Qualification and Life Testing of Li-Ion Ves16 Batteries

Abstract

In the frame of an ESA GSTP 5.2 activity (contract 4000105105), the qualification and life testing of a Saft range of Li-ion batteries based on VES16 cells and theirs autonomous simplified balancing system (SBS) has been carried out. In this abstract the development, qualification plan and successful results from all various tests conducted on the VES16 qualification battery modules are synthetized. Up to the present time, Saft batteries have been mainly utilizing for space applications high capacity cells, like the 45 Ah VES180 and the 35 Ah VES140 cells, targeting predominantly space missions in Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO). However following the qualification and commercialization of the Saft 4.5 Ah VES16 cell in October 2011 [1] & [2], Saft has been developing and qualifying in the frame of this ESA GSTP 5.2 contract, VES 16 batteries for space missions, targeting both GEO and Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite missions. The electrochemistry of the VES16 cells used for the battery modules under the ESA qualification program is not novel. For VES16 cells, the Saft knowhow from large capacity space cells used for space applications, since SMART 1 mission in 2003, has been tailored for a cell with smaller capacity in order to facilitate the modular philosophy that has been deployed in this battery range.