” An uproar was seen on one table close to the stage as a gaggle of low-

life, mainly journalists, lead analysts and consultants unanimously — and mistakenly — called out Buenos Aires. A dramatic pause worthy of a Hitchcock thriller. “It’s Milan!” For the first time in the history of the gala dinner the announcement of the lucky city was greeted with a patter of polite applause.

TRIUMPH OF THE SPECULATORS With speculation mounting, five separate sweepstakes had formed earlier that gala evening. Although the potential winning pots grew larger, the selections of cities proved limited. Reykjavik, for example, was rejected out of hand. “If I can’t spell it, how could the ILA?” All of Scandinavia was thrown out of the window … “the beer’s too expensive”, Ukraine too …”there’s a civil war going on there or is that Holland?”. The analysis was as vigorous as ever. Moira’s favourite shopping weekend spots — Zurich, Rome and Brussels — proved favourites for the ILA watchers. Meanwhile Andy Bush’s choice of conference ties — preferred colour red with a splash of yellow — hinted at a potential former Communist country. The fever mounted when it was rumoured that 15ELBC winner Steve Barnes whose geographical analysis was exacting — “Austria

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is the capital city of Vienna (or is it the other way round?)” — knew the answer. “But I will say I’m of a sunny temperament,” he hinted. The eventual winner, Karen Hampton — who conspiracy theorists later noted was seated next to Mr Barnes — said she’d worked it out earlier. “Andy’s wearing Italian shoes, Alistair said Ciao on the phone to me and Moira keeps humming a tune that might be Italian or French (but it’s definitely foreign). And there’s now a rumour that Mr Binks wants to be called Stefano. That’s why I plumped for Italy.” “In that case it’ll be Milan,” said Barnes, who is authoritative on his capital cities. A recount of the betting slips showed in fact that Chloride’s Mike Dunn had also slipped a winning entry in at the last moment. “I know my capital cities too,” he said. “And there’s nothing like Spain at this time of year.”

Moment of triumph: Mike Dunn and Karen Hampton display their winnings (note the elusive tipster Steve Barnes trying to lean out of the photo on the left)

Not all the sweepstake entries congratulated the winners

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EVENT REVIEW: IFBF The International Flow Battery Forum • July 10-12 • Lausanne, Switzerland

Moving advances in flow batteries to the mainstream Monetizing live project experiences was one of just many themes of this year’s International Flow Battery Forum. This is the ninth in the series. Speaking on the opening day of this year’s forum, Wiebrand Kout, the founder of Dutch start-up Elestor gave plenty of business direction to the engineers and scientists who provide the backbone to new developments. In particular, he explained his company’s flow battery development strategy, and demonstrated that it is not necessary to have big buckets of cash to take a business from idea to commercial product in a few years. His idea for a flow battery programme evolved in 2014, when he looked at the HBr system — that was his step zero. Step 1 was to prove it works — and this was in his labs in 2015-2016. Step 2 was to understand the market. Battery conferences can be full of optimistic market predictions, as well as being full of pessimistic trouble makers citing commercialization problems of expensive materials, unfavourable market conditions, unsympathetic legislation and regulation and unfair business practices by almost everyone else. Going a little against the flow, Elestor’s team determined a suitable configuration for their product and in Step 3 the firm demonstrated three prototypes based on their 50kW sys-

tem. Their final step was to build the business, and with a letter of intent for a 1MWh system under their belt the firm is well on the way to achieving that goal. With the withdrawal of Enstorage from the HBr sector, Elestor has a strong commercial advantage that it is keen to exploit. Weibrand’s colleague, Natalie Mazur, pointed out in a more technically based presentation later in the conference that the new generation 3 module, built into a 20ft ISO shipping container, will have a simpler electrolyte management system, resulting in lower costs and giving a longer lifetime for the flow battery stacks. Elestor’s recent progress in developing HBr was not the only newsworthy bromine-based battery system discussed at the conference. Len Berlouis, a reader in pure and applied chemistry, from the University of Strathclyde, has been studying ZnBr systems for several years. The university runs the Power Networks Demonstration Centre at Cumbernauld, and has put many battery systems, including flow batteries, through their paces. Lotte Chemical tested a small ZnBr battery there, prior to the installation of a 250kWh system at the National Wind Energy Centre. In the next few months, a ZnBr battery will be installed at the Findhorn

Community in North East Scotland, where they will test the combination of PV, wind and storage in a real environment. In a world where large numbers of large scale lithium batteries are now commonplace, manufacturers, project developers and end users are keen to understand whether these early demonstrations are going to become mainstream and whether purchasers have confidence in their use. A few years ago, Jeroen de Veth, chief executive of the Dutch energy company Trinergie, reviewed the operation of a vanadium battery on a Dutch dairy farm. That vanadium battery had operated for five years and after its retirement, in May 2017, six Redflow zinc bromine modules were installed on the same farm. The 20kW/60kWh battery was chosen because of its compact size compared with other flow battery systems. The intention is to use the battery to demonstrate the opportunity to trade electricity and services with the network and the demonstration is expected to continue for a further four years to explore a broad range of business models. At current prices for trades in the electricity market, a reasonable profit is made in the short term, but this is not sufficient to guarantee repayment of the capital costs in the long term. So it seems that the technology is fine, but the underlying market struc-

THE SITE VISIT TO THE ELECTROMOBILITY LABORATORY AT EPFL

The whole forum was put into context with a visit to the electromobility laboratory at EPFL (École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne) in Martigny, where some solutions to the challenges of alternative fuelled transport were demonstrated. EPFL uses flow batteries to reinforce the power supplies to their EV chargers and hydrogen refuelling points and an integration with local renewables. It makes a clear point that flow batteries have arrived when they are in use in real applications.

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Batteries International • Autumn 2018 • 97

EVENT REVIEW: IFBF ture for buying and selling electricity is flawed, however given the many changes that are occurring in the industry, Trinergie is continuing with the trial to gain further experience. But irrespective of short termism in business models, the conference heard from many manufacturers about their latest developments and how these fitted into the commercial world of energy storage. It’s important that the technical side of the energy storage industry is exposed to market requirements — because for many years, scientists and engineers have pushed technology forward, only to find that there were few, if any, purchasers. It’s sad to look at the list of battery manufacturers that have tried and then walked away before reaching a commercial product. However, it’s satisfying to see so many manufacturers still in business and also to see a number of new manufacturers and developers keen to enter the market and grow a business in energy storage. One of the early developers of the all-vanadium system is Sumitomo Electric, from Japan. The firm reported on two installations, one in the US and one in Hokkaido. In California, a 2MW, 8MWh battery was used on a distribution sub station site. The battery was used in a daily cycling mode for peak shifting and also for local marginal price trading. The trial demonstrated that the battery could be used successfully and economically to defer distribution line upgrades. The test for energy arbitrage depends on a viable local market, and pending creation of a market any savings would only be virtual. Nevertheless, it showed that the technology could be successfully deployed. Meanwhile, in Hokkaido, a 15MW, 60MWh battery has been deployed to demonstrate mitigation of short duration and longer duration fluctuations in frequency deviation. This successfully shows the potential of flow batteries to provide large scale, high power and high energy, energy storage. Scott McGregor, chief executive of RedT, a company with more than 20 years in vanadium flow batteries, talked persuasively about his company being half technology and half business. At the tipping point where the cost of solar is going down, peak power

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prices are rising and ancillary services’ revenue is increasing, storage is now part of the language that customers understand. RedT has launched its third-generation flow machine, which is aimed at the commercial behindthe-meter market.

Optimism abounds There is a high level of optimism in the flow battery industry — with other manufacturers taking the opportunity to develop their technology into commercial products. Thyssen Krupp, well known for its expertise in heavy engineering, has used its skills in designing and building large electrochemical cells for the chlor-alkali industry to develop a modular large-scale flow battery. Each module is rated at 1MW and the firm’s demonstration and test module has already been shipped to a test site in Germany’s Black Forest. Gregor Polcyn, head of product management and technology at Thyssen, introduced his presentation by saying that the renewable age is unstoppable, and the world now needs an energy storage solution. This optimism, that the time is right for flow batteries, was also reflected by Mike Perry, a long-term expert on fuel cells working for United Technologies. The firm has taken expertise from its fuel cell program (a proven method of stack construction) into the flow battery arena, and as a result they have raised the power density of the vanadium flow battery stack about five fold, which leads to a substantial reduction in the battery capital cost. This has become a lynchpin in the commercialization strategy for the business. UT has transferred its IP into a new start-up company, Vionyx, to develop a substantial business opportunity based on a five-hour duration for energy storage. Energy storage policy in China is extremely positive, and with a compound growth rate of 55% it should be paradise for any seller of storage systems. Mianyan Huang, president and CTO of VRB Energy, reported that the Qinghai region in particular, in the north-west of the country, was the most favourable location for long duration storage because of the high penetration of PV and wind generation. He showed analysis illustrating that the lifetime cost of vanadium flow battery systems was less than half the

Conversations: Gary Yang from UET and Gregor Polcyn of Thyssen Krupp

cost of a comparable lithium system. At a national level, China expects to build a fleet of 100MW flow battery systems and VRB Energy has delivered the first 40 MW phase of a 100MW VRB project in Hubei. Some of the many suppliers to the flow battery industry took part in panel sessions to discuss issues of common interest. One observation, from an established industry player, was that almost everything supplied as components or materials to the flow battery industry has been transferred from another industry and few things have been specifically designed for flow battery use, as for example membranes or separators have come from the electrolysis or filtration sectors. Some 250 delegates attended the IFBF this year.

THE NEED FOR LONGER STORAGE One of the many questions that arises from considering five hour storage, is whether there is a real market need for it. It’s a deep question, with many angles, says one of the conference organizers. One point raised by Jeehyang Yu of H2 Inc, a South Korean company, is the overt support given to short duration lithium batteries. The South Korean government has an energy support programme, but which only supports lithium battery systems, which restricts the market penetration of other storage types. Nevertheless, three South Korean manufacturers are installing flow battery systems and longer duration storage is gaining ground. Jeehyang said H2 Inc is installing five flow battery systems in South Korea and some in overseas locations such as the Maldives.

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FORTHCOMING EVENTS Interbattery 2018 Seoul, Korea October 10-12 InterBattery, sponsored by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, and directed by Korea Battery Industry Association and Coex, is Korea’s biggest secondary-cell battery convention that was first launched in 2013. InterBattery is Korea’s only battery industry exhibition that simultaneously accommodates the fast-growing mobile market, automobile industry, as well as ESS and EV markets, and allows for the buyers and manufacturers to naturally and most efficiently interact while learning about the newest products and trends. Furthermore, the global conference ‘The Battery Conference’ will be in session at the same time, allowing for the opportunity to listen to international opinion leaders, exchange influential ideas, and estimate the future of the industry. Contact Tel: +82 6000 1393/1065/1104 Email. energyplus@coex.co.kr www.interbattery.or.kr

Osaka, Japan hosts the Advanced Automotive Battery Conference Asia (AABC Asia)

Advanced Automotive Battery Conference Asia (AABC Asia)

Solar & Storage Live

Osaka, Japan October 15-18

The exhibition brings together the stakeholders in solar generation and maintenance, storage deployment and emerging ancillary technologies. Solar & Storage Live’s exhibition is free to attend for all three days.

National Graphene Association’s annual event, the Global Graphene Expo and Conference brings together current and future graphene stakeholders to focus on commercial applications of graphene, drive innovation, and promote and showcase graphene products and technologies.

AABC is excited to return to Japan in 2018 with an event that promises to build on the success of our US and European conferences, while focusing on the unique drivers, needs, and challenges of the diverse Asian market. With sessions covering topics from raw materials through research and development findings in novel battery chemistries and new approaches to cell and pack engineering, as well as applied technologies in the next generation of electric and hybrid vehicles, AABC Asia is an invaluable opportunity to discover the latest trends, technology and market information.

Contact Email: membership@ nationalgrapheneassociation.com Tel: +1 615 840 3917 www.nationalgrapheneassociation.com

Contact: Deborah Shear Tel: + 1 781-972-5455 Email: dshear@CambridgeEnerTech.com www.advancedautobat.com/asia/

Global Graphene Expo and Conference Austin, Texas. US October 15–17

Birmingham, UK. October 16-18

Contact Solar Media-The Exhibition Team Tel: +44 2017 871 0122 Email: dbarklem@solarmedia.co.uk www.uk.solarenergyevents.com

SHMUEL DE-LEON ENERGY EVENTS Shmuel De-Leon Energy in cooperation with Custom-Cells will provide the 4th Industrial On-Site Lithium Ion cells production technology, Itzehoe, Germany, October 23-24 Shmuel De-Leon Energy in cooperation with Wyon will provide a battery seminar, Appenzel, Switzerland, October 25-26 Shmuel De-Leon Energy in cooperation with Rochester Institute of Technology will provide the 3rd Lithium Ion Cells Manufacturing Seminar, Rochester, NY, USA, November 5-6 Shmuel De-Leon Energy in cooperation with HEL will provide a Battery seminar, London, UK, November 26-27 Shmuel De-Leon Energy in cooperation with Okaya Group will provide a battery seminar, New Delhi, India, December 7-8

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Batteries International • Autumn 2018 • 99

FORTHCOMING EVENTS Energy Storage Summit Japan Tokyo, Japan October 16-18 The Energy Storage Summit Japan is your gateway to Japan’s energy storage market. With the combination of highllevel business contacts and information exchange, it is a “must attend” event for everyone who wants to do business with Japan’s energy storage community. Summit topics to include: • Framework: Energy storage frameworks and trends • Energy storage business models • Technology: Hydrogen, fuel cells, and batteries • Thermal energy storage • E-mobility and infrastructure • Resilient & Smart cities Finance: Financing energy storage projects • Energy finance and IT • International markets for energy storage Contact Tel.: +81 (3) 52 10 99 51 essj@messe-dus.co.jp https://essj.messe-dus.co.jp/en/home

growing worldwide. To take stock of the current situation and to prepare for the future by arriving at meaningful recommendations, short term as well as long term, India Lead Zinc Development Association (ILZDA) and Lead Battery Society of India (LBSI) will be holding an “International Conference on Lead and Lead Batteries: A Road Map for India”. The event will focus on: lead acid battery manufacture, latest technological developments, new additives, alloys, battery performance and testing, existing and new markets (electric vehicles and renewable energy), quality assurance, sustainable development, recycling, environmental regulations and norms, occupational exposure precautions and the like. Technical presentations will be made by well known overseas and Indian experts. Contact L Pugazhenthy Email: ilzda.info@gmail.com Tel: +91-26056889, 26057360, 29955536 www.ilzda.com

The Business Booster Copenhagen, Denmark. October 17–18 The Business Booster is an annual two-day international networking event that showcases 150+ sustainable energy technologies under one roof. TBB rotates among Europe’s capitals — last year it was opened in Amsterdam by Maroš Šefcovic, the vice-president for the energy union and followed by our keynote, Bertrand Piccard, chairman of the Solar Impulse Foundation. This year the event will take place in the Bella Center, Copenhagen, Scandinavia’s largest exhibition centre, where over 700 attendees consisting of start-ups, energy industry representatives, financial communities, policy makers and regulators will join us. Contact Viktoria Schober Email: viktoria.schober@innoenergy.com www.tbb.innoenergy.com

International Conference on Lead and Lead Batteries — ILZDA New Delhi, India October 22–23 Globally, the lead acid battery, both the product as well as the industry, is facing new challenges, ever since the Paris Round on Climate Change in December 2015. During the last several years, both the lead acid battery manufacturing industry as well as lead battery recycling has been continuously

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Battery Technology Show October 23-24 • ExCel London The Battery Technology Show will showcase the incredible developments happening across the battery and energy storage markets. If you are looking to keep up with the latest news in breakthrough technologies, gain invaluable insight from key players in the market, and discover the emerging technologies which are at the frontier of the energy revolution, this is the event for you. This show will feature a select lineup of world-leading manufacturers in the battery and energy storage space on our Expo floor, alongside a first-class conference programme featuring three thought-leading symposiums: The Future of Battery Technology, The Future of Hybrid & Electric Vehicles, and The Global Battery Market. Come and experience the power of the future. Contact Sarah O’Connell Tel: +44 117 932 3586

ees Summit France Strasbourg, France October 24 The ees & IBESA Summit France will take place in Strasbourg and addresses leading international and local experts on energy storage solutions. The summit’s mission is to provide in-depth education, enable high-quality networking opportunities, expand the use of all energy storage technologies at both a national level and at a regional level and strengthen the local storage industry. Contact: Simone Fein Tel: +49 7231 5859 8177 Email: Fein@solarpromotion.com www.ees-summit.com/france

Battery Safety Conference Arlington, Virginia, US October 30-31 Higher energy and higher use lead to higher risk. While research continues to boost the energy storage capability of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) and leads to expanding applications and consumer use, the task of implementing effective safety strategies falls on regulatory authorities, cell manufacturers, R&D engineers, and forensic scientists. Accurate tests and models are critical for predicting and controlling the complex electrochemical, thermal, and mechanical behavior of LIBs while forensic investigations and regulations are required. The Battery Safety 2018 conference continues this vital dialogue to integrate and implement LIBs safety to meet ever-increasing energy demands. Contact: Sherry Johnson Tel: +1 781 972 1359 Email: sjohnson@CambridgeEnertech.com www.cambridgeenertech.com/battery-safety

Lithium Battery Material & Chemistries Arlington, Virginia, US November 1-2 Cambridge EnerTech’s Lithium Battery Materials & Chemistries conference provides in-depth coverage on the chemistries, both current and nextgeneration, that are shaping the future of energy storage. From novel electrode/ electrolyte materials to higher-capacity cathode/anode structures, this conference explores how to economically increase battery energy density. Contact: Sherry Johnson Tel: +1 781 972 1359 Email: sjohnson@CambridgeEnertech.com www.cambridgeenertech.com/lithiumbattery-materials-chemistries/

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FORTHCOMING EVENTS Energy Storage North America Pasadena, California, USA • November 6-8 Energy Storage North America (ESNA) is the largest conference and expo for grid-connected energy storage in North America. ESNA 2018 will include energy storage site tours, networking, workshops, and learning sessions featuring the leading policymakers, utilities, and commercial and industrial customers focused on building the grid of the future. Network with over 1,900 energy storage stakeholders through one on one meetings, roundtable discussions, workshops with interactive discussions, intimate receptions for international attendees, utilities and women in the storage industry, and an evening of dining and dancing in Pasadena. Contact Daniela Knoll Email: dknoll@mdna.com Tel: +1 312 621 5838 www.esnaexpo.com

European Utility Week 2018 Vienna, Austria November 6-8 European Utility Week is your premier business, innovation and information platform helping you to connect with the smart utility community. The three day event will offer you access to executives, regulators, policymakers and other professionals from leading European utilities and grid operators. The event offers a platform to showcase solutions coherent with European strategy to achieve a smooth transition towards a low carbon energy supply. It also offers expert knowledge and foresight from hundreds of industry leaders who address trends helping the advancement of energy provision. We have solutions for every forward thinking company and person looking to participate during European Utility Week 2018. Contact Tel: +31 346 590 901 Email: service@european-utility-week.com www.european-utility-week.com

Power & Renewables Summit 2018 Austin, Texas. USA November 13-14 Power & Renewables Summit 2018 will gather industry views on how renewable integration, decarbonization,

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sector electrification and the growing need for increased capacity and flexibility are impacting electricity systems. Join a two-day conversation around financing strategies, business model shifts, demand and regulatory updates as leaders across the energy value chain decipher how these profound transformations will reshape power markets over the next 10-to-20 years. Contact GTM Events Email: info@greentechmedia.com www.greentechmedia.com/events/live/ power-renewables-summit

Zinc Battery Technology Workshop CUNY, New York, USA November 16 During the past 30 years, while lithiumion has received all the attention, major scientific progress has been made in transforming older, non-rechargeable zinc battery technology into rechargeable systems that may be able to compete with lithium-ion. Today multiple companies are bringing to market batteries and energy storage systems based on nickel-zinc, zinc bromine, zinc air and zinc manganese oxide battery technologies. All these systems have unique features and performance qualities that may, in certain applications, make them a preferred alternative to lithium-ion based systems. Importantly, the scientific community sees considerable runway for continued

improvement in these zinc-based systems, which may make them even more competitive in the future. The Workshop on Zinc Battery Technology will examine the principal zinc battery technologies on the market today, how they work, what their particular cost, safety and performance characteristics are, and where they might be able to play in the energy storage market today and tomorrow. Electric utilities, grid operators, energy systems developers, systems integrators, regulators, first responders, property owners, scientists, students and renewable energy enthusiasts are all urged to attend. The top experts in the world on zinc battery technology will be speaking at this program. Registration is limited to 100 delegates. Contact Tel: +1 312 588 0477 jgreenberger@naatbatt.org

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FORTHCOMING EVENTS The 2nd Medical Battery Conference Dusseldorf, Germany November 19-20 RRC Power Solutions GmbH and Shmuel De-Leon energy are pleased to invite you to participate in the 2nd Medical Battery conference, which will take place at the Marriott Hotel, Dusseldorf, Germany on November 1920, 2018. The Conference for Medical batteries will meet to discuss and provide a platform for technological innovations and business opportunities with the latest updates in that fields in Germany and abroad. The conference is held once a year and is the leading and the only medical battery dedicated conference, bringing together participants from leading private and public battery and companies, start-ups, investors, academics and businesses that are interested in the medical battery field. Contact Email: shmueldeleo1@gmail.com www.medicalbatteryconference.com

The Energy Management Exhibition — EMEX November 21–22 London, UK EMEX is the UK’s must-attend energy event for everyone wanting to increase their organization’s energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions. Energy is a cost to most organizations that has grown as a proportion of overall expenditure in recent years. And yet, there is considerable potential within most organizations to make large energy cost and carbon emission savings through the installation of energy efficiency measures. EMEX connects all commercial energy consumers with leading experts, policy makers and suppliers. EMEX is more than just an event. It’s a platform where practitioners and experts from various backgrounds and sectors are coming together to share their knowledge and experiences from successful implementations of energy efficiency strategies. Whatever the size of your business there is an opportunity to find more efficiency in your energy use!

for people seeking latest information on developments in automotive transmissions and drives for passenger cars and commercial vehicles! Contact: Volker Altenbeck Tel.: +49 211 887 43-3845 Email: anmeldung@car-training-institute.com www.transmission-symposium.com/en

Digital Solar and Storage December 4–6 Munich, Germany The world is going digital —and so is the energy industry. Solar and storage, with the help of digitalization, will be the backbone of the new energy world. Now that we are moving towards clean and flexible power, heat and transport sectors, it is key to have a cross-sectoral platform to discuss the most efficient ways to succeed in the energy transition in Europe. This is why Solar Power Europe, Europe’s biggest solar association, and IBESA, the International Battery and Energy Storage Alliance are collaborating again for the second digital solar and storage conference in BMW World, Munich. The event will again cover the full spectrum of challenges and opportunities impacting digitalization, solar and storage from policy, market and technological perspectives. Join high-level executives from utilities, digital innovators and storage solution suppliers to discuss the latest business models and market trends shaping the new energy world. Contact Saskia Choffel Tel: + 32 2 709 55 41 Email: s.choffel@solarpowereurope.org www.digitalsolar-storage.org

Power-Gen International Orlando, Florida. USA December 4-6 As the World’s Largest Power Generation Event, POWER-GEN International is the industry leader in providing comprehensive coverage of the trends, technologies and issues facing the generation sector. Displaying a wide variety of products and services, POWER-GEN International represents a horizontal look at the industry with key emphasis on new solutions and innovations for the future. Contact PennWell Corporation Tel: +1 918 831 9160 (direct) +1 888 299 9016 (toll free) Email: registration@pennwell.com www.power-gen.com

Energy Storage Summit 2018 San Francisco, California. USA December 11-12 Now in its fourth year, the Energy Storage Summit will bring together utilities, financiers, regulators, technology innovators, and storage practitioners for two full days of dataintensive presentations, analyst-led panel sessions with industry leaders, and extensive, high-level networking. This year, we’re expanding our traditional U.S. event to cover the global market. Contact GTM Events Email: info@greentechmedia.com www.greentechmedia.com/events/live/ energy-storage-summit

Contact Chris Asselin Email: chris@emexlondon.com www.emexlondon.com

CTI Symposium Berlin, Germany December 3-6 The International CTI Symposium and its flanking specialist exhibition is the international industry event in Europe

104 • Batteries International • Autumn 2018

San Francisco hosts Energy Storage Summit 2018 in December

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FORTHCOMING EVENTS Intersolar India

Energy Storage India

Bangalore, India • December 11-13

New Delhi, India January 22–23

This is India’s most pioneering exhibition and conference for the solar industry Solar developments in India grew exponentially in 2017. Further announcements and new market opportunities in the energy storage and electric mobility sector strengthen India to become an interesting and very promising market in the future. The state of Karnataka is one of the most flourishing Indian solar markets and the first Indian state to launch a specific EV policy. Intersolar India, the most pioneering exhibition and conference for the solar industry is celebrating

its 10th edition in Bangalore, the capital city of the top solar market. The event will focus on the solar, energy storage and electric mobility industries and will welcome more than 17,000 industry professionals and 300 exhibitors. In addition, Intersolar India will continue to connect solar businesses in Mumbai at the Bombay Exhibition Centre (BEC) on April 4-5, 2019 with a focus on financing and India’s western solar markets. Contact Brijesh Nair Tel: +91 22 4255-4707 www.intersolar.in www.bfi.org.in/index.htm

Battery India 2019 Goa, India January 5–7 Battery India will focus on growth and usage of Lithium batteries for India and neighbouring countries. The conference is expected to raise the standards of participatory interaction among stakeholders, regulatory authorities from various countries, user industries, researchers, technologists and equipment manufacturers. Battery India 2019 will ensure a direct opportunity towards international cooperation and business promotion by ensuring quality lectures by eminent specialists and researchers, buyer and seller meetings. Contact Battery and Recycling Foundation International Ajoy Raychaudhuri Email: info@bfi.org.in Tel: +91 11 2955 2649

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World Future Energy Summit-WFES Abu Dhabi, UAE January 14-17 WFES (World Future Energy Summit) is a global industry platform connecting business and innovation in energy, clean technology and efficiency for a sustainable future. WFES Expo hosts over 850 exhibiting companies from more than 40 countries; The Future Summit; the unique WFES Forums, covering everything from disruptive technologies to future cities; a set of ground-breaking WFES Initiatives; and WFES Hosted Events, where individual growth markets come under the spotlight. Contact Rajveer Singh Tel: +971 2409 0444 Email: rajveer.singh@reedexpo.ae www.wfes.ae

Advanced Automotive

Energy Storage India conference and exhibition brings together industry professionals and speakers from more than 20 countries. Powered by India’s leading Energy Storage Alliance “India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA), attending will give you a platform to meet all energy storage and EV tender authorities, state and central regulators, policy makers and government bodies. Contact Messe Düsseldorf India Amruta Dhumal Tel: +91 11 4855 0059 Email: DhumalA@md-india.com www.esiexpo.in

Battery Conference Europe (AABC Europe) Strasbourg, France January 27-31 Each year, AABC Europe brings together a global audience of battery technologists and their key suppliers for a must-attend week of development trends, breakthrough technologies and predictions of the market for years to come. Our 2018 event was the largest AABC event ever with 1,000 attendees from 35 countries taking part in interactive discussions on the development and future market trends for vehicle electrification. As more European nations and international automotive OEMs make their own commitment to vehicle electrification, we are excited to carry that momentum forward for 2019. Our program continues to expand coverage of the research and development of the chemistries and materials supporting the next

Batteries International • Autumn 2018 • 105

7 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 9 May 2019

Stuttgart, Germany

Europeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest trade fair for advanced battery technology

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FORTHCOMING EVENTS generation of electric vehicle batteries, while maintaining our core focus on applied technologies needed for hybrid and electric cars and specialty vehicles. Contact: Tel: +1 781 972 5400 Email: ce@cambridgeenertech.com www.advancedautobat.com/europe

9th International Smart Grid Expo Tokyo, Japan February 27-March 1 Japan’s largest international exhibition showcasing various cutting-edge technologies and products related to smart grid and smart communities. Reed Exhibitions Japan strive to provide the most effective platform for exhibitors showcasing the latest technologies, products and services to meet professionals from around the world.

Seminar and Exhibition Fort Lauderdale, Florida. US March 25–28 Founded in 1983, the International Battery Seminar and Exhibition has established itself as the premier event showcasing the state of the art of worldwide energy storage technology developments for consumer, automotive, military, and industrial applications. Contact Cambridge EnerTech Tel: +1 781 972 5400 Email: ce@cambridgeenertech.com www.internationalbatteryseminar.com

Energy Storage Europe Düsseldorf, Germany • March 12–14

Contact Reed Exhibitions Tel: +81 3 3349 8576 Email: visitor-eng.wsew@reedexpo.co.jp www.smartgridexpo.jp

10th Annual NAATBatt Meeting and Conference Phoenix, Arizona, US March 11–14 This year’s NAATBatt 2019 program will focus on the markets for advanced battery technology in North America. As in past years, NAATBatt will invite the leading market analysts in the world to report on trends in the markets for electric vehicle, stationary energy storage, industrial, military and consumer batteries in North America. The impact of recently enacted US tariffs on the battery market and on domestic battery manufacturing will be covered. NAATBatt’s chief science officer and chief technology officer will make their much anticipated annual addresses predicting how changes in the technology of batteries are likely to impact the business of selling stored electrical energy. Contact National Alliance for Advanced Technology Batteries (NAATBatt) James Greenberger Email: jgreenberger@naatbatt.org Tel: +1 312 588 0477 www.naatbatt.org/2019-annual/

36th International Battery

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Those who would like to get to know the entire world of energy storage, its leading technologies and key-figures, for them there is only one destination: Energy Storage Europe in Düsseldorf. The unrivalled focus on the topic of energy storage can only be found here in Düsseldorf. Only here the entire range of technologies in all its diversity can be discovered: Electrical,

thermal, chemical and mechanical solutions. Only here the energy storage of future energy systems can already be experienced today. Contact Messe Düsseldorf Caroline Markowski Tel: +49 211 4560 7281 Email: markowskic@messe-dusseldorf.de www.energy-storage-online.com

Batteries International • Autumn 2018 • 107

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Batteries International • Autumn 2018 • 109

WALLY RIPPEL: THE FATHER OF E-MOBILITY Wally Rippel’s enthusiasm for battery-electric cars goes back half a century to the Great Electric Car Race of 1968 but he’s been at the cutting edge of development from the pioneering by GM of EV-1 to the latest thinking with Tesla.

Carving out a new EV landscape

The present enthusiasm for eMobility — the seamless integration of renewable energy, battery storage and the smart grids of the future — would never have advanced so quickly without one man. Wally Rippel. Rippel was one of a select few leaders of the first generation of EV pioneers in the 1960s. Without his knowledge of battery technology and electronics it’s arguable that EV-1 — General Motors’ first mainstream electric vehicle — would have emerged in the form it

did. Or as early as it did. Wally Ewald Rippel was born in southern Los Angeles, California on October 21, 1944. His father was a sound engineer at NBC radio and was a formative force in the development of Rippel as an inventor and an engineer. Young Rippel went to LeConte Junior High and Hollywood High where he recalls that physics and engineering were inspirational subjects to him chemistry left his cold. “It’s a shame as this is one of the key disciplines for

“My goal was to approach batteries and fuel cells from a fundamental physics point of view — I still feel that this is a very important goal” 110 • Batteries International • Autumn 2018

energy storage,” he says. “In recent years, I have come to realize that truly understanding catalysis is a missing element. When we do, we will be able to design batteries and fuel cells far superior to anything under development. The science of catalysis has yet to be born.” Rippel became interested in electric vehicle technology in the late 1960s while studying physics for a degree at Caltech. It was a time of great change in US society as parts of the counterculture started to enter mainstream thinking. For Rippel it was the mix of science and social responsibility. “The smog in the Los Angeles area was terrible. In our history class we talked about the roles of the government and private enterprise. We debated whether the government should be responsible for developing new technologies or if this is the private sector’s responsibility.” “One smart, but quiet guy in the class spoke up and said, ‘the ‘they’ we’re talking about? That’s us!’ That got to me – and it made me think.”

Road race

This led to Rippel’s converting a 20hp 1958 VW microbus to electric drive using lead-cobalt batteries. The lead cobalt battery was the product of Electric Fuel Propulsion of Ferndale, Michigan. “This was basically a lead acid battery with cobalt ions added which supposedly increased the charge acceptance,” he says. “But I never saw technical data which confirmed the claim. I used the batteries because I had access to them.” The 24-year-old graduate challenged MIT to a cross-country electric car race. “The contact with MIT was the result of a letter which I drafted and was rewritten by Caltech’s dean of en-

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WALLY RIPPEL: THE FATHER OF E-MOBILITY gineering and sent to his counterpart at MIT. Students became aware of the communication and responded to me. I wrote theoretical rules with the MIT group editing what I had done. The rules became fairly specific.” The result took place August 1968 with the “Great Electric Car Race” in which the Caltech team headed crosscountry for their campus for MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts and the MIT team hit the road for Pasadena, California in their electrified 1968 Corvair. It was a close race. Caltech won with a time of 210 hours 3 minutes — half an hour ahead of MIT Cars from MIT and Caltech departed their own campus, racing for the other’s campus. The MIT car made it first, but was penalized for towing their car 37 hours, giving the win to Caltech by 30 minutes, which made the race in 10 days. The route from Cambridge to Pasadena was 3,490 miles and was made using 53 recharging stations set up about 60 miles apart. The cars both used 50kW on-board chargers, and electric motors from Electric Fuel Propulsion headed by the extraordinary Robert Aronsson, a man who had the vision to try and turn the whole US on to EVs. EFP handled the logistics of the race and charging stations. “Electric Fuel Propulsion helped greatly in connection with the Electric Car Race. They helped set up the 55 recharge stations across the country; they provided lead cobalt batteries and they provided the DC series wound motor which powered the car. “In the race, we recharged the batteries up to 80% in a little under one hour. Before the race, I made several efforts to develop a thyristor — a small capacitor device that controlled power and voltage — but I was unsuccessful, largely because I didn’t know enough about them. Interestingly, later, this area of technology (power electronics) became my profession.” MIT’s batteries weren’t cheap. The team used NiCd batteries from Gulton Industries that cost $17,400 (about $126,000 in today’s money). They weighed 2,000lb had a battery capacity of 7.5kWh. To keep the batteries cool, students poured ice over them during charging and driving. Caltech’s more conventional lead batteries cost $600 “My goal in establishing the race was to draw attention, both at Caltech and MIT — on the need for battery

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development. In this sense, the race effort proved unsuccessful,” says Rippel. “Caltech still stays away from anything which could threaten oil. Neither Caltech nor MIT has accomplished anything of great significance in connection with energy.” Rippel obtained his MSEE (Master of Science in Electrical Engineering) from Cornell University. in 1970. “I entered Cornell as a physics PhD candidate,” he says. “My goal was to approach batteries and fuel cells from a fundamental physics point of view — I still feel that this is a very important goal. “I was unable to get faculty support in this area when it came to specifics. So, I switched to electrical engineering and concentrated on issues dealing with power processing applied to electric vehicles. “My master’s thesis dealt with a number of issues ranging from the DC to DC converter required for the 12 volt system — to integrated, high power charging. Unfortunately, no faculty professors at Cornell were experts in power electronics at that time.”

Marriage and faith

In 1973, Wally, a committed Christian, met his future wife at Erika Smith at Lake Avenue Church in Pasadena. They married in 1975 and in the 1980s had two children, first Kate and then Eric. Between 1976 and 1990, Rippel was a member of the technical staff at Caltech’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory — where he focused on the development of batteries and electric vehicle drives based on induction motors. He did some development work at JPL in connection with so-called quasi-bipolar lead acid batteries — a technology that had the potential for significantly increased specific power. None of this, however, resulted in a successful commercial product. At JPL he also carried out development of AC induction motor drives — this work would become the basis for the GM Impact, the GM EV-1, the AC propulsion vehicles, the Tesla Roadster, and the Tesla Model S. “I was involved to some limited degree in the development of spacecraft power systems with one patent resulting,” he says. “My focus, however, was mainly electric vehicles. I received more than 15 patents while at JPL.” In 1985, Rippel and Dean Edwards, both part of JPL’s Electrical Power Section, approached AeroVironment with the idea developing a practical electric

“I like nature and care strongly about the environment. As a Christian, one of my passions is to play a role in encouraging Christians to become environmental supporters. In far too many cases, they are on the opposite side of the fence.” vehicle. The two had been involved in the development of bipolar lead acid batteries and induction motor AC drives. “AeroVironment had just achieved a critical milestone in connection with solar-powered flight,” Rippel says. “Realizing that AeroVironment had skills in connection with aerodynamic design and light-weight structures, I felt that by our joining efforts, something useful could result. In 1985, Alec Brooks, vice president of the Electromechanical Center of AeroVironment generated a proposal based on this liaison. The proposal was code-named ‘Electrospirit’ and was submitted to General Motors for funding. But GM was not interested. However, as a result Rippel was brought in as a consultant. The resulting project was headed by Brooks. The code name was changed to become, Santanna and named after the strong Californian wind by that name that blows away air pollution. In 1987, still as a consultant for AeroVironment, Rippel became involved with the development of a solarpowered race vehicle for GM — the Sunraycer for which he built the DC brushless induction motor, while Alan Cocconi developed the motor drive inverter. The Sunraycer zoomed to first place in the first Australian cross-country solar challenge, which in turn, paved the way for AeroVironment to re-propose the Santanna development. This time, GM came through with the funds and the result was the development of the Impact vehicle — which then led to the EV-1. By this time, Rippel had become a personal friend of the legendary Paul McCready. In the late 1990s, McCready designed and developed the

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WALLY RIPPEL: THE FATHER OF E-MOBILITY

August 1968 and the all-electric converted 1958 Volkswagen bus en route to Cambridge, Massachusetts

drive systems that powered the Pathfinder and Helios solar airplanes. This featured specially developed 40 pole permanent magnet motors with integrated power electronics. In August 2001, the Helios set an airplane altitude record of 96,863 feet (29,524m) In 1992, with Alain Cocconi, Wally Rippel co-founded AC Propulsion at San Dimas in Greater Los Angeles, to develop and manufacture those highperformance induction motor drives for GM. In the 2003 film, “Who Killed The Electric Car?” Rippel was one of the participants in the mock funeral for the EV1 as General Motors prepared to collect the last few for crushing. Rippel believes the film was a real problem for GM as it proved an embarrassment but also a spur to other car manufacturers. While promoting the film, Rippel met Martin Eberhard, co-founder of Tesla. “He wanted me to work for him. At first, I showed no interest in leaving AeroVironment,” he says. “Finally, I gave a list of requirements for me to join Tesla, — thinking the list would not be met — but Martin agreed and so I joined Tesla in September 2006.” As Tesla’s principal power electronics engineer, Rippel was able to continue his lifelong work on the battery electric car. Tesla inherited the drive system developed by AC Propulsion. This was not adequate for the Roadster which was heavier than AC Propulsion’s T-0. As a result, Tesla undertook develop-

112 • Batteries International • Autumn 2018

ment of a two-speed automatic transmission — an effort, however, that failed. But the firm itself was changing. Martin Eberhard, the co-founder was asked to leave in August 2007 and ultimately left in January the following year. Rippel was then also asked to leave. “When I left, I felt that Tesla had little chance of surviving,” he says. “How wrong I was!”

The Mini-E

Wally Rippel was almost 70 years old, but he continued to work from AC Propulsion at San Dimas, California, providing electric drive trains for an initial run of 500 Minis automobiles. Dubbed the Mini-E these fully-electric cars were soon deployed on the streets of Southern California, New York, and New Jersey. By this time he had been joined by his son Eric Rippel, forming a start-up to develop their patented induction motor with transverse liquid-cooled rotor and stator. “Eric and I are working in the development of electric motors and magnetic components which have very high power to mass ratios; greater than 10 kW/kg for motors and greater than 100 kW/kg for magnetic components). Rippel is still hard at it. He is work-

ing with Brian Jensen, also formerly with AeroVironment and Michael Gould on their venture, Whisper Energy Systems based in Sherman Oaks, California. The firm has developed a portable energy and power processing device that can be embodied in backpack, waistpack, or other portable form. The portable power unit includes a battery and a bidirectional power inverter. Rippel heard about the work Whisper was doing with 36V DC packs designed to power electric leaf blowers, mowers and other equipment. The packs were being used by several commercial landscape maintenance companies in the Los Angeles and San Joaquin areas to reduce mobile source emissions and noise pollution. Rippel suggested the packs should supply 120V AC instead of DC so that any appliance could plug in and this led to the partnership. His design approach led to a light weight and low cost solution for the packs. Rippel, aged 73, now based in Altadena, Florida, now holds 27 US patents with two more on the way. His number one passion remains environmental protection. In the 1960s Wally was a prophet crying out in the wilderness. Now half a century later, the campaign is well advanced. “I like nature and care strongly about the environment,” he says. “As a Christian, one of my passions is to play a role in encouraging Christians to become environmental supporters. In far too many cases, they are on the opposite side. “If one believes in a creator, as do I, then it should follow that you would want to value and protect the creation. Yet, now we have an administration that is trying to roll back everything environmental. Washington’s current energy policy is strongly pro-carbon.” But he also holds hope for the future. “Combined with the progress in solar and wind energy, people see EVs as making better sense than ever What has had the greatest effect, I believe, is the technical progress in batteries and drive systems. Indeed, we may be approaching a tipping point for both EVs and renewable energy as costs continue to drop.”

As Tesla’s principal power electronics engineer, Rippel was able to continue his lifelong work on the battery electric car. Tesla inherited the drive system developed by AC Propulsion www.batteriesinternational.com

Essential reading - Batteries International magazine

WA R N I N G MAY BE ADDICTIVE Accurate, intelligent and incisive reporting on the global battery and energy storage technology world Each issue includes: n

Global news round-up

Exclusive in depth features on new and promising battery and energy storage applications

Case studies of advances in battery productions to bring high performance, cost effective products to market

Analysis and forecasts on different markets and technologies from leading consultants and experts in the field

Examination of policy around the world that is enabling investment and growth in battery and energy storage technologies

Updated events calendar

To receive your complimentary free copy contact Karen Hampton at publisher@batteriesinternational.com Tel: +44 1243 782275 www.batteriesinternational.com

d r o w t s a l e Th Home o the RE f AL CBI

CBI — Community Bankers of Iowa — to sue ALABC over name change The Community Bankers of Iowa — known to generations of farmers as the CBI —are up in arms over the recent name change by the ALABC. “We understand that ALABC is a bit of a mouthful, but those ILA fellas — International Literary Association — can’t steal our branding like that. Be warned the Community Bankers of Iowa are made of stern stuff. We will sue.” Separately the Caribbean Basin Initiative is taking legal advice on the name change. Don’t say they haven’t been warned.

McDermott: resolute to the end Maura McDermott, best-known for being the key figure in protecting the location of the next ELBC venue until the very last moment, has been up to her old tricks again. “Not even if I were being tortured on a rack would I reveal where the next ELBC will be held,” she is fond of saying. So, up to her old tricks? Imagine the astonishment of her daughter Efa and bridegroom Anthony to find nobody had turned up for their wedding in Markree Castle in county Sligo in Ireland this September. When we asked for the wedding details beforehand, we had a curt reply: “I’m not even telling the guests,” she glared. “So why should I tell you?”

Don’t they teach geography any longer? “Make sure you take a trip on a gondola!” “Watch out for the kangaroos!”

Two responses to saying we were about to go to the 16ELBC in Vienna this September. Best of all was an American friend who told us that he thought the flight had been a bit long … “but I googled it, we’re in South Dakota. Gee they talk funny here.” Certainly he’s seen a lot of US states at previous ELBC meetings: Edinburgh (Indiana), Rome (Georgia), Berlin (New Hampshire) and not forgetting Paris (Texas, Iowa, Michigan…)

16ELBC please, driver!

114 • Batteries International • Autumn 2018

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16ELBC — the organizers messed up … AGAIN! The list of moans we’ve heard at conferences is as long as it is ridiculous. Some of them proved difficult to believe … could the rooftop bar at the ABC meetings in Bangkok really be criticized for being too high… “it should be nearer the ground so it’d make me less dizzy”. What were the organizers thinking of when they booked that hotel? Or at the IBRX, where the palm trees at the Goa Marriott were too tall …”they don’t block out the sunlight so well…” Some of this year’s ELBC remarks were worth noting: “why can’t these Austrians spell Vienna properly — it really shouldn’t start with the letter W?” Another said the Danube was a bit too brown for their liking. “It’s meant to be blue — can’t the organizers get anything right?” But the all-time classic, coming from a bearded gentleman leaving the conference hall on the second day of the conference, was — “it’s all fine and good listening to technical presentations but sometimes they should just leave the tricky science stuff out”. It’s those wretched conference organizers again. Maybe they should just leave out all the tricky science stuff?

Smile at the birdie … if GDPR lets you Penox Coplosa had a great idea for 16ELBC. Why not plant a camera on the booth to take a photo of visitors. They’d have a fun pic — printed there and then for them and also emailed too— and they’d walk away with the Penox logos behind them? Better than taking business cards to add to a database — but a branding exercise too! But little did Batteries International realise when we came to print them here that GDPR — the latest data protection rules operating in the EU — meant we couldn’t publish them in the magazine. We needed permission! Up till then we’d just thought GDPR was another way for bureaucrats to protect ourselves from those dreaded cookies by having to double click every internet page we visited.

Jun Furukawa Goes to the Dark Side The clandestine lead battery club, known only for its terrifying initiation rituals and mispronunciation of the Greek alphabet, inducted its newest member Jun Furukawa in early September. In a darkened room in a secret location — but near a bar for ‘electrolytic’ reasons — Furukawa became the 25th member of the AlphaBeta Society. “It’s a great honour to be admitted to this select group,” said Furukawa, still wearing the Black Hood of his Office. “I look forward to extensive electrolytic testing sessions in future conferences.” The Alpha-Beta society was formed in the early 1990s when the then-prominent electrochemists of their day decided to form a forum to discuss topical issues in an informal and occasionally liquid fashion. The former Chief Vizier of the society — known only for his uncrackable pseudonym “Rave Dand” — said Furukuwa would now be a welcome member at the group’s ceremonial beatings and Bacchanalian parties on the Holy Days of the Order (known in code as ELCB, ACB and BIC meetings).

Hidden camera reveals infamous society camouflaged in civilian clothing.

ELBC’s finest: R olf Karen Hampton, Tödtmann, Mike Halls, Debbie Mason

ed or

s en

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New member #25 Jun Furukawa with his wife, together with (counter-clockwise) Juergen Garche (#14) and Ursula Garche, Eberhard Meissner (#18), Geoffrey May (#17), Rave Dand (#21), Pat Moseley (#13), Allan Cooper (#23), Rainer Wagner (#20),and Eckhard Karden (#24).

d r o w t s a l e Th Alles Gut zum Geburtstag! And one for luck?

Birthday boy Rolf Beckers was lucky this year to celebrate his 70th in Vienna at 16ELBC and not anywhere in the English-speaking world! Birthday traditions are to give the lucky birthday person the bumps — throwing them in the air and catching them (sometimes) before they hit the floor. One bump for each year. The US variant is where they’re called punches, for obvious reasons. Always adding an extra one — for luck. Lucky too for the guests at his birthday extravaganza as they tucked into the cake that they weren’t in Venezuela. There they try to push the person’s face into the cake as they blow out the candles.

What’s in a name? A lot!

Trojan Battery has overhauled its logo, tagline and product branding with a new website to come online later this year, the battery giant announced on September 24. The new tagline ‘Charging Forward’, changed from ‘Clean energy for life’, accompanies a re-styled horse logo, which now faces a forward direction to reflect “the positive momentum that Trojan Battery is experiencing as a company”, the firm says. The traditional deep red colour for its batteries remains, having been chosen in the first place by co-founder Carl Speer, lineman for the University of Southern California Trojans football team in the 1930s, which still plays in gold and red. The horse also comes from the team, which then had a horse mascot named Traveler — however, officially the horse of the revamped Trojan Battery logo is Pegasus, the winged horse of Greek mythology. 116 • Batteries International • Autumn 2018

A little something for the bookshelf sir? Fuel cells don’t figure much in the annals of Batteries International — mainly because they can’t be considered secondary batteries. But they are an up-and-coming energy storage technology and deserve our interest. So what better introduction to the subject could come from the third edition of this excellent book Fuel Cell Systems Explained? Since publication of the first edition of Fuel Cell Systems Explained, three compelling drivers have supported the continuing development of fuel cell technology: the need to maintain energy security in an energy-hungry world; the desire to move towards zero-emission vehicles and power plants; and the mitigation of climate change by lowering CO2 emissions. New fuel cell materials, enhanced stack performance and increased lifetimes are leading to the emergence of the first truly commercial systems in applications that range from fork-lift trucks to power sources for mobile phone towers. Leading vehicle manufacturers have embraced the use of electric drive-trains and now see hydrogen fuel cells complementing advanced battery technology in zero-emission vehicles. After many decades of laboratory development, a global but fragile fuel cell industry is bringing the first commercial products to market. Fuel Cell Systems Explained is published by Wiley and retails at $120. It was written by David Rand, former chief research scientist at CSIRO, and Andrew Dicks, an adjunct principal research fellow at Griffith University.

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Batteries International magazine - Autumn issue 109

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