Battery management redefined
The Brill Power battery management system (BMS) improves batteries with novel, intelligent control technology developed at Oxford University. Many BMS developers claim that their technologies extend battery lifetime. What they don’t usually mention is that this comes at the expense of performance constraints, such as lower energy storage capacity or power capability. This is because conventional BMS solutions have very limited control capabilities, which means that their lifetime and performance are limited by the weakest cells in the pack, no matter how clever the software. The only way to increase battery life with a conventional BMS topology is to constrain the voltage window of the battery – which means less energy – or reduce the temperature – which means less power or energy (if operating a cooling system).
Only the Brill Power BMS offers complete control of the electric current distribution throughout the battery pack. This significantly improves battery lifetime, performance, safety, reliability, and even avoids other system components, such as DC/DC converters and charge controllers.
A conventional BMS is centrally controlled, all cells are exposed to the same current, and the weakest cells limit the energy storage capacity, power capability, lifetime and safety of the battery system:
Conventional Battery Management System
- All cells exposed to same current
- Capacity, life and charge rate limited by weakest cell
- Centralised control, prone to faults
- Basic safety features
Brill Power’s BMS uses distributed control and manages cell currents in proportion to cell health, which enables maximal energy storage capacity, power capability, lifetime and safety of the battery system:
Brill Power Battery Management
- Cell current proportional to battery health
- Patented system and method
- Maximal battery life, charge rates and safety
Brill Power’s BMS can access all the energy from every cell in the battery system, which brings two key advantages:
- Up to 15% more energy at a point where other battery systems would need to be replaced
- Up to 60% longer cycle life
Hardware
Brill Power BMS hardware is fully modular and scalable, which makes it suitable for any multi-cell battery application, ranging from stationary energy storage to electric vehicles. The hardware can be integrated with any type and format of lithium-ion battery cell and even with new chemistries. Our innovation is based on the concept of complete current and voltage control, which unlocks a set of unique benefits:
Brill Power hardware benefits include:
- Maximal lifetime – no single cell can determine the battery’s end of life
- Optimal performance – no single cell can limit the battery’s power capability or charge rates
- Maximal safety – all battery modules can be electrically disconnected, which means faulty modules can be bypassed and the terminal voltage is always zero when the battery is not used, e.g. during transport, handling and storage
- True modularity and scalability – any number of battery cells can be connected in series or parallel
- Full control over terminal voltage – no need for DC/DC converters or charge controllers
- Compatibility with any lithium-ion cell type and format
- Future-proof for new battery technologies – all it takes is a software update
Software
Brill Power battery software covers all aspects of battery intelligence and can be divided into two categories:
Edge computing
BMS sensor data is recorded in real time and used in combination with the latest battery models to compute accurate State of Charge, State of Health and power capabilities of the battery system. Based on these performance characteristics, local control algorithms ensure optimal battery control for maximal performance and safety, and any potential faults or requirements for maintenance are communicated to our monitoring and analytics platform, via the Brill Power Cloud infrastructure.
Battery monitoring and analytics platform
The platform draws telemetry data and locally computed battery states from the battery system via the Brill Power Cloud for visualization in the web-based user interface. These data and metrics are supplemented with advanced analytic metrics, such as predictive maintenance and remaining useful life, which are computed off-line.
Brill Power software benefits include:
- Programmable edge computing software via a convenient user interface to suit any battery type
- High-accuracy State of Charge, State of Health and performance metrics
- Remotely monitor all vital sensor data and battery metrics via a convenient user interface
- Real-time monitoring across a portfolio of battery assets
- Notifications and alarms for pre-defined levels of battery performance and lifetime
- Advanced analytic metrics for optimal asset utilisation
- Quick and easy access to historic battery data via our database
