How do Depth of Discharge, C-rate and Calendar Age Affect Capacity Retention, Impedance Growth, the Electrodes, and the Electrolyte in Li-Ion Cells?

Lithium-ion cells testing under different state of charge ranges, C-rates and cycling temperature have different degrees of lithium inventory loss, impedance growth and active mass loss. Here, a large matrix of polycrystalline NMC622/natural graphite Li-ion pouch cells were tested with seven different state of charge ranges (0-25, 0-50, 0-75, 0-100, 75-100, 50-100 and 25-100%), three different C-rates and at two temperatures. First, capacity fade was compared to a model developed by Deshpande and Bernardi. Second, after 2.5 years of cycling, detailed analysis by dV/dQ analysis, lithium-ion differential thermal analysis, volume expansion by Archimedes’ principle, electrode stack growth, ultrasonic transmissivity and x-ray computed tomography were undertaken. These measurements enabled us to develop a complete picture of cell aging for these cells. This then led to an empirical predictive model for cell capacity loss versus SOC range and calendar age. Although these particular cells exhibited substantial positive electrode active mass loss, this did not play a role in capacity retention because the cells were anode limited during full discharge under all the tests carried out here. However, the positive electrode mass loss was strongly coupled to positive electrode swelling and electrolyte “unwetting” that would eventually cause dramatic failure.

Resilient active seismic response control of structural systems

This paper proposes a dissipative resilient observer and controller (DROC) design for a network controlled system (NCS) that handles faults, implementation errors, or cyberattacks that can be modeled as bounded controller or observer gain perturbations. It presents linear matrix inequality (LMI) conditions for the robust stability of the system in the presence of bounded perturbations in the observer and controller. Furthermore, a new LMI-based time-delay control (TDC) algorithm that mitigates the effects of perturbations due to time-delays in the NCS is introduced. The robust methodology is applied to active control of a scaled model of a structural system equipped with an active mass driver system. The results demonstrate that the proposed methodology is robust and ensures stable system response due to various types of earthquake base excitations.

The Effect of Expanded and Natural Flake Graphite Additives on Positive Active Mass Utilization of the Lead-Acid Battery

The effects of expanded and not expanded (natural flake) graphite additives were evaluated on the discharge utilization of the positive active material (PAM) in the lead-acid battery. Graphite powders were added to the paste at 2.20 vol. % and tested in model 2V battery cells under a wide range of discharge currents from 8C to C/20. The effects of graphite on the PAM pore volume and pore size distribution were measured with mercury porosimetry, and a good correlation was found between the pore volume of the PAM and utilization performance of the cells. It was shown that the powder characteristics of graphite can affect the PAM pore volume. A correlation was found between the graphite additives’ structural order and PAM utilization.

In-situ Confocal Laser Microscopy Study of Lead Sulfate Crystal Growth on Negative Electrode of Lead-acid Batteries

Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy (CLSM) is a widely used technique mainly in fields of biology or multidisciplinary material sciences. Although CLSM has the ability to monitor also electrochemical processes like lead sulfate-crystal growth, nobody used CLSM for such application. We performed operando observation of the pasted active mass of negative electrode for lead-acid batteries during deep cycling. Electrode with pasted negative active mass was optimized for cycling in ECC-opto-std electrochemical cell by EL-CELL. Lead sulfate crystal growth and changes of electrode surface during cycling were observed using a laser scanning confocal microscope Olympus Lext OLS4100. We evaluate the surface changes and sulfate crystal growth. The cycling mode leads to fast gradual degradation of the negative electrode and massive growth of lead sulfate crystals. Confocal laser scanning microscopy was identified as a powerful technique for visualization of lead sulfate crystal promotion during battery cycling.

Zero and Nonzero Mass Flux Effects of Bioconvective Viscoelastic Nanofluid over a 3D Riga Surface with the Swimming of Gyrotactic Microorganisms

This work addresses 3D bioconvective viscoelastic nanofluid flow across a heated Riga surface with nonlinear radiation, swimming microorganisms, and nanoparticles. The nanoparticles are tested with zero (passive) and nonzero (active) mass flux states along with the effect of thermophoresis and Brownian motion. The physical system is visualized via high linearity PDE systems and nondimensionalized to high linearity ordinary differential systems. The converted ordinary differential systems are solved with the aid of the homotopy analytic method (HAM). Several valuable and appropriate characteristics of related profiles are presented graphically and discussed in detail. Results of interest such as the modified Hartmann number, mixed convection parameter, bioconvection Rayleigh number, and Brownian motion parameter are discussed in terms of various profiles. The numerical coding is validated with earlier reports, and excellent agreement is observed. The microorganisms are utilized to improve the thermal conductivity of nanofluid, and this mechanism has more utilization in the oil refinery process.

Support characteristics and application of permanent magnet suspension active mass drive system

In this paper, a kind of permanent magnet (PM) suspension active mass drive mechanism is proposed, and its structure is designed. It has the advantages of non-contact, almost zero friction, small volume, and so on. Aiming at the active driving mass mechanism of PM suspension, the unidirectional PM suspension system and bi-directional PM suspension system are designed respectively, and their analytical models are established. By analyzing and calculating the magnetic force of the unidirectional and bi-directional PM suspension system, the support coefficient of the suspension system is deduced. After theoretical analysis, the structure is simulated and verified by ANSYS MAXWELL 3D in order to determine the correctness of the analytical calculation of the model. Finally, a test device is made and experiments are carried out in the constant temperature laboratory. The experimental results show that the Nd-Fe-B PMs used in the unidirectional suspension system can provide a maximum force of 260 N, which verify the feasibility of the PM suspension active mass drive system.

Composite Fe3O4-MXene-Carbon Nanotube Electrodes for Supercapacitors Prepared Using the New Colloidal Method

MXenes, such as Ti3C2Tx, are promising materials for electrodes of supercapacitors (SCs). Colloidal techniques have potential for the fabrication of advanced Ti3C2Tx composites with high areal capacitance (CS). This paper reports the fabrication of Ti3C2TX-Fe3O4-multiwalled carbon nanotube (CNT) electrodes, which show CS of 5.52 F cm−2 in the negative potential range in 0.5 M Na2SO4 electrolyte. Good capacitive performance is achieved at a mass loading of 35 mg cm−2 due to the use of Celestine blue (CB) as a co-dispersant for individual materials. The mechanisms of CB adsorption on Ti3C2TX, Fe3O4, and CNTs and their electrostatic co-dispersion are discussed. The comparison of the capacitive behavior of Ti3C2TX-Fe3O4-CNT electrodes with Ti3C2TX-CNT and Fe3O4-CNT electrodes for the same active mass, electrode thickness and CNT content reveals a synergistic effect of the individual capacitive materials, which is observed due to the use of CB. The high CS of Ti3C2TX-Fe3O4-CNT composites makes them promising materials for application in negative electrodes of asymmetric SC devices.

Active vibration control of a multi-degree-of-freedom system via twin rotor damper

The twin rotor damper (TRD), an active mass damping device, is used for the vibration control of a multi-degree-of-freedom (MDOF) system of oscillators. A single TRD unit consists of two eccentric control masses rotating about two parallel axes. In its principle mode of operation, the continuous rotation mode (CRM), the control masses rotate with a constant angular velocity in opposite directions; producing a monofrequent harmonic control force in an energy and power efficient manner. Extensive research has shown the effectiveness of the TRD in the CRM for systems with a single dominate mode of vibration. In this paper, the application of a single and multiple TRD units operating in the CRM is investigated for the control of MDOF system of oscillators. The influence of the monofrequent control force produced by the TRD on the MDOF system of oscillators is investigated analytically. Subsequently, the analysis is inverted and the influence of the MDOF system of oscillators on the TRD is studied, in particular its power efficiency and damping performance. Finally, the power efficiency and damping performance of the TRD for the control of a system with two modes of vibration is analytically compared to that of a conventional active mass damping device. It is shown that in most cases, the TRD achieves greater damping performance in a more power efficient manner than a conventional active mass damper of similar size and mass.