Commercialising battery with super storage

A CSIRO invention that turns a conventional lead-acid battery into a two-energy super storage device could contribute to a wider take-up of hybrid electric vehicles among other uses.

Called the UltraBattery, the device is a brand new technology that combines the attributes of a lead-acid battery with a super capacitor to give higher output, longevity and, eventually, a reduced charging rate.

One of its great attractions is that it is some 70% cheaper to produce and can be made using current manufacturing facilities. As a result, it is seen as a suitable back-up power supply for remote areas, as emergency supplies and for powering machines such as forklifts.

The battery has a capacity range from five to 1000 Ah in 2 and 12 V configurations. The open cell voltage is still 2.1, the same as the normal lead-acid device and the weight ranges from 3.7 to 75 kg.

At present the charging time is the same as for normal lead-acid batteries and depends on the capacity.  However, the CSIRO is developing fast charging to improve the charge rate not only for the UltraBattery but also for other battery technologies as well. In normal use it is expected to have four to eight times the life of a lead-acid device.

In terms of performance, the new battery is comparable with nickel metal hydride (NiMH) as regards life but the density is still much lower when compared with lithium ion, but the UltraBattery has the advantage of being recycled and does not have the environmental issues of disposal faced by lithium ion.

The battery is already in production, the challenge having been taken up by two companies. East Penn Manufacturing and Furukawa Battery Co are commercialising the battery for vehicle and renewable energy storage applications while the CSIRO is researching next-generation technologies that are still some way off being commercially available.

The man behind much of this development is Dr Lan Trieu, who, after 25 years with the CSIRO, is retiring with not only the UltraBattery to his credit but also a novel plate processing technology for Exide Powerlift batteries.  His other achievements include:

• Bismuth containing lead oxide for valve-regulated batteries, now known as Zinifex.
• Two specifications for lead used in batteries now widely accepted in the industry. The CSIRO and the Advanced Lead-Acid Battery Consortium have been granted a patent for this work.
• A mechanism explaining the premature failure of a lead-acid battery under HEC duty and the discovery of the battery life enhancing benefits of fast charging and Novel Pulse device for electric vehicles. Both the CSIRO and ALABC have been granted patents for this research.
• The UltraBattery is covered by four patents and the technology is licensed to Furakawa Battery Co in Japan.

He has been a key advisor to eight Asian countries, a keynote speaker at several international conferences and workshops and has served on the panels of both the Asian and European Battery Conferences.

He became a doctor of engineering at the Tokyo Institute of Technology in 1982 and since then he has won numerous awards including the 2011 Gaston Plante Medal, the Technical Development Award of the Electrochemical Society of Japan in 2009, the CSIRO Medal for Research Achievement in 2008, the International Lead Medal in 2005 and the CSIRO’s Chairman’s Medal in 2000.

Since joining the CSIRO, Dr Lan has published 33 papers, 83 industrial reports and registered 15 patents.