Advanced Batteries Based on Commercial Cell Technology: From Imagination to Reality

Paper number

IAC-08.C3.3.5

Author

Mr. Rob Spurrett, ABSL Space Products, United Kingdom

Year

2008

Abstract

Battery technology has been a key factor limiting the performance of many portable terrestrial devices and is a driving factor in many space missions.  Commercial battery technology is developing at a fast pace.  Cells, and the materials used to make cells, are becoming obsolete faster than ever before.  Within the space industry, we wish to take advantage of the latest and best technology, but we have also to perform lengthy qualification programmes, which in turn leads to a preference for long product life-cycles. In addition, the environment for Space missions is different from terrestrial applications. 

It took considerable imagination and vision from the European Space Agency and ABSL Space in the 1990’s to develop concepts to leverage the performance of commercial-off-the-shelf battery cells for space applications.  Since fully screened space components and commercially available components traditionally come from different manufacturing sources, a great deal of imagination was required to address the technical, commercial and quality issues.

Over the last decade, the imagination has translated into reality with Lithium-ion becoming the battery chemistry of choice for space missions.  A key factor in the establishment of lithium-ion was the availability of high-quality commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) cells that enabled short experimental missions to be flown with confidence.  The early work performed by the ESA and ABSL Space Products (then AEA Technology) included the development of processes for lot acceptance testing (LAT), screening, and matching of commercial cells.  The use of a small cell as a building block for large batteries has led to many innovations, in particular the use of a highly parallel topology to achieve high reliability.  Over thirty missions have since flown using this concept.

The procedures and techniques for the implementation of COTS cells in Space batteries have been greatly refined after many years of investment and operational experience on many programs across the world.  This paper will document advances that have been made and the lessons learnt.

ABSL Space now has an extensive ‘technology watch’ programme that provides an on-going assessment of over two-hundred COTS cells.  The paper will report on this programme and the qualification status of alternative COTS cells.  We believe this to be the most wide-ranging technology watch programme in the world.

The paper will also describe the innovations that are foreseen in commercial battery technology over the next decade and a vision for the role that commercial battery technologies may play in future space missions.  

Abstract document

IAC-08.C3.3.5.pdf

Manuscript document

IAC-08.C3.3.5.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).

To get the manuscript, please contact IAF Secretariat.