Southwest Electronic Energy (SWE), has successfully completed 10,000 psi pressure testing of its SWE SeaSafe Smart Battery Module. The exhaustive test conducted in the 30 inch hyperbaric chamber at a third party test laboratory included nine complete pressure cycles between zero psi and 10,000 psi while continuously performing battery charge and discharge. 10,000 psi enables a safe operating sea depth of 6,000 meters plus margin. SeaSafe Modules are autonomous battery building blocks each with their own BMS (battery management system).
“In addition to pressure and temperature instrumentation provided by the test lab, the module’s BMS supports continuous monitoring of around 50 module parameters and status registers,” said David White, senior member, technical staff at SWE. “And as far as I know, we are the first to support full battery recharge at these depths.”
The pressure test was preceded by a sophisticated external shorts test validating the module automatically shuts off safely for currents in excess of 90 amps.
The lithium-ion based SeaSafe Smart Battery Module was developed by SWE engineers specifically for subsea vehicles and deep water oil and gas infrastructure. Designed safety and reliability, the battery management system in each autonomous, self sufficient module contains patented algorithms for automatic and continuous safety protection, charge control and balancing. This protection prevents unsafe operation, protects the battery modules from damage and prolongs module life. The 29 V or 24 V modules are connected in series for targeted system voltage or parallel for targeted amp-hour capacity. SeaSafe Modules carry a five-year limited warranty. SWE has also developed a pressure equalized case that can house up to four modules.
