Mpho J. Lencwe

Lead-acid batteries (LABs) are widely used in automotive applications due to their low cost, high reliability, and good cold-cranking performance. In this study, we evaluate the performance and lifespan of three different lead-acid battery capacities (i.e., 50 Ah, 70 Ah, and 90 Ah) in cold cranking applications using MATLAB/Simulink software simulation tools. The simulation is based on a 280A load profile for cold cranking a vehicle engine from a 12V battery for five seconds and assumes 30 cranks daily. The study evaluates the battery state of charge (SoC), current, and voltage response during cranking, and the battery lifespan is estimated using a capacity degradation model. Our results show that the 70 Ah battery has the best performance and most extended lifespan, while the 50 Ah battery has the worst and shortest lifespan. The 90 Ah battery performs slightly better than the 70 Ah battery but has a shorter lifespan. These findings provide valuable insights for optimising LAB selection for efficient cold-cranking performance in automotive applications.

The authors would like to make the following corrections about the published paper

The huge success of electric vehicles across the world is challenged by a lack of infrastructure and a major increase in battery material prices. This challenge positions internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs) to remain a vehicle of choice. The majority of these vehicles use a lead-acid battery (LAB) for starting, lighting, and ignition (SLI) functions. However, these LABs are faced with challenges of short lifespan and low storage capacity because of improved electronic systems in modern ICEVs. In this manuscript, we propose an extension application of a hybrid LAB and lithium-ion energy storage system (ESS) for a vehicle using a single source of 70 Ah and 90 Ah capacity. Whereas previously, a hybrid energy storage system (HESS) for use in a vehicle using a source of 50 Ah battery capacity was proposed. Hence, the unique contribution of the study is using an integrated fuzzy-logic and triple-loop-proportional-integral-based battery management strategy (BMS) to improve LAB performance in a wide range of vehicles with different battery capacities sizes. The results show that the proposed BMS can help increase LAB lifespan and improve the storage capacity of the system, thus ensuring reliability. Additionally, compared to a single use of LAB, the combined energy storage system shows superior performance.

Conventional vehicles, having internal combustion engines, use lead-acid batteries (LABs) for starting, lighting, and ignition purposes. However, because of new additional features (i.e., enhanced electronics and start/stop functionalities) in these vehicles, LABs undergo deep discharges due to frequent engine cranking, which in turn affect their lifespan. Therefore, this research study seeks to improve LABs’ performance in terms of meeting the required vehicle cold cranking current (CCC) and long lifespan. The performance improvement is achieved by hybridizing a lead-acid with a lithium-ion battery at a pack level using a fully active topology approach. This topology approach connects the individual energy storage systems to their bidirectional DC-DC converter for ease of control. Besides, a battery management strategy based on fuzzy logic and a triple-loop proportional-integral (PI) controller is implemented for these conversion systems to ensure effective current sharing between lead-acid and lithium-ion batteries. A fuzzy logic controller provides a percentage reference current needed from the battery and regulates the batteries’ state-of-charge (SoC) within the desired limits. A triple-loop controller monitors and limits the hybridized system’s current sharing and voltage within the required range during cycling. The hybridized system is developed and validated using Matlab/Simulink. The battery packs are developed using the battery manufacturers’ data sheets. The results of the research, compared with a single LAB, show that by controlling the current flow and maintaining the SoC within the desired limits, the hybrid energy storage system can meet the desired vehicle cold cranking current at a reduced weight. Furthermore, the lead-acid battery lifespan based on a fatigue cycle-model is improved from two years to 8.5 years, thus improving its performance in terms of long lifespan.

High peak current for vehicle starting, recuperation of regenerative braking energy, longer battery lifespan, and more significant acceleration among others in modern transport vehicles (TVs) require increased battery size. Moreover, batteries have high energy density and low power density. Therefore, a big battery pack can weigh more, shorten its lifespan, increase vehicle total mass, and increase battery degradation costs. On the one hand, higher power energy storage systems (ESSs) such as supercapacitors, lithium‐ion capacitors, and superconducting magnetic ESSs have a lower energy density, higher power density, and greater lifespan. Thus, to satisfy the requirements of modern TVs, the combination of higher energy and higher power density can provide enhanced performance and a longer battery lifespan for these vehicles. Available research publications in the literature have addressed a similar problem. However, these publications have reported the findings separately, providing various research and conclusions. Currently, no available literature has compiled an intelligible and combined analysis for addressing hybrid ESS configurations, sizing methods, and energy management strategies to create further knowledge in this domain. There is a need to consolidate a compact and insightful knowledge toward this research direction for a more significant societal and industrial impact. This paper critically reviews the hybrid higher energy density batteries and higher power density ESSs used in TVs. It discusses the integration configurations, applications, and provides sizing methods to achieve the best hybrid energy storage systems (HESSs). Also, applied control methods are described for these HESSs such that the overall system performance matches the vehicle requirements. Lastly, it provides insights and future research direction for HESS configuration, sizing, and control.

Modern vehicles have increased functioning necessities, including more energy/power, storage for recovering decelerating energy, start/stop criteria, etc. However, lead-acid batteries (LABs) possess a shorter lifetime than lithium-ion and supercapacitors energy storage systems. The use of LABs harms the operation of transport vehicles. Therefore, this research paper pursues to improve the operating performance of LABs in association with their lifetime. Integrated LAB and supercapacitor improve the battery lifetime and efficiently provide for transport vehicles’ operational requirements and implementation. The study adopts an active-parallel topology approach to hybridise LAB and supercapacitor. A fully active-parallel topology structure comprises two DC-to-DC conversion systems. LAB and supercapacitor are connected as inputs to these converters to allow effective and easy control of energy and power. A cascaded proportional integrate-derivative (PID) controller regulates the DC-to-DC converters to manage the charge/release of combined energy storage systems. The PID controls energy share between energy storage systems, hence assisting in enhancing LAB lifetime. The study presents two case studies, including the sole battery application using different capacities, and the second, by combining a battery with a supercapacitor of varying capacity sizes. A simulation software tool, Matlab/Simulink, is used to develop the model and validate the results of the system. The simulation outcomes show that the battery alone cannot serve the typical transport vehicle (TV) requirements. The battery and output voltage of the DC-to-DC conversion systems stabilises at 12 V, which ensures consistent DC bus link voltage. The energy storage (battery) state-of-charge (SoC) is reserved in the range of 90% to 96%, thus increasing its lifespan by 8200 cycles. The battery is kept at the desired voltage to supply all connected loads on the DC bus at rated device voltage. The fully active topology model for hybrid LAB and supercapacitor provides a complete degree of control for individual energy sources, thus allowing the energy storage systems to operate as they prefer.

Lead-acid batteries utilised in electrical substations release hydrogen and oxygen when these are charged. These gases could be dangerous and cause a risk of fire if they are not properly ventilated. Therefore, this research seeks to design and implement a network control panel for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system (HVACS). This is achieved by using a specific range of controllers, which have more than thirty loops of proportional, integral, and derivative (PID) control to achieve a cost-effective design. It performs the required function of extracting hydrogen and oxygen, maintaining the desired temperature of the battery storage room within recommended limits (i.e., 25 ± 1 °C tolerance) without compromising quality, as set out in the user requirement specification. The system control panel allows the user to access control parameters such as changing temperature set-points, fan-speed, sensor database, etc. It does this automatically and allows no human interface after all necessary settings and installation are completed. The hardware is configured to detect extreme hydrogen and oxygen gas content in the battery room and to ensure that the HVACS extracts the gas content to the outside environment. The system’s results show that the network control panel operates effectively as per the recommended system requirements. Therefore, the effective operation of the HVACS ensures sufficient gas ventilation, thus mitigating the risk of fire in a typical battery storage room. Furthermore, this also enhances battery lifespan because of regulated operating temperature, which is conducive to minimise the effect of sulfation in lead–acid batteries (LAB). The extraction of toxic gases, regulation of temperature, ensuring suitable humidity in UPS battery room is important as it provides longer operational service of equipment, thus reducing frequent maintenance in these rooms. This benefits the electricity supply industry and helps in saving for unplanned maintenance costs.

Lead-acid batteries utilised in electrical substations release hydrogen and oxygen when these are charged. These gases could be dangerous and cause a risk of fire if they are not properly ventilated. Therefore, this research seeks to design and implement a network control panel for heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning systems (HVACS). This is done using a specific range of controllers, which have more than thirty loops of proportional, integral and derivative (PID) control to achieve a cost-effective design. It performs the required function of extracting hydrogen, oxygen, and maintaining the desired temperature of the battery storage room within the recommended limits (i.e. 25°C ±1°C tolerance) without compromising quality as set out in the user requirement specification in Appendix-A. The system control panel allows the user to access control parameters such as changing temperature set-points, fan-speed, sensor database amongst others. The hardware is configured to detect extreme hydrogen and oxygen gas content in the battery room and ensure that the HVACS extract the gas content to the outside environment. The results of the system show that the network control panel effectively operates as per the recommended system requirements. Therefore, the effective operation of the HVACS ensures sufficient gas ventilation, thus mitigating the risk of fire in a typical battery storage room. Furthermore, the effective operation of HVACS enhances battery lifespan because of regulated operating temperature, which is conducive to minimise the effect of sulfation in lead acid Batteries (LABs).

Lead-acid batteries (LABs) have a short lifespan due to operational requirements of modern vehicles such as high power, storing regenerative braking energy, start/stop functionality amongst others as compared to other energy storage devices such as Lithium-Ion and Supercapacitors. As a result, this paper seeks to enhance the performance of LABs through hybridization with Supercapacitors in terms of lifespan to effectively support the enhanced usage and performance of modern transport vehicles. This is done by integrating energy storage units using active parallel topology approach through DC/DC converters. The proportional-integrate-derivative in a parallel form is used to control the charge and discharge of the LAB and Supercapacitor, thus, improving the performance of LABs. Also, Matlab/Simulink simulation tool is used to model the system integration, and the results indicate that the battery voltage is well stabilized at 12V and State-of-Charge is kept within 90-96%, thus, enhancing the battery lifespan significantly.