A Li-Ion Battery Tool for Predicting Life and Performance for Satellite Orbit Operations Scenarios

In this overall program, Global Aerospace Corporation (GAC), its consultants, and future industrial partners, plans to develop a high fidelity, computationally-efficient, first principles-based software model to predict the behavior of rechargeable lithium-ion batteries under a wide set of conditions including extended calendar life (for both shelf life and on-bus trickle-charge conditions), low temperature operation, and wide variations in power loads for satellite applications for a number of Earth orbits. The key to this effort is developing computationally-efficient, full-physics models of Li-ion battery performance that are applicable for 3 types of Earth orbits of interest. The orbits include Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO), Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) and Highly Elliptical Orbit (HEO). Under these profiles batteries are subjected to minimum cycling and lengthy periods of continuous low rate charge. The goal is to provide a tool for managers and operations personnel to project life and performance of Li-Ion batteries in GEO, MEO and HEO Orbits. In Phase I, GAC, along with its research partner and consultant, plans to develop models of degradation mechanisms, implement them in computationally-efficient computer code, and verify the models against laboratory data.