Batteries Concepts and Systems

Imagine for a moment our world without electricity, and the significance of electrical energy in daily life will be quickly understood. This not only applies to energy supply or conversion as such, but also indirectly to powering modem communication technologies and thereby the basis of the nervous system of our society. As far as its key role for information, communication, and mobility is concerned, electricity is comparable with the role that bioelectrochemistry plays for our individual activity [1]. 

At a first glance, energy storage in batteries works in a very similar way. Just as the hydropower plant offers two levels of gravitational potential for storage of water, a battery offers two levels of chemical potential for an electrochemically active species, such as Li in a lithium battery. The chemical potential can be understood as a measure of how much a certain increase of species is disliked in a given system and therefore states how much (free) energy is released if the species is removed from that system (see Section 3.5.4 for more details). 

The corresponding downhill reservoir corresponds to an electrode where the electrochemically active species can be stored with a low respective chemical potential. 

This is the positive electrode of a battery, with the cathodic reaction taking place during discharge [1], 

The secret of a battery is now to restrict the transport between positive and negative electrodes in a way that only the ionic species, but not electrons, can pass. For this, an electrolyte is put in place between the electrodes. 

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Newer batteries can be divided into small rechargeable batteries for consumer electronics, cell-phones and laptop computers primarily, and larger advanced storage systems. The field of research on battery concepts and materials has recently... 

Brett DJL, Aguiar P, Brandon NP, Bull RN, Galloway RC, Hayes GW, Lillie K, Mellors C, Smith C, Tilley AR (2006) Concept and system design for a ZEBRA battery-intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cell hybrid vehicle. Concept and system design for a ZEBRA battery-mediate. J Power Sources 157 782-798... 

The initial proof-of-concept hybrid system had the reduced size of 1/300 energy of the full size system and 1/72 power compared to the full size system, discussed above and consisted of the 2 Ah, 32 V prototype lithium-ion battery and two ultracapacitors (52 F, 16 V) connected in series. The testing results presented in the following section refer to the reduced size hybrid systan. 

The concepts of the SMART electrical systems are basically the same as that of the PWRs presently operating in Korea. These systems include the main generator, main transformer, unit auxiliary transformers, stand-by auxiliary transformers, diesel generators, and batteries. The electrical systems, including the Class IE and non-class IE, are based on a two train approach. 

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