Feature Article

Orion Specialty Carbon Blacks Improve Lead Acid, Lithium Ion Battery Performance
Orion Specialty Carbon Blacks improve the performance of lead acid batteries (LAB) and lithium ion batteries (LIB).  Orion’s Carbon Blacks for battery applications have very high purity levels, which extend battery life. They offer an excellent balance of electrical conductivity, dispersibility and adjustability of rheological properties in viscous pastes and slurries. Easy to process in battery pastes and globally available in large volumes, Orion carbon blacks are suitable for a broad range of energy storage devices. 

Orion’s XPB 593 BEADS for advanced lead acid batteries (aLAB) offer cost-effective solutions capable of improving dynamic charge acceptance (DCA) and cold crank performance in high rate partial state of charge applications, such as start/stop and regenerative braking in hybrid electric vehicles.    A key benefit of XPB 593 BEADS is that they enable DCA with a lower level of water loss during hydrogen evolution.  An XPB 593 BEAD also has a relatively high surface area and good structure for easy dispersion and good processability.

Orion XPB 565 BEADS are used in lithium ion batteries for consumer electronics applications. XPB 565 BEADS improve energy density while maintaining rheological properties. They fill electrode filament voids for consistent porosity and multiple conductive contacts, and provide good dispersibility and processability.

Orion Engineered Carbons continues to innovate and partner with key customers to develop new Specialty Carbon Blacks for motor vehicle batteries and beyond to aLAB used in stationary energy storage systems. For more information, contact Jennifer Granados, Market Manager Americas: Coatings, Printing Systems & Specialty Applications, at jennifer.granados@orioncarbons.com.

Battery Power 2016 Conference Proceedings
If you were unable to attend Battery Power 2016, you can purchase and download PDF versions of the presentations. <read more>

New Three Phase Industrial Battery Chargers for Transportation Applications
Applied Power Systems (APS), an industry leader in power conversion and energy storage solutions,  introduced its latest series of three phase industrial battery chargers for transportation applications.
The APS programmable SmartCharger series support multiple battery chemistries with customer selectable charge profiles to handle Lead-Acid, NiCad, NiMH and Li-Ion battery types. 

These compact, high frequency chargers employ an innovative design resulting in higher efficiency, while providing superior performance to low frequency, phase controlled chargers. These smaller, lighter chargers consume less power and offer improved input power factor, leading to reduced power consumption and energy costs.

Smart Charger series incorporate built in diagnostics with fault protection features along with an OLED display for improved usability.   Charger operating status and fault annunciation is displayed along with output voltage and current, which is also available via remote communication interface.

Rugged, reliable, field proven design is built to withstand the harsh environments of motive power applications.  Standard models accept three phase AC input with options available to accept DC input power.  Added options include an internal data logger with nonvolatile storage of operating history, downloadable to customer.

Applied Power Systems, Inc. is an industry leading manufacturer of advanced power conversion products, power electronic controls and high power semiconductor thermal management solutions. APS Power products include IGBT Inverter Stacks, AC/DC, DC/DC, DC/AC Converters, AC Phase Controllers, Battery Chargers, High Power Rectifier Bridges,  Power Supplies for on-board Rail Applications, Motor Drives & Controls, high power semiconductor assemblies and specialized inverter systems.

More information is available at www.appliedps.com.  

Lithium-Ion Battey Converter/Charger
The Inteli-Power 9100L Series lithium-ion battery converter/charger from Progressive Dynamics, Inc. is available in 12 volt and 24 volt models that are designed to meet the stringent voltages required for properly charging and maintaining lithium batteries.  Lithium ion batteries require special balancing circuits and chargers to prevent overcharging or discharging a cell beyond its specifications.        

Standard features of the Inteli-Power 9100L Series converter/chargers include reverse battery protection, electronic current limiting, low line and high voltage protection and a variable speed intelligent cooling fan.  Units also deliver filtered DC power to the lithium-ion battery to ensure the built-in electronic balancing circuits operate properly.  Output voltage can be factory adjusted to meet OEM requirements for various lithium-ion battery chemistries and voltages.

Lithium ion batteries typically store 3 to 4 times the energy of a lead/acid battery within the same space and with less weight. Other advantages of lithium ion batteries over lead acid batteries include nearly constant output voltage during discharge, no maintenance required and operation over a wide range of temperatures, from -45°F to 158°F.  Lithium ion batteries can charge and discharge thousands of times, compared to 300 to 400 cycles for lead/acid batteries, and can retain 80 percent of charge for twelve months, while lead/acid batteries discharge to 80 percent after 30 days.  Lithium ion batteries provide excellent performance in marine, trucking, golf carts, electric vehicles, solar power storage, UPS power back-up systems, RV and many other applications. 

For more information, contact Progressive Dynamics, Inc., 507 Industrial Road, Marshall, MI 49068.  Phone: 269-781-4241.  Fax: 269-781-7802.  Website: http://progressivedyn.com/lithium_battery_charger.html.  E-mail: sales@progressivedyn.com.

Rechargeable Coin Cell Batteries Offer High mAh Capacity and Reliability
RJD series batteries are different in design from other lithium ion coin-cell batteries.  A new encapsulation technology significantly increases storage capacity by completely utilizing the space within the cell case.  High power density is a significant benefit in IoT wearable applications. <read more>

New Battery Probe from Everett Charles Technologies
Everett Charles Technologies (ECT) has recently expanded its portfolio of Battery Interconnect Probes by adding the CP-4 probe. CP-4 is a standard off-the-shelf solution, which has been designed specifically for rigorous high reliability applications. <read more>

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Batteries • Charging • ICs & Semiconductors • Components • Testing

Johnson Matthey and 3M complete NMC Patent License Agreement
Johnson Matthey and 3M have entered into a patent license agreement that aims at further expanding the use of Nickel-Manganese-Cobalt (NMC) cathode materials in lithium-ion batteries for automotive applications. <read more>

Aqua Metals Unveils World’s First AquaRefinery
Aqua Metals, Inc., which is commercializing a non-polluting electrochemical lead recycling technology called AquaRefining, held an open house at its first AquaRefinery at the Tahoe-Reno Industrial Center (TRIC) in McCarran, Nevada. AquaRefining is the world’s first environmentally friendly process to recycle lead-acid batteries (LABs).<read more>

Lithium-Ion Battery Technology Startup Cadenza Innovation Raises $5+ Million in Oversubscribed Series A Funding
Cadenza Innovation, a provider of energy storage solutions based on disruptive architectures for lithium-ion battery packs, has announced more than $5 million in growth capital. The company will use the new funds to expand product development, secure additional certifications, extend initial deployments, make key new hires and fuel revenue growth. <read more>