Early batteries were in jars,but mass production changed the packaging to the cylindrical design.The year 1896 pioneered the large F cell for lanterns; the D cell followed in 1898,the C cell in 1900,and the popular AA was introduced in 1907.Design criteria and cost considerations required new battery formats that offer distinct advantages over the cylindrical design.How many kinds of battery cells do you know?Here you can get some information.
Cylindrical Cell
The cylindrical cell continues to be one of the most widely used packaging styles for primary and secondary batteries.The advantages are ease of manufacture and good mechanical stability.The tubular cylinder has the ability to withstand internal pressures without deforming.Typical applications for the cylindrical lithium battery cell are power tools,medical instruments and laptops.Nickel-cadmium offers the largest variety of cell choices,and some popular formats have spilled over to nickel-metal-hydride.To allow variations within a given size,manufacturers use fractural cell length,such as half and three-quarter formats.Figure 1 shows a cross section of a cell.
Lead acid batteries come in flooded and dry formats; portable versions are packaged in a prismatic design resembling a rectangular box made of plastic.Some lead acid systems also use the cylindrical design by adapting the winding technique,and the Hawker Cyclone is in this format.It offers improved cell stability,higher discharge currents and better temperature stability than the conventional prismatic design.
The established standards for nickel-based batteries did not catch on with lithium-ion and the chemistry has established its own formats.One of the most popular cell packages is the 18650 battery,as illustrated in Figure 2.Eighteen denotes the diameter and 65 is the length of the cell in millimeters. The Li-manganese version 18650 has a capacity of 1,200–1,500mAh;the Li-cobalt version is 2,400–3,000mAh.The larger 26650 cells have a diameter of 26mm with a length of 65mm and deliver about 3,200mAh in the manganese version.This cell format is used in power tools and some hybrid vehicles.
Cylindrical cells include a venting mechanism that releases excess gases when pressure builds up.The more simplistic design utilizes a membrane seal that ruptures under high pressure.Leakage and subsequent dry-out may occur when the membrane breaks.The re-sealable vents with a spring-loaded valve are the preferred design.Cylindrical cells make inefficient use of space,but the air cavities that result with side-by-side placement can be used for air-cooling.
Button Cell
Smaller devices required a more compact cell design,and in the 1980s the button cell met this need.The desired voltage was achieved by stacking the cells into a tube.Early cordless telephones,medical devices and security wands at airports used these batteries.Button cells,also known as coin cells,offer small size and ease of stacking but do not allow fast charging.Most commercial button cells are non-rechargeable.
Although small and inexpensive to build,the stacked button cell fell out of favor,and newer designs reverted to more conventional battery configurations.A drawback of the button cell is swelling if charged too rapidly.Button cells have no safety vent and can only be charged at a 10- to 16-hour charge.However,newer designs claim rapid charge capability.Most button battery cells in use today are non-rechargeable and can be found in medical implants,watches,hearing aids,car keys and memory backup.Figure 3 illustrates the button cells with accompanying cross section.
Prismatic Cell
Introduced in the early 1990s,the prismatic cell satisfies the demand for thinner sizes and lower manufacturing costs.Wrapped in elegant packages resembling a box of chewing gum or a small chocolate bar,prismatic cells make optimal use of space by using the layered approach. These cells are predominantly found in mobile phones with lithium-ion.No universal format exists and each manufacturer designs its own.If the housing design allows a few millimeters extra in a cell phone or laptop,the manufacturer designs a new pack for the sake of higher capacity.High volume justifies this move.
Prismatic cells are also making critical inroads into larger formats.Packaged inwelded aluminum housings,the cells deliver capacities of 20 to 30Ah and are primarily used for electric powertrains in hybrid and electric vehicles.Figure 4shows the prismatic cell.The prismatic cell requires a slightly thicker wall size to compensate for the decreased mechanical stability from the cylindrical design,resulting in a small capacity drop. Optimizing use of space makes up this loss.Prismatic cells for portable devices range from 400mAh to 2,000mAh.
Pouch Cell
In 1995, the pouch cell surprised the battery world with a radical new design.Rather than using a metallic cylinder and glass-to-metal electrical feed-through for insulation,conductive foil tabs welded to the electrode and sealed to the pouch carry the positive and negative terminals to the outside.Figure 5 illustrates such a pouch cell.The pouch cell makes the most efficient use of space and achieves a 90 to 95 percent packaging efficiency,the highest among battery packs.The pouch pack finds applications in consumer,military,as well as automotive applications.No standardized pouch cells exist;each manufacturer builds the cells for a specific application.
Pouch packs are commonly Li-polymer.Its specific energy is often lower and the cell is less durable than Li-ion in the cylindrical package.Swelling or bulging as a result of gas generation during charge and discharge is a concern.Battery manufacturers insist that these batteries do not generate excess gases that can lead to swelling.Nevertheless,excess swelling can occur and most is due to faulty manufacturing,and not misuse.Some dealers have failures due to swelling of as much as three percent on certain batches.Manufacturers say that an inflated cell is safe.Figure 6 shows a swelled pouch cell.
To prevent swelling,the manufacturer adds excess film to create a “gas bag” outside the cell.During the first charge,gases escape into the gasbag,which is then cut off and the pack resealed as part of the finishing process.Expect some swelling on subsequent charges;8 to 10 percent over 500 cycles is normal.Provision must be made in the battery compartment to allow for expansion.It is best not to stack pouch cells but to lay them flat side by side.Prevent sharp edges that could stress the pouch cell as they expand.
Summary of Packaging Advantages and Disadvantage
- A cell in a cylindrical metallic case has good cycling ability, offers a long calendar life, is economical to manufacture, but is heavy and has low packaging density.
- The prismatic metallic case has improved packaging density but can be more expensive to manufacture, is less efficient in thermal management and may have a shorter cycle life.
- The prismatic pouch pack is light and cost-effective to manufacture. Exposure to high humidity and hot temperature can shorten the service life. A swelling factor of 8–10 percent over 500 cycles is normal.
