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Design of An Isolated Bidirectional Active Cell Balancing Circuit For Lithium Ion Batteries
Design of An Isolated Bidirectional Active Cell Balancing Circuit For Lithium Ion Batteries
Abstract— The remaining useful life of a lithium ion cell simple and easy to implement, there are a few drawbacks.
module is determined by its rate of getting charged and Firstly, high voltage sources are needed to control the
discharged. To extend this life, the cell modules need to age switches connecting cell modules and the balancing
uniformly. This aging process is determined by the amount of capacitor. Secondly, multiple storage and conversion stage
energy stored in a cell module called state of charge. In order layers are needed to balance the entire battery pack [9]. This
to maintain this state of charge uniformly across cell modules, increases component count and reduces the overall balancing
a cell balancer is needed. This paper proposes a novel active efficiency [10]. Thirdly, there is no isolation between cell
cell balancer that supports bidirectional cell balancing modules and the balancing capacitor. Isolation avoids
operation with very high efficiency. The active cell balancer is
accidental shorting of cell modules through capacitor and
designed using MATLAB/Simulink for a commercially
available 14S10P 48V/32Ah battery pack. An overall efficiency
MOSFET switches. To overcome the above-mentioned
of 96.8% is achieved during the cell balancing operation. issues, the energy deficient cell module is charged using the
surplus energy from other cell modules [11], where a
Keywords—active cell balancing, lithium ion batteries, capacitor is used to store this energy temporarily. This
battery management system, open circuit voltage, state of charge, process is performed until all the cell modules in the battery
flyback converter, bidirectional transfer of power pack reach the same SOC.
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redistributed. So, an isolated bidirectional DC/DC converter through the cell balancer modules and is connected across
is needed, as cell modules are either a sink or a source in this the Cap+ and Cap- terminals.
balancing process.
The cell module discharges its surplus stored energy by
This paper proposes a fault-tolerant, active cell balancer discharging itself and charging the intermediate energy
with localized control, and isolation provided for each cell storage element. The discharge operation is performed on the
module with the storage capacitor separately. The proposed cell modules whose state of charge (SOC) is greater than the
implementation facilitates the cell modules to reach the desired target SOC until the target SOC is reached.
average SOC of the entire battery pack by either charging or
discharging the cell modules simultaneously, thereby This intermediate storage element is typically
reducing the cell balancing time. The cell balancer thus implemented either by a capacitor or an inductor. However,
supports bidirectional energy transfer by allowing each cell to improve the performance of the cell balancer, a lithium-
module to either get charged or discharged. Section II ion cell of a reduced capacity compared to the cell modules
describes the architecture of the proposed active cell is used as the storage element.
balancer, with Section III discussing the simulation results. This storage element charges the cell modules whose
SOC is lesser than the target SOC. Here, the MOSFET M2
II. PROPOSED CELL BALANCING ARCHITECTURE undergoes PWM, while the MOSFET M1 remains in the
A high-efficiency DC/DC converter is required to OFF state throughout. The energy drawn from the
implement an isolated bidirectional cell balancer. The intermediate energy storage element is stored in the flyback
commonly used DC/DC converters offering a high efficiency transformer TXF1 when M2 is the ON state during PWM
are the LLC resonant converter and phase-shifted full-bridge and gets discharged into the cell module when M2 is in the
converter. These converters offer exceptionally high OFF state. This charging operation of the cell module is
efficiency in the forward direction and significantly lower performed until the target SOC is reached by the cell module.
efficiency in the reverse direction. Also, the control of these
The MOSFETs are switched at a very low frequency for
converters is complex for achieving energy flow in the
PWM (1 to 20 kHz). A low switching frequency at a fixed
reverse direction [15]. Hence, the flyback converter is chosen
duty cycle, allows an increased power transfer through the
over the aforementioned topologies due to its ease of
cell balancer module. However, a low frequency greatly
implementation, low component count, and reduced circuit
impacts the balancing process by drawing a high current
real estate. However, the flyback converter supports only
from the cell modules. Also, a higher frequency reduces the
unidirectional power flow [16]. A power MOSFET replaces
power transfer capability, and hence reduces the cell balancer
the diode in the secondary side of the flyback converter. So,
efficiency.
the proposed converter topology has a symmetrical primary
and secondary side, thereby supporting bidirectional power The SOC of a cell module is determined by the open-
flow. The architecture of this proposed cell balancer is circuit voltage method, where SOC is estimated based on the
shown in Fig 1. The switching signals of both the power voltage measured across cell module terminals [17]. In order
MOSFETs M1 and M2, depend on the direction of power to measure the exact open-circuit voltage of a cell module,
flow. An intermediate energy storage device (IES) is needed the charging or discharging operation on that module is
to temporarily store the energy drawn from the surplus stopped. The cell module is kept in an idle state, resulting in
energy cell modules that is then discharged into the energy- the cell voltage getting stabilized. Now the voltage is
deficient cell modules. measured. Based on the measured voltage, SOC is estimated.
The balancing operation for a particular cell module is then
either continued or stopped based on the estimated SOC. In
reality, all the cell modules reaching the target SOC is a long,
time consuming process. Hence, a tolerance band centered at
the target SOC is defined. This region is defined based on the
accuracy of voltage measured, admissible time for the cell
balancing operation, and capacity of the cell module. This
balancing process of either charging or discharging the cell
Fig. 1 Architecture of the proposed cell balancer module modules are performed simultaneously. Once the SOC of a
cell module reaches this region of the target SOC, the
The cell modules are connected across Cell+ and Cell- balancing operation for that cell module is stopped. The
terminals of the cell balancer module as shown in Fig 1. To balancing operation for the entire battery pack is continued,
draw energy from the cell module, the MOSFET switch M1 until all the cell modules reach the target SOC level. Cell
in the primary side of the flyback converter undergoes pulse balancing operation is performed on all the cell modules
width modulation (PWM) at a predefined fixed frequency simultaneously. The time taken to balance the entire battery
and duty cycle ratio. When the MOSFET M1 is in ON state, pack depends on the cell module with the maximum SOC
the primary inductor of the flyback transformer gets charged. deviation from the target value.
The MOSFET switch M2 in the secondary side is in OFF
The circuit-level implementation of the proposed active
state during the entire PWM phase of the MOSFET M1,
cell balancer topology for a battery pack consisting of 3 cell
resulting in storing the energy in the transformer winding.
modules connected in series in a battery pack is shown in
When the MOSFET M1 is turned OFF, the MOSFET M2
Fig. 2. The power level of this bidirectional DC/DC
starts conducting through the internal body diode. Energy
converter depends on the expected SOC mismatch between
stored in the transformer windings gets discharged into the
cell modules, cell module capacity, and the permissible
intermediate energy storage element. This intermediate
balancing time. The algorithm used for balancing is common
energy storage element is shared across all the cell modules
to all the balancing modules, and is shown in Fig. 3.
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Fig. 2 Cell balancer module implemented for a 3S Battery Pack
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The charging current in the transformer winding, When the proposed cell balancer topology is operated as
increases during the ON state of M1. The energy is then per the algorithm mentioned in Fig. 3, an efficiency of
stored in the core and then gets discharged into the IES, 98.9%, at a power level of 17W was observed, during the
through the internal body diode of MOSFET M2, when transfer of energy from cell module to storage capacitor. An
MOSFET M1 is in OFF state. Assuming a 50% duty cycle efficiency of 97.91% was observed at a power level of
ratio for M1, the ON duration of M1 ሺܶ ሻ can be written as 15.33W while transferring energy from the storage capacitor
(
ଵ
), where ݂௦௪ is the MOSFET switching frequency. Thus to the cell module. Thus an efficiency of 96.82% (98.9% x
ଶೞೢ 97.91% = 96.82%) was observed during the overall cell
the average current flowing through the converter can be balancing operation of the entire pack. Here efficiencies are
calculated as (3). Substituting (2) in (3), we get (4) multiplied since the output energy from forward direction is
ೌೖ the input energy for reverse direction. The very high
݅௩ ൌ (3)
ସ efficiency significantly reduces the energy lost as heat
ǡೠ dissipation arising during the balancing process.
݅௩ ൌ (4)
ൈೞೢ ൈ଼
The cell balancing results from simulation studies are
With the nominal voltage of 3.42V, and for a power level shown in Fig. 4 and Fig. 5. The graph in Fig. 4 shows the
of 11W, the average current of the converter was calculated SOC gradually attaining the desired target SOC as the
to be 3.22A, with the peak current as 12.88A from (4). With simulation progresses over time, while Fig. 5 shows the cell
the transformer having a magnetizing inductance ofͳͲͲߤܪ, module voltage reaching the desired voltage level during the
the switching frequency is calculated to beͳǤ͵ʹ݇ݖܪ. Here, balancing operation. The cell module voltage so measured
the switching frequency was taken asͳ݇ݖܪ, and the power can be corrupted by high frequency noise due to the
level was calculated as 17W. The transformer is switching action of M1. This is overcome, by using a low
implemented using an equal turns ratio coupled inductor of voltage 47 μF electrolytic decoupling capacitor (C1 in Fig. 1)
ͳͲͲߤ ܪeach, with a coupling coefficient of 99.05%, and a connected across cell module terminals.
series leakage resistance of ͳͲ݉π for both the windings.
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discharging operations on different cell modules. Here, the balancing efficiency of almost 96%, similar to the
cells undergo balancing operation in order to maintain a performance achieved at the midpoint of the operational
uniform SOC among them at ~52%. In consumer electric range.
vehicles, the usable range of the battery is limited to a
maximum charge limit of 85%, and with a discharge limit set The various balancing topologies proposed in the
as 25%, thus providing a 60% energy window for usage literature, are listed in Table 2, along with the proposed
[19][20]. The midpoint of the usage window is calculated to topology and compared with essential parameters like
be 55%, hence the cell balancing operation was simulated for efficiency, components in the cell balancing module,
this point. The same simulation can be performed for the end architectures etc. Although the proposed method has a
points of the usable SOC range of 25% and 85%, and the relatively lower efficiency compared to [12], this design is
efficiency was found to lie in the same range of almost 97% simple, easy to control, scalable, has a low component count,
in both directions and thereby providing an overall cell and supports bidirectional energy transfer of cell module to
the intermediate energy storage element and vice versa.
IV. CONCLUSION excavators, and high power mobile grid storage applications
by choosing components of the required power rating. Also,
An isolated bidirectional DC/DC converter-based active this cell balancer allows an increase or decrease in the
cell balancer is proposed and implemented in this paper. The number of cell balancer modules needed when the battery
solution provides the required isolation between the battery pack undergoes reconfiguration, thereby greatly reducing the
pack and the energy storage element. This solution has a very cost and time needed for the new design.
high efficiency of 98.9% in the forward direction, and an
efficiency of 97.9% in the reverse direction, thus having an Also, currently, the SOC is determined by using the open
overall balancing efficiency of 96.8%. circuit voltage method. The accuracy of the SOC can be
increased by measuring the current flow in the cell balancer
The proposed balancer unit can be used for a wide range and incorporating accurate SOC estimation algorithms like
of applications ranging from low power battery packs in Kalman Filters. This improves the performance of the cell
electric cycles and scooters to heavy loads like electric cars,
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balancer at the expense of circuit complexity, computational 10.1109/TVT.2009.2015331.
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lithium ion battery stacks utilizing a single transformer per cell,”
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