Battery Management System and Active Thermal Control of Aircraft Batteries for Aerospace Applications in Cold Temperature

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Batteries have been used in electric and hybrid electric vehicles for more than a decade, and worldwide utilization is increasing, including the aerospace sector. Lithium-ion batteries are temperature-sensitive devices, which adds a challenge for year-long operation in Canadian weather especially for the aerospace sector with stringent requirements. Low temperature operation reduces the battery capacity, reduces the maximum power available, and induces premature aging. High temperature operation creates a risk of thermal runaway and permanent failure, and reduces battery lifespan. An improvement in both thermal monitoring and thermal management is required in support to the electrification of transportation modes, especially in the aerospace sector. The partnership between Calogy, TriStar Multicopters, the Université de Sherbrooke (2 professors) and the École de technologie supérieure (2 professors) is ideal to support the development of this next generation of battery thermal management system. Calogy owns a unique thermal ground plane (TGP) technology to actively control the thermal conductivity within the battery pack and with the environment based on heat pipes using phase changing materials (liquid to gas). ETS' researchers will develop arrays of printed thermal sensors on the TGP to enhance the thermal monitoring. Finally, Sherbrooke's researchers will optimize the battery pack and use artificial intelligence algorithm on the large data set to identify potential failures in operation. TriStar' small-scale drone for cold climate using lithium-ion battery will serve as a perfect test case for the technology, where in-flight demonstrations are planned. This new battery packaging will demonstrate both an improved performance at cold temperature and improved aging characteristics over the aircraft lifetime.