Advanced Software Tools for Lithium Ion Battery Risk Assessment (LIBRA) Navy STTR FY2010.A Sol No.: Navy STTR FY2010.A Topic No.: N10A-T014 Topic Title: Advanced Software Tools for Lithium Ion Battery Risk Assessment (LIBRA) Proposal No.: N10A-014-0006 Firm: Impact Technologies, LLC 200 Canal View Blvd Rochester, New York 14623-2851 Contact: Matthew Watson Phone: (814) 861-6273 Web Site: www.impact-tek.com Abstract: Impact Technologies, in collaboration with the Georgia Tech Center for Innovative Fuel Cell and Battery Technologies, proposes to develop tools for Lithium Ion Battery Risk Assessment (LIBRA). These tools will allow the Navy to analyze proposed Li-Ion battery designs and assess the overall risk to the platform in the event of failure in a single cell. The tool will also predict the effects of a casualty if one does occur. The proposed approach features physics-based multi-domain models, probabilistic fault propagation models, and an open interface to allow evaluation of any design that adheres to the specification. During Phase I, a prototype tool will be developed and demonstrated. Phase II will mature the underlying models and produce a full software application for naval use. Laboratory destructive testing will also be performed, with the aim of quantifying the likelihood of developing internal shorts and other failures. Assessments of battery weight, volume, energy content, and cost will also be performed, and the tool will indicate the overall cost-risk-benefit ratio of the battery module under consideration. In Phase III, we will work to transition the technology into military and commercial applications. Benefits: Lithium-ion (LI) batteries are rapidly becoming a viable choice for submarines, military and civil electric vehicles (EV), hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), unmanned systems, and other applications. This is because they contain higher energy density, provide higher cycle life, offer 5 years' wet life, feature better resistance to memory effects, and weigh less than other potential technologies. However, lithium-ion batteries are subject to degradation at deep discharge, capacity loss at high temperatures, and venting during charging. LI systems are also susceptible to cell internal shorts, often leading to energetic failure. This results in damage to adjacent cells, to battery hardware and to platforms. These hazardous phenomena, in turn, can act as triggers for induced failure in adjacent cells, thus causing cascading failures which can propagate throughout the system. The proposed risk assessment tool would fulfill the need for quantitative and validated models that can analyze the likelihood of propagation of cell-level events to other cells, to battery modules, and ultimately to full battery strings. This tool would enable intelligent choices of proposed battery systems for deployment on Navy, Army, or Air Force platforms, based on a comprehensive risk analysis of competing battery designs from various vendors. The proposed tool would also be relevant to a wide range of commercial applications involving LI batteries, including HEVs/EVs, UAVs, aircraft, and other ground vehicles and sea vessels, as well as portable electronics items such as cell phones, PDAs, and laptop computers, to name a few. Return