Pulsed charging and heating techniques for energy sources
AssigneeTae Technologies, Inc.
InventorsRainer Fasching, Ghyrn Loveness, Mikhail Slepchenkov, Roozbeh Naderi
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Abstract
Embodiments that provide advanced charging of energy source arrangements for energy storage applications are disclosed. The embodiments can be used within energy storage systems having a cascaded arrangement of converter modules. The embodiments can include the application of pulses to an energy source of each module of the system. The pulses can be applied for charging and preheating purposes. Feedback based pulse control embodiments are also disclosed.
Claims21
A method of charging an energy source, comprising:
- applying a preheating signal comprising a sequence of alternating charge and discharge energy pulses of equal duration to a lithium ion battery module comprising a plurality of cells to induce local heating such that the temperature of the lithium ion battery module increases, wherein the frequency of the preheating signal is greater than one kilohertz, and wherein application of the preheating signal occurs to bypass electrochemical charge transfer of a main storage reaction and side reactions of the lithium ion battery module;
- and
- then applying a charging signal to the lithium ion battery such that the charge of the lithium ion battery increases, wherein preheating signal is applied until the lithium ion battery reaches a first temperature, and the charging signal is applied after the lithium ion battery reaches the first temperature.
A system configured to charge an energy source, comprising:
- a control system configured to:
- (a) control switch circuitry to apply a preheating signal to an energy source such that a temperature of the energy source increases until the energy source satisfies a condition, wherein the preheating signal comprises a sequence of alternating charge and discharge energy pulses;
- and
- (b) control the switch circuitry to apply a charging signal to the energy source after the energy source satisfies the condition.
A method of charging a plurality of energy sources within an energy storage system, wherein the energy storage system comprises a plurality of converter modules connected together in cascaded fashion, each of the plurality of converter modules comprising an energy source and switch circuitry, wherein each of the plurality of converter modules is independently controllable by a control system to output a module voltage, and wherein the energy storage system is configured to generate AC power with a superposition of module output voltages generated by the plurality of converter modules, the method comprising:
- applying, by the switch circuitry of each module, a preheating signal comprising a sequence of alternating charge and discharge energy pulses of equal duration to the energy source of each module to induce ohmic heating such that the temperature of the energy source of each module increases, wherein the frequency of the preheating signal is greater than one kilohertz and wherein application of the preheating signal occurs to bypass electrochemical charge transfer of a main storage reaction and side reactions of the energy source;
- and
- then applying, by the switch circuitry of each module, a charging signal to the energy source of each module.
21-44. (canceled)
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.