An "expert" in monitoring voltage, a voltage sensor in energy storage

An "expert" in monitoring voltage, a voltage sensor in energy storage

  • tech
  • 2024-05-30
  • 65 Comments

Voltage sensors are indispensable components in energy storage systems, playing a crucial role in ensuring system safety, enhancing efficiency, extending battery life, and optimizing system management.

For instance, voltage sensors are used to measure the voltage at various critical points within the energy storage system, such as battery packs, inverters, charging equipment, and the input and output voltages of the entire system. This helps to monitor the system's operational status in real-time, ensuring that voltage levels are maintained within safe and efficient ranges.

By continuously monitoring the voltage changes in the battery pack, one can indirectly assess the health status of the battery (State of Health, SOH). Voltage anomalies may indicate signs of battery aging, performance decline, or failures in individual battery cells. Identifying these issues early on can help prevent system failures and extend battery life.

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Voltage sensors can also promptly detect abnormal voltage fluctuations in the circuit, such as overvoltage or undervoltage conditions, which may be precursors to system malfunctions. Once abnormalities are detected, the system can quickly take measures, such as issuing alerts or activating protective mechanisms, to prevent equipment damage or the occurrence of safety incidents.

Accurate voltage data is essential for the efficient operation of energy storage systems. The control system, based on the information provided by the voltage sensor, can dynamically adjust charging and discharging strategies, power distribution, and energy management, thereby improving the overall efficiency and stability of the system.

Typically, voltage sensors are integrated with the Battery Management System (BMS) to provide necessary voltage data, assisting the BMS in assessing and maintaining the battery's status. When the sensor's measurement data is sent to the BMS, it is used to calculate the battery's State of Charge (SOC) and make charging and discharging decisions based on this information. This is crucial for ensuring balanced charging and discharging of the battery pack, preventing overcharging and over-discharging, and optimizing energy utilization.

Selection of Energy Storage Voltage Sensors

When selecting voltage sensors for use in energy storage products, although they can all detect and monitor voltage levels and convert voltage signals into signals usable for control and monitoring, the requirements for voltage sensors in energy storage products are higher, even reaching industrial-grade standards.

Voltage sensors in energy storage systems often require higher measurement accuracy and long-term stability because minor changes in battery voltage may reflect the health status of the battery or the operational condition of the system, which is vital for battery management and system safety. Moreover, energy storage systems may face a wider voltage range, especially in large-scale energy storage applications, requiring voltage sensors to have a broader dynamic measurement range.

It is also important to choose output signal types compatible with the system (such as analog voltage, current output, or digital communication like CAN, Modbus, etc.), ensuring seamless integration with the Battery Management System and other control devices. When considering system power consumption, low-power sensors are preferred. Additionally, for high-power applications, good heat dissipation design is also necessary.Additionally, durability and environmental adaptability, long-term reliability, precision, safety, and the ability to integrate with complex systems are all requirements for applications in energy storage systems. In the current market, high-end sensors are still dominated by foreign companies, such as Swiss firms like LEM and Sensirion. Taking LEM's products as an example, they offer a variety of voltage sensors, including the HV series (for high-voltage applications) and the LV series (for low-voltage applications). These sensors utilize optimized Hall effect or flux gate technology, featuring high accuracy, wide range, rapid response, and strong isolation capabilities, making them suitable for use in a variety of high-voltage and precision measurement applications, including energy storage systems.

There are also numerous domestic sensor companies that can provide corresponding voltage sensors, such as Boaisi, Xinsun, TPS Tepusheng, Kaibu Electronics, and others. In summary, voltage sensors play a versatile role in energy storage systems, from ensuring battery safety and optimizing performance to enhancing economic benefits, all of which are inseparable from this key component. As energy storage technology continues to advance, the functionality and precision of voltage sensors will also be further improved to meet the increasingly complex application demands.

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