Energy storage industry protection board testing: a key link to ensure the safety and performance of energy storage systems

At a time when the energy storage industry is booming, the safety and performance of energy storage systems have become the focus of much attention. As the core component of the energy storage system, the stability of the working state of the energy storage battery is directly related to the operation effect of the entire energy storage system. The protection board, as the "safety guard" of the energy storage battery, plays a vital role in ensuring the safe and stable operation of the battery. Strict and comprehensive testing of the protection board in the energy storage industry is a key link in ensuring the reliable operation of the energy storage system.

1. The important role of the protection board in the energy storage industry

The protection board in the energy storage industry is mainly used to monitor and protect the energy storage battery pack to prevent the battery from overcharging, over-discharging, overcurrent, short circuit and overheating during the charging and discharging process. When the voltage of a single cell in the battery pack is too high or too low, the protection board can cut off the charging and discharging circuit in time to avoid damage to the battery due to overcharging or over-discharging, and extend the battery life. When a short circuit or overcurrent occurs in the battery pack, the protection board responds quickly and starts the protection mechanism to prevent the battery from overheating or even fire and explosion and other serious safety accidents. The protection board can also manage the voltage balance of the battery pack to ensure the voltage consistency of each single cell and improve the overall performance and charging and discharging efficiency of the battery pack.

2. Test content of the protection board in the energy storage industry

(I) Overcharge and over-discharge protection test

This is the most basic and critical test item for the protection board. By simulating the charging and discharging process of the battery pack, gradually increasing or decreasing the voltage of the battery pack, observe whether the protection board can trigger the protection action in a timely and accurate manner under the set overcharge and over-discharge thresholds and cut off the corresponding circuit. For example, for lithium-ion battery energy storage systems, when the voltage of the single cell reaches 4.25V (overcharge threshold), the protection board should quickly cut off the charging circuit within the specified time (such as 100ms); when the voltage of the single cell drops to 2.5V (over-discharge threshold), the protection board needs to cut off the discharge circuit in time to ensure that the battery is not damaged.

(II) Overcurrent protection test

Simulate the high current impact that may occur in the actual operation of the energy storage system, apply a load current exceeding the rated current to the battery pack, and test whether the protection board can respond quickly under the specified overcurrent threshold and cut off the circuit to prevent the battery from being damaged by excessive heat generated by overcurrent. For example, for an energy storage battery pack with a rated current of 50A, the overcurrent protection threshold is set to 100A. When the applied current reaches 100A, the protection board should act in a short time (such as 50ms) to cut off the current to protect the battery and the entire energy storage system.

(III) Short-circuit protection test

Artificially create a short-circuit fault at the output end of the battery pack to test whether the protection board can detect the short-circuit signal in an instant (generally required within a few milliseconds) and immediately cut off the circuit to prevent the short-circuit current from causing serious damage to the battery and other equipment. The rapid response of short-circuit protection is crucial to ensure the safety of the energy storage system. If the protection board responds slowly, the large current generated by the short circuit may cause dangerous situations such as battery overheating, fire, or even explosion in a very short time.

(IV) Voltage balancing test

Test the protection board's ability to balance the voltage of each single cell in the battery pack. By monitoring the voltage changes of each single cell at different charging and discharging stages, evaluate whether the protection board can effectively transfer the energy of the battery with higher voltage to the battery with lower voltage, so that the voltage of each single cell tends to be consistent. Good voltage balancing performance helps to improve the overall capacity and charging and discharging efficiency of the battery pack and extend the service life of the battery pack. For example, during the charging process of the battery pack, after a period of balancing, the voltage difference between each single cell should be controlled within 50mV.

(V) Self-consumption test

Measure the power consumption of the protection board in standby mode, that is, self-consumption. This indicator is particularly important for energy storage systems that are in standby mode for a long time. Excessive self-consumption will lead to unnecessary loss of battery power and shorten the effective standby time of the energy storage system. Generally, the self-consumption of the protection board is required to be at the microampere level, such as below 50μA, to ensure that the power of the battery pack can remain stable for a long time and can be put into use at any time.

(VI) Temperature protection test

Simulate the working state of the energy storage system under different ambient temperatures, test whether the protection board can work normally in high and low temperature environments, and trigger the temperature protection mechanism in time when the battery temperature exceeds the safe range. For example, when the battery temperature reaches 60℃ (high temperature protection threshold), the protection board should start cooling measures (such as controlling the operation of the cooling fan) or cut off the charge and discharge circuit to prevent the battery from being degraded or even damaged due to overheating; when the temperature drops to -20℃ (low temperature protection threshold), the protection board should limit the battery's charge and discharge current to avoid battery performance deterioration at low temperatures.

III. Energy storage industry protection board test process

(I) Test preparation stage

Select appropriate test equipment, such as high-precision power supply, electronic load, data acquisition system, temperature test chamber, etc., and ensure that the equipment is calibrated and the accuracy meets the test requirements.

Connect the protection board to be tested to the battery pack in accordance with the prescribed connection method to ensure reliable connection and avoid virtual connection or short circuit.

According to the design parameters and relevant standards of the protection board, set the various parameters of the test equipment, such as overcharge and overdischarge threshold, overcurrent protection value, temperature range, etc.

(II) Performance test stage

According to the order of test contents, overcharge and over-discharge protection test, overcurrent protection test, short circuit protection test, voltage balance test, self-consumption test and temperature protection test are carried out in turn. In each test item, the set test conditions are strictly followed, and the data acquisition system is used to record the response data of the protection board in real time, such as protection action time, voltage and current changes, etc.

During the test, pay attention to the working status of the protection board and the battery pack to see if there are abnormal heating, smoke, odor and other phenomena. Once an abnormality is found, the test should be stopped immediately, the cause of the fault should be checked, and the test should be carried out safely.

(III) Data analysis and evaluation stage

The data collected during the test are sorted and analyzed, and the actual test data is compared with the design indicators and relevant standards of the protection board to determine whether the performance of the protection board in each test meets the standards. For example, if the design requirement for the overcharge protection action time is within 100ms, and the actual test result is 120ms, the protection board may have performance problems in overcharge protection.

According to the data analysis results, the overall performance of the protection board is evaluated, its advantages and disadvantages are summarized, and improvement suggestions are put forward for the existing problems. If it is found that the protection board has performance deviations in multiple test items, it may be necessary to conduct a comprehensive review and optimization of its design or production process.

(IV) Report generation stage

Write a detailed test report based on the test results and evaluation analysis. The report content should include the test purpose, test equipment, test methods, test data, performance evaluation results and improvement suggestions. The test report should objectively, accurately and clearly reflect the test situation of the protection board, and provide valuable reference for manufacturers, R&D personnel and energy storage system integrators of the protection board.

IV. Protection board test equipment for energy storage industry

(I) Battery test system

The battery test system is one of the core equipment for protection board testing. It can provide stable power output and precise electronic load control, and simulate the charging and discharging process of the battery under various working conditions. The system usually has high-precision voltage and current measurement functions, and can monitor the voltage and current changes of the battery pack and protection board in real time, providing accurate data support for the test. Some advanced battery testing systems also integrate automated testing software, which can automatically complete various test tasks according to the preset test process and generate detailed test reports, greatly improving the test efficiency and accuracy.

(II) Temperature test chamber

The temperature test chamber is used to simulate different ambient temperature conditions to perform temperature protection tests and environmental adaptability tests on the protection board. The test chamber can accurately control the internal temperature and can perform rapid heating, cooling and constant temperature operations within a large temperature range (such as -40℃ to 125℃) to meet the testing needs of the protection board in different temperature environments. By placing the protection board in the temperature test chamber and testing it together with the battery pack, the performance stability and reliability of the protection board in high and low temperature environments can be effectively evaluated.

(III) Data acquisition system

The data acquisition system is responsible for collecting and recording various parameter data of the protection board and battery pack during the test, such as voltage, current, temperature, time, etc. It usually has multiple data acquisition channels, can collect data from multiple measurement points at the same time, and has high-speed and high-precision data acquisition capabilities to ensure that no key information is missed. The collected data can be transmitted to the computer in real time for storage and analysis, providing a comprehensive and accurate data basis for subsequent test evaluation.

(IV) Short-circuit simulator

The short-circuit simulator is specially used for short-circuit protection testing of the protection board. It can simulate the short-circuit fault at the output end of the battery pack in a very short time and accurately control the size and duration of the short-circuit current. By using the short-circuit simulator, the response speed and protection capability of the protection board under short-circuit conditions can be accurately tested to ensure that the protection board can effectively respond to short-circuit faults in practical applications and ensure the safety of the energy storage system.

V. Development trend of protection board testing in the energy storage industry

(I) Intelligent testing

With the continuous development of artificial intelligence and big data technology, protection board testing in the energy storage industry is moving towards intelligence. Intelligent testing equipment can analyze and learn a large amount of test data through machine learning algorithms, automatically identify the performance characteristics and potential failure modes of the protection board, and realize intelligent optimization and adaptive adjustment of the test process. For example, during the test, the equipment can automatically adjust the test parameters according to the real-time response of the protection board to improve the test efficiency and accuracy; at the same time, it can predict the performance degradation trend of the protection board in advance, providing a basis for preventive maintenance.

(II) Integrated testing

In order to improve testing efficiency and reduce testing costs, future protection board testing equipment will tend to be integrated. Integrated testing equipment integrates multiple test function modules on a single platform to achieve comprehensive, one-stop testing of protection boards. For example, by integrating functions such as battery testing system, temperature test chamber, data acquisition system, and short-circuit simulator, only one device is needed to complete various performance tests of the protection board, reducing the equipment footprint and equipment switching time during the test, and improving the convenience and efficiency of the test.

(III) Remote testing and monitoring

With the help of Internet of Things technology, protection board testing in the energy storage industry will be remotely operated and monitored. By connecting the test equipment to the Internet, testers can monitor the test process in real time on the remote terminal, adjust test parameters and view test results at any time. This not only facilitates the development of testing work, but also enables centralized testing management of protection boards distributed in different regions, improving the utilization rate of test resources. At the same time, the remote testing and monitoring system can also upload test data to the cloud in a timely manner, facilitating data analysis and sharing, and providing a broader support platform for the research and development and quality control of protection boards.

(IV) High-precision and high-reliability testing

As the energy storage system's requirements for safety and performance continue to increase, higher requirements are also placed on the accuracy and reliability of the protection board test. Future test equipment will continue to improve measurement accuracy, reduce test errors, and ensure that the various performance indicators of the protection board can be accurately detected. At the same time, by adopting more advanced testing technologies and optimizing test methods, the reliability and repeatability of the test can be improved, and the misjudgment and missed judgment caused by test errors can be reduced, providing more reliable protection board products for the energy storage system.

VI. Conclusion

As a key link to ensure the safety and performance of the energy storage system, the protection board test in the energy storage industry is of great significance for promoting the healthy and sustainable development of the energy storage industry. Through strict and comprehensive testing, it is possible to effectively screen out protection board products with excellent performance, ensure the safe operation of energy storage batteries, and improve the overall reliability and stability of the energy storage system. With the continuous advancement of energy storage technology and the increasing expansion of application scenarios, the protection board testing technology in the energy storage industry will continue to innovate and develop, moving towards intelligence, integration, remoteness, high precision, and high reliability, providing solid technical support for the vigorous development of the energy storage industry. Whether it is energy storage battery manufacturers, protection board manufacturers or energy storage system integrators, they should all attach great importance to protection board testing, continuously optimize testing processes and methods, improve testing levels, and jointly safeguard the safe development of the energy storage industry.

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