N102-107 TITLE: Autonomous Maintenance and Health Monitoring of Rechargeable Batteries

TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Ground/Sea Vehicles, Materials/Processes, Electronics

ACQUISITION PROGRAM: PM EPS, ACAT IV

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this topic is to eliminate the logistical problems associated with self discharge of rechargeable batteries while in storage aboard Amphibs, MPF ships, and at ground based storage facilities. A second objective is to rapidly, and cost effectively, determine the state of health (SOH) of a large number of batteries during storage.

DESCRIPTION: As the use of rechargeable batteries become more and more prevalent within the DoD the logistical burden of these batteries are growing. One logistical burden is in storage and maintenance of these batteries. All rechargeable batteries have a self discharge rate which slowly drains batteries of energy while in storage. This self discharge rate is variable and depends on battery chemistry, battery design, storage time, and storage conditions. If rechargeable batteries are allowed to remain at an extremely low state of charge (SOC) due to self discharge for a long period of time, the batteries can become permanently damaged and must be disposed of. Due to the high volume of batteries used by the DoD it becomes impractical from a time, safety and cost prospective for the Marine Corps to perform maintenance recharges on all stored batteries every 3 to 6 months. In addition several locations, such as ship platforms, currently prohibit charging of lithium batteries due to safety concerns adding to the logistical problems.

What is needed is an autonomous battery maintenance technology that will help to maintain batteries in a safety and controlled manner while undergoing long term storage aboard ship or in a warehouse environment. This technology should be able to remove any safety impacts to the storage facility if battery where to enter a thermal runaway event. The technology should also compensate for self discharge rates within the battery, require no significant manpower to operate or maintain the batteries, autonomously recognize and maintain a wide variety of lithium batteries, have an minimal overall impact to cost, and does not alter the battery when being used during deployment. In addition to an autonomous battery maintenance device it is also desired that the system is easily monitored by the depot workers to help rapidly determine the health of a large quantity of batteries.

Technology areas of interest for this topic include but are not limited to energy harvesting, "Bat Cave" development, battery hazard mitigation technology, RFID, battery health monitoring, novel storage techniques, large scale-low power-long distance inductive charging, and other technology that might solve the above stated problem.

This topic seeks innovative scientific and engineering solutions. Of particular interest are initiatives with a clear business case. Proposals should specifically describe the technology that will be applied to solve the problem, how it will be developed, what the estimated benefits will be and how it might be transitioned into the DoD.

Proposals under this topic must address integration of the technology into a battery storage facility.

PHASE I: At the completion of Phase I there shall be a feasibility study, energy consumption models, technical characteristics, and a cost analysis of the design. Develop and demonstrate breadboard design of key technology components. Include a first order Return-On-Investment (ROI) analysis for implementation and estimate potential Total Ownership Cost (TOC) reduction. Establish Phase II performance goals and key developmental milestones.

PHASE II: Finalize the design and demonstrate a working prototype of the proposed system. Perform laboratory tests to validate the performance characteristics established in Phase I. Develop a detailed plan and method of implementation into a full-scale application.

PHASE III: Implement the Phase III plan developed in Phase II. Prepare a manufacturing plan and marketing plan to sell this product to the government as well as the private sector. Make the necessary teaming arrangements with the manufacturers of the components used in this product.

PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIAL POTENTIAL/DUAL-USE APPLICATIONS: Autonomous maintenance and storage monitoring technology is applicable to almost every commercial industry. In addition to battery storage this technology could be used in the healthcare industry, automotive industry, as well as the aviation industry.

REFERENCES:
1. Linden, Handbook of Battery, http://www.marcorsyscom.usmc.mil/sites/pmeps/

KEYWORDS: battery, RFID tag, autonomous, battery maintenance, energy scavenging, rechargeable battery, Battery safety, Bat Cave

** TOPIC AUTHOR (TPOC) **

DoD Notice:   Between April 21 and May 19, 2010, you may talk directly with the Topic Authors to ask technical questions about the topics. For reasons of competitive fairness, direct communication between proposers and topic authors is not allowed starting May 19, 2010, when DoD begins accepting proposals for this solicitation.

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