Energies, Vol. 18, Pages 6371: Active Battery Balancing System for High Capacity Li-Ion Cells

Energies, Vol. 18, Pages 6371: Active Battery Balancing System for High Capacity Li-Ion Cells

Energies doi: 10.3390/en18236371

Authors:
Wei Jiang
Feng Zhou

Battery energy storage systems can mitigate power fluctuations and enhance system reliability; however, cell-to-cell inconsistencies and aging in large-capacity battery packs can lead to imbalance. To address the limitations of passive balancing, which suffers from high energy loss and low efficiency, this work proposes a high-current active balancing system based on a single-input multiple-output (SIMO) topology. The system enables energy transfer through a full-bridge converter and transformer, supporting series discharge and selective charging of lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cells. To optimize system performance, a small-signal model was established, and corresponding control strategies were designed: the primary-side inverter employs quasi-open-loop control, while the secondary-side charging modules use a voltage–current dual-loop control. The effectiveness of the model and control strategies was validated via QSPICE simulations. Furthermore, a hybrid active–passive balancing strategy based on a voltage-difference threshold was proposed, allowing for real-time dynamic adjustment of the operating mode according to individual cell voltages. Experimental results on a large-capacity LFP battery demonstrate that the system achieves fast balancing with high accuracy, maintaining cell voltage differences within 30 mV. This provides a practical and effective solution for maintaining cell consistency in electric vehicles and grid-scale energy storage systems.