Triple output battery tester contributes to recycling battery packs
DC power supply manufacturer, EA Elektro-Automatik, has announced a high power, triple output battery tester instrument. The EA-BT 20000 Triple battery tester can test, simulate, and recycle battery packs with voltages up to 920V and power capacity to 30kW.
The battery tester instrument has three channels and the highest voltage and current outputs and can test up to three battery cells, modules or packs simultaneously with the power capacity of 4kW per channel, 6kW per channel and 10kW per channel. T test higher capacity batteries, the channels can be paralleled to test 12, 18 and 30kW battery packs.
The EA-BT 20000 Triple series consists of eight models with voltage outputs from 10 to 920V and current outputs / channels of 40 to 600A. According to EA Elektro-Automatik, the EA-BT 20000 distinguishes itself from other testers available by continuously delivering three channels of 600A or a single channel supplying 1800A.
The EA-BT 20000 triple output battery testers address the range of the battery life cycle from materials research to battery development, manufacturing, incoming inspection, and second-life battery recycling. It can test individual cells, battery modules and large battery packs for basic research and industries, including the automotive industry, the aerospace / defence industry and consumer renewable energy systems.
The EA-BT 20000 battery testers include all the functionality to charge and discharge high power battery packs for battery testing, battery simulation and battery recycling in a single instrument. The testers measure parameters such as battery state of health and end of life. The testers also include controls for external circuit breakers and other safety features to monitor and protect the battery under test.
The EA-Power Control and EA-Battery Simulator software packages enable automated tester control and allow test configuration and sequencing without requiring the use of a programming language.
To enable software development in custom systems, EA offers driver support that includes IVI drivers and NI LabView drivers. The EA-BT 20000 can interface to either a PC with SCPI commands or a programmable logic controller (PLC) with ModBus commands. All models in the family have an identical programming interface to save development time when a system requires multiple models. Standard interfaces include USB, Gbit per second Ethernet, EtherCAT, and CAN FD. With CAN FD, the battery tester conveniently interfaces with automotive test stands, added EA Elektro-Automatik.
There are also 3D models available as step files, for system integrators to facilitate the design of complete battery testing systems.
The compact 4U enclosure helps to minimise test rack size.
The EA-BT 20000 battery testers can simultaneously test three batteries to maximise throughput compared with single-output instruments, allowing manufacturers to reduce test costs and save on capital costs for instrumentation.
Commands can be processed quickly and readings given at a control speed of one millisecond. To further optimise throughput, developers can combine the EA-BT 20000 with the latest versions of the interfaces, EtherCAT, CAN FD and Gbit per second Ethernet.
For large battery systems, up to 64 battery testers with 30kW capacity can test a system with as high an output as 1.92MW. A master-auxiliary bus creates a multi-instrument system that operates like a single instrument. The single master instrument controls all other instruments and displays total power, total current, and individual instrument warnings and alarms. A second bus, the share-bus, ensures that each instrument safely carries an equal portion of the total load.
Other configurations of testers can create a system that can test high voltage battery packs with voltages up to 2000V.
When acting as a load to test the battery or to discharge the battery, EA battery testers can return approximately 96 per cent of the absorbed energy back to the power grid, the highest efficiency available. As a result, the EA-BT 20000 can save significant kWhr consumption and enable the instruments to pay for themselves, said the company. In addition, when supplying power, the battery testers have active power factor correction, typically 0.99, and efficient switch mode supply circuitry to optimise power delivery efficiency.
True auto-ranging allows sourcing and sinking at full power over the full voltage output range. A single battery tester can test a wide range of battery pack voltage and current combinations with one instrument compared with other manufacturers needing either two instruments or a higher power instrument to address the full range of a battery pack’s output.
A single-channel version of the EA-BT 20000 is also available for applications requiring less capacity. The single-channel version has all the safety and high speed communication advantages of the triple output instrument but with up to 2000V and 1000A output.
