PROGENY SYSTEMS, LLC — Department of Defense STTR Phase I: N15A-T001

Description

Progeny Systems Corporation and University of Colorado Colorado Springs team proposes to develop Naval Aviation Flight-Certified Lithium (LI)-ion Battery (NAFCLiB) to provide a safe, reliable, modular and scalable high energy density, long life, low self-discharge battery pack monitored by a robust physics-based battery management system (BMS) suitable for flight certification and employment on Naval aircraft.<br><br>BMS control algorithms ensure safety and maximize battery pack performance and longevity. Best available BMS methods leverage known mathematical models of battery-cell dynamic behavior to infer the present battery-pack operational state, to calculate prognostics, and to take action for abnormal behavior. BMS based on empirical models work but are fundamentally deficient. Historically, physics-based models have been too complex to implement, however recent research breakthroughs suggest it is possible for high-fidelity reduced-order physics-based models of cells, with similar complexity to equivalent-circuit models, but which retain predictive capability of the full-order physics-based models from which they are derived. <br><br>The Phase I Base effort will develop the physics-based model and BMS control system, assess its suitability compared with traditional empirical models, and show feasibility with a MATLAB-based demonstration. The Phase I Option effort will develop and test a prototype NAFCLiB implementation of one module of Li-ion cells.