Nexergy Develops Custom Battery Pack for Military/Aerospace Market
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COLUMBUS, OH (USA) - Nexergy, a leading designer, integrator, and manufacturer of battery packs and chargers, announces the completion of a new portable power system for an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for the military/aerospace market. The unique high-reliability solar and battery powered system, developed in conjunction with SION Power Corporation, utilizes SION lithium sulfur battery cells in a custom battery pack assembly complete with a sophisticated charging circuit developed by Nexergy.
The new UAV, designed to eventually stay airborne for months at a time at altitudes exceeding 50,000 feet, operates on solar and battery power only, meaning night-time flight must be fully battery-powered. In initial test flights, the new Nexergy/SION lithium sulfur portable power system increased the UAV's battery-operated flight time by 80%.
Nexergy was able to optimize both the battery pack and charger during the design phase by taking into account all the requirements for the power source. A big design challenge was developing a "smart" charging system that could provide charge to the battery cells during daylight hours from the solar array, taking into account the unpredictability of solar energy due to factors such as solar panel angle, weather, and shifting atmospheric conditions. The engineers had to develop a "step charge" system that would vary the amount of charge based on the power being supplied by the solar cells, leaving enough power to drive the UAV motors. This was essential to the design solution, since the solar panels not only charge the batteries, but also power the motors during the day.
Another major challenge was properly balancing the large number of lithium sulfur cells used for the power system. Cell balancing circuitry was added to determine each cell's capacity and to move charge accordingly, in order to maintain balance within the pack for optimal performance. Nexergy also added multiple safety devices to the battery pack to avoid the possibility of thermal runaway during charge, and to protect against excess current due to a fault in either charge or discharge.
Nexergy, as one of the few custom battery pack manufacturers with in-house surface mount printed circuit assembly capability, was able to design, build, and test prototypes of the sophisticated printed circuit boards required by the charger at their Columbus, Ohio facility.
"We knew this application would require a considerable amount of electronics expertise, and Nexergy has a good reputation in that area," says Mark Jost, Executive Vice President of Marketing for SION Power Corporation. "And since they could design, build, and test prototypes for both the battery pack and charger, it was a very easy decision to work with them."
About Nexergy: With more than 20 years of experience, Nexergy is a leading designer, integrator and manufacturer of battery packs and chargers that enable electronic products to be more dependable, smaller, lighter, and longer-running.
Nexergy is based in Columbus, OH (USA), and operates additional design and assembly centers in Gainesville, GA and Escondido, CA. Through its strong international partnerships, the company also manufactures product in the Asia/Pacific region. Nexergy is an ISO 9001:2000 certified company. For more information, please visit www.nexergy.com.
About SION Power Corporation: SION Power Corporation, an innovative battery company headquartered in Tucson, Arizona, is creating a new class of electrochemical energy storage products based on proprietary lithium sulfur (Li-S) rechargeable battery chemistry. SION Power holds 66 patents related to this new battery. The Company has 50 employees, including 11 Ph.D's., and is dedicated to true "Next Generation" battery technology. Please visit SION's website at www.sionpower.com.
