We have introduced BMS components and their corresponding functions in the previous article. Do you know what a BMS does for battery packs? In this article, we’ll explore the key BMS function and purpose.
Key Functions of Battery Management System
A BMS, or battery management system, is an electronic system that manages a rechargeable battery pack.A BMS performs several crucial functions to manage the battery pack. The most important function of BMS in battery include:
The main task is to oversee and manage battery health to safeguard the cells from functioning beyond limits that may cause harm or hazardous situations.
For lithium ion and other types of chemistries that are prone to over voltage, under voltage, overheating, etc. ensuring effective battery management is crucial. The Battery Management System (BMS) plays a role in enabling lithium batteries to function correctly and securely significantly enhancing their longevity and efficiency. Let’s delve deeper into the functions of the core battery management system and understand why the BMS role holds such significance.
A BMS performs several crucial functions to manage the battery pack, which including:
Cell Balancing
One key task a BMS performs is cell balancing. This means that in a battery pack containing multiple cells connected in series and parallel, the BMS actively balances the voltage and state of charge of each cell.
Without balancing, some cells tend to charge faster or discharge slower than others. This results in differences in voltage between cells in the same pack. Over time, these differences lead to some cells becoming overcharged or undercharged. Cell balancing ensures no cell goes outside safe levels, extending battery life.
Charging Control
The BMS carefully controls the charging process of the battery pack. It regulates the charging voltage and current to ensure cells are charged fully but not overcharged.
The BMS monitors cell voltages and ends charging when cells reach full capacity. It prevents external chargers from delivering too much voltage or current, which could damage cells. Proper charging control is essential for safe operation and longevity.
Discharging Control
Similarly, the BMS monitors and controls discharging to prevent excessive discharge that could over-deplete cells and lead to damage. It regulates the discharge current and can shut off loads if cell voltages get too low.
This discharge control protects cells from permanent damage during abuse like short circuits. The BMS only allows discharge within safe limits.
Overvoltage Protection
If cell voltages rise above a safe threshold during charging or other conditions, the BMS disconnects the battery from the charger or load to prevent further voltage increase. This overvoltage protection prevents cell damage and dangerous conditions like thermal runaway.
Undervoltage Protection
On the flip side, the BMS disconnects the battery from loads if the cell voltage drops too low to prevent over-discharge and cell reversal. This undervoltage protection ensures cells are not depleted excessively during operation or storage.
Overcurrent Protection
The BMS contains current regulation and limiting functions to prevent external loads from drawing too much current and raising cell temperatures dangerously high. By limiting current to safe levels, cells avoid damage from overheating and short circuits.
Over Temperature Protection
Closely monitoring cell temperatures and cooling or heating cells as needed is another vital BMS function. The BMS keeps cells within an ideal temperature range for safe operation and longevity through active thermal management. If temperatures exceed safe limits, the BMS will disconnect loads to allow cooling. High cell temperatures can be very destructive without proper thermal monitoring and control.
These are the key functions a BMS performs to actively manage the battery and protect it from damage at all times. This is why battery management is so crucial in battery packs.
The Purpose and Benefits of BMS
The BMS functions described above are all aimed at ensuring the safe, reliable, efficient, and optimal operation of the battery pack. In particular, the benefits and purpose of BMS are the following:
Extends Battery Life and Reliability
Cell aging and degradation mechanisms are drastically reduced by continuously monitoring cell conditions and only allowing operation within conservative limits. With a BMS preventing abuse of cells, the battery will last far longer and experience fewer failures.
Accurate Monitoring of Battery Status
The BMS provides critical data and alerts about the current battery state, including cell voltages, temperatures, currents, and more. This information enables smart charging and load control and helps detect impending issues.
Early Detection of Faults and Failures
Subtle changes and anomalies in cell data can indicate an impending failure. A BMS can detect cell drift and other abnormalities at an early stage, allowing preventative action before catastrophic BMS failure occurs.
Allows Larger Battery Construction
Large battery packs with hundreds or thousands of cells are only made possible by battery management. Manually managing so many cells is impossible – the BMS makes huge packs practical.
Improves Battery Efficiency and Performance
Precise monitoring and control of cell conditions allow them to operate at peak efficiency. Performance is also optimized by keeping cells balanced and in the ideal temperature range.
In summary, the BMS extends battery life, enhances performance and efficiency, provides critical status data, and prevents catastrophic failures – enabling safe utilization of lithium batteries. Battery management is essential for realizing the full potential of modern battery technologies.
MOKOENERGY’s Advanced Battery Management Solutions
Lithium battery packs have fundamentally transformed industries from electric vehicles to data centers due to their high energy density, long cycle life, and falling costs. However realizing these benefits requires expertise in battery management systems.
Here at MOKOENERGY, we have years of experience developing battery solutions for a wide range of BMS applications. MOKOENERGY prides itself on having professional capabilities in BMS design, customization, and integration.
Our skilled engineering teams carefully assess each project’s requirements and constraints. We then design a robust BMS solution tailored for the application, with safety and reliability as top priorities.
We collaborate closely with customers throughout the process to deliver battery systems with fully customized BMS solutions that meet their exact needs. MOKOENERGY also supplies batteries with off-the-shelf BMS units when a standardized design fits an application.
With strict testing and some of the industry’s most experienced battery management engineers, MOKOENERGY can tackle even the most demanding battery projects. Our BMS capabilities enable safe, reliable, high-performance battery storage across transportation, data center, marine, renewable energy, and industrial applications.
