Analysis of the Charging and Discharging Process of LiFePO₄ Battery Pack

Abstract

A serious issue relative to the construction of electronic devices is proper power source selection. This problem is of particular importance when we are dealing with portable devices operating in varying environmental conditions, such as military equipment. A serious problem in the construction of electronic devices is the correct selection of the power source. In these types of devices, lithium-ion batteries are commonly used nowadays, and in particular their variety—lithium iron phosphate battery—LiFePO4. Apart from the many advantages of this type of battery offers, such as high power and energy density, a high number of charge and discharge cycles, and low self-discharge. They also have a major drawback—a risk of damage due to excessive discharge or overcharge. This article studies the process of charging and discharging a battery pack composed of cells with different initial charge levels. An attempt was made to determine the risk of damage to the cells relative to the differences in the initial charge level of the battery pack cells. It was verified, whether the successive charging and discharging cycles reduce or increase the differences in the amount of energy stored in individual cells of the pack.

Keywords

• lithium-ion battery
• battery pack
• LiFePO₄
• cell balancing