ILA Berlin Timothy Ellis, Ph.D. President, RSR Technologies, Dallas TX Chairman Advanced Lead Acid Battery Consortium (ALABC)

Transcription

1 ILA Berlin 2017 Timothy Ellis, Ph.D. President, RSR Technologies, Dallas TX Chairman Advanced Lead Acid Battery Consortium (ALABC)

2 Purity of Base Metal (Pb) 170 W-hrs/Kg Evolution of Compositional Requirements 2 Purity requirements follow technical generations Static energy storage (gassing, discharge power) Dynamic energy storage (reversibility, Race for Purity Selective Dopants Intelligent Systems Additives Lignin, poor performance from early polymer separator's BaSO4, isostructural nucleant Carbon, from supercapacitor/intercalation Make it Work Dynamic Systems Emphasis on materials design Selective dopants Microstructural control Interfacial processes Static Energy Performance (time)

3 Performance 3 Change in concept for performance improvement Historically higher purity improved performance where gassing was the concern Historical bad actors (e.g. Te, Cu, Ni, Se) Micro-Alloying Improvements (e.g. Bi, Ag, As, Sb, Sn) New/Emerging applications put a premium on charging and cycling, selective alloying improves performance Actual Measured Performance % Total Contaminants

4 4 Modern Battery Plate Low Corrosion Grid Alloys Grain boundary engineering Crystallographic texture Intraplate Electrical Conductivity Uniform charge distribution Uniform current per unit area High Homogeneity, minimize hot/cold spots Uniform thru thickness chemistry variation Grid/Paste Interface High electrical conductivity Swings in ph effect Maintain Grid/Active Material contact

5 Trace Elements Trace elements can cause water loss full charge Homogeneity of active material is critical/uniform charge distribution What about the morphology of the active material, crystal shape/size/structure Elements Upper Level Rate of Change (ma Ah-1 per ppm) (ppm) I float I hydrogen I oxygen Ni Sb Co Cr Fe Mn Cu Ag Se Te As Sn Bi Ge Zn Cd

6 6 Morphology: Structure Defines Properties Typical lead sulfate growth from a pure primary leady oxide over the life of a lead acid battery results in dense faceted orthorhombic crystallites of varying preferred orientations. SUPERSOFT-ULTRA leady oxide based off a pure secondary with trace amounts of bismuth and silver as thin crystal platelets. SUPERSOFT-HYCYCLE stimulates the formation of platelets composed as bundles of PbSO 4 nanorods.

7 Basic Research w/east Advanced Photon Source at the Argonne National Laboratory SUPERSOFT-ULTRA 95th cycle 7 Real time in Situ analysis of cell performance Monitoring of cell performance to changes in materials structure SUPERSOFT HYCYCLE Pb 95th cycle Direct measurement of the rate that crystals dissolve in charging

8 8 Soft Lead Technology Comparison + Morphology (PbSO 4 size and uniformity) - + Charge PbO 2 /PbSO 4 - SUPERSOFT-HYCYCLE The alloy produced uniform sulfate with superior recharge. Fundamentally supports the battery and cell testing data findings. SUPERSOFT-ULTRA Electrolytic lead Produced uniform sulfate, Pb, and PbO 2 crystallites Electrochemical cycling showed a gradual down grade in the amount of recharge Pb produced over time. SUPERSOFT Increased levels of trace elements produced more varied PbSO 4 size when compared to electrolytic lead or SUPERSOFT-HYCYLE. Pure Primary + contaminates not in specifications The alloy produced coarse sulfate with poor charging characteristics during recharge. Signifies the need for treatment for primary Pb for HRPSoC usage.

9 Advanced Analytical Analytical Techniques Pb matrix (optical spectrometry) runs in to the ~0.3 the best, element dependent ICP Mass Spectrometry, Analysis to ~ 1 ppb Digestion methods are difficult Large samples Dilution factors, error multiplication Gas generation, e.g. Te (Se) hydrides New type standards qualified for emerging materials

10 10 How ALABC Can align With DOE Basic Research Needs for Pb-Acid Batteries Scientific Challenges Understanding the development of local microstructural inhomogeneity on active material gassing and irreversible grain growth Interfacial transport of Pb ions in relation to additive additions Interface and microstructural development across charge/voltage/time space R&D Directions In-situ studies of gas generation by local elemental segregation, micro-surface elemental sampling Coordination and bonding of Pb to micro and nano sized Carbon/Graphitic structures Real time in operando monitoring of microstructural development across charge/discharge at varying time scales Scientific Impact Development of techniques which speed development of battery systems which undergo first order phase transitions Extension of the knowledge of the electrochemical structures of faceted crystallographic interfaces Extension of the knowledge base of electrochemical system which incorporate classic solution/precipitation reactions, intercalation pseudo-batteries and electro-capacitive elements Energy Impact Improvement of Pb-Acid battery performance to >120 kw-hrs/kg Reducing the cost/kw-hrs per cycle to <$0.05/cycle Improving charge/discharge performance at high rate partial state of charge operation

11 DoE forward looking metrics (next decade) 11 Cost <$80/kw-hr (acquisition) = cost of hydrocarbon fuel Per Cycle cost <<$0.10/kw-hr per cycle (operational cost) Dynamic charge acceptance > 2 A/amp-hr Full lifecycle management (recycling) Electrified vehicle through March 2017 = ~3.0% of US car market (2016 = 2.9%)

12 Better Materials are Crucial! Thank You