Acceleration and energetic optimization of cell formation (OptiZellForm)
Project duration: 01.08.2016 – 31.07.2019
Institutes:
- Chair of Production Engineering of E-Mobility Components (PEM)
- MEET Battery Research Centre
- Institute for High Voltage Technology and Electrical Power Systems (elenia)
Forming and subsequent “maturing” are among the most important but also most time-consuming process steps in the manufacture of lithium-ion battery cells. The amounts of energy converted in this way contribute significantly to the costs of the cell production process. The boundary layers developed during the first charging process and their properties have a significant influence on the quality and service life of the cells. The exact electrochemical reaction mechanisms and the possibility of targeted control have not yet been sufficiently clarified.
Based on this initial situation, the OptiZellForm project is concerned with the systematic investigation of the interactions in the process of formation and the upstream process steps. Besides the variation of electrochemical process parameters, chemical influencing factors are in the focus of the investigations. In addition, the influence of external environmental conditions and on the ripening process is investigated. Based on the improved understanding of processes, optimized formation and maturation strategies are developed with the goal of time-efficient process control.
In addition, improved understanding can increase safety in production, as the cell behavior becomes more predictable at the limits and errors can be detected earlier. Measures to shorten the formation process and the maturation time can also be identified and thus the reduction of cell costs can be aimed for. The consideration of formation and maturation offers great potential to achieve both cost-reducing and quality-enhancing findings and to contribute significantly to the realisation of an economical battery cell production.