Measurement, Characterization and Test of Primary and Rechargeable Batteries

Battery types

Primary and rechargeable batteries play an important role in almost all areas of technology. They supply starting energy for vehicles (ignition) or power them (e-mobility). They store electricity from renewable energy generation. They buffer and ensure the preservation of data of devices. They power mobile or off-grid devices from wristwatches and flashlights to laptops, mobile devices and IoT components. No smoke detector, no remote control can do without them. And medical technology also needs batteries in pacemakers, insulin meters with transmitters, hearing aids and much more.

Accordingly, the designs and sizes of batteries vary - from the non-rechargeable primary battery to the rechargeable battery, from the tiny button cell to the everyday designs such as "AA" and "AAA", the power bank, up to the large lead-acid battery or entire battery arrays.

Reports of burning batteries or e-vehicles that are difficult to extinguish show that dangers can lurk even with this technology, which is in itself relatively safe and proven. The measurement, characterization and testing of batteries is therefore becoming increasingly important - in all stages of the life cycle from development, production and quality assurance to daily use and disposal or recycling.

The obvious characteristics of batteries must be measured, some of which are also indicated on the packaging of commercially available batteries. These include capacity (stored electrical charge in ampere-hours/Ah), energy content (in joules or watt-seconds/Ws), power (in watts) and self-discharge. In addition, there are further tests in development and on the production line that go into much greater detail. In the case of rechargeable batteries, these include, for example, charging time, charge/discharge curves and service life. The battery fires mentioned for lithium-ion batteries can be caused by insulation and welding defects, so testing these characteristics by measuring resistances/impedances can be important. Internal resistance is also one of many other parameters to be tested. The multitude of parameters as well as the designs and applications of batteries each require the appropriate measurement technology for all these tests.

Batterie types

Product Examples for Battery Testing (Extract)

Dedicated Battery Testers

Isolation, Impedance, Resistance Testing, Potential Measurement, Datalogger

Runtime Test/Discharge With Load

Runtime Test/Charge With Power Supply and Battery Simulation

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