The Importance of Battery Management Systems
A battery management system (BMS) enables anyone to review the performance of individual cells within a particular battery pack. Because cells must work together to ensure the pack functions correctly, maintaining stability throughout is important.
By operating a BMS, you can regularly monitor the performance of your pack. This is achieved as information is gathered and then communicated to an external interface. There are three primary functions of a BMS, including:
- Protects batteries from damage.
- This ensures the batteries operate within their safety remit.
- It prolongs the life of the batteries within a pack.
Ultimately, utilizing a BMS ensures your battery pack is working efficiently and according to your requirements.
Let’s Discuss the Purpose of a BMS.
The main purpose of a BMS is to monitor what’s going on inside a battery pack. It’s capable of measuring the current, voltage, temperature, and coulomb count of batteries, which is crucial to ensure they are performing efficiently.
Equally, coulomb counting is important as it informs you of the remaining capacity of your battery. Coulombs are measured as energy enters and leaves the battery and give you an accurate idea of the overall performance of the cells and the pack as a whole.
If you use a BMS, you eliminate much of the guesswork associated with monitoring and maintaining your batteries.
What are the most important indicators on a BMS?
A battery management system provides you with two important indicators: state of charge (SoC) and state of health (SoH), which are both crucial to the performance of your battery pack.
- Charged State
The SoC measurement displayed by a BMS is akin to the charge level you see displayed on a smartphone or other electronic device. It basically tells the operator when the battery needs to be recharged by displaying how much energy is left inside. Understanding the SoC of the individual cells is important, as the energy load needs to be balanced throughout the pack.
- Health Status
Conversely, the SoH displayed on a BMS is concerned with the long-term health of the batteries within your pack. This considers factors such as charge acceptance, internal resistance, voltage, and self-discharge. It essentially tells you how long you can expect your battery to perform at its optimal level.
Why is a battery management system so important?
Utilizing a battery management system is important because it helps you keep track of the performance of your battery pack and alerts you to any faults. But it also allows you to protect your batteries while they’re in use.
A BMS is capable of tracking the voltage, temperature, and current range in which each cell can safely operate. If the batteries within your pack fall outside of this range, your BMS can detect and then control it.
Why else should you use a battery management system?
As well as monitoring the performance and efficiency of batteries within a pack, a BMS can also be used for battery testing. You can use your BMS to review the status of each of the cells within a battery pack, which allows you to identify weaknesses and make changes where necessary. You will have to pair your BMS with good battery testing software, but it’s a worthwhile investment to monitor the overall performance of your battery packs.
