A final approach (?) for charging LiFePO4 batteries?

As a follow up to this posting: http://arduinoalternatorregulator.blogspot.com/2014/07/a-closer-look-at-lifepo4-battery-needs.html

  I have continued to review available materials and learning around LiFePO4 batteries, with the goal of adjusting the 'default' CPE in the Arduino Alternator Regulator - hopefully settling on a usable built in default (remember, one can ALWAYS change the CPEs either via ASCII commands, or by updating the source code).  I have spent a bit of time on this to get it right, as I intend to extend the CPE concept back into other projects - specifically the DC generator and new BMS device.  OK, some 'revaluations' and insights :-)

• LeFePO4 batteries do NOT like to be over-charged, nor undercharged.
• They exhibit a largely (though not truly) flat SOC/volts curve with noticeable changes when approaching empty and full
• They seem to be unaffected by battery temperature (in terms of adjusting target voltages), but do have rather restrictive charge cut-off lower voltage.
• Much is still being learned, but there is a body of thought out there that things running them between 20-80% SOC might give longest life.  This is largely unproven as the battery technology is still new.
• Almost all LiFePO4 work has been done in the EV (Electric Vehicle) market-segment.

What does all this mean?  Well, in my mind - there is still a lot to learn about how best to integrate this new battery technology.  And though we can look to the EV market space for some insight, there are some dramatic differentiates between battery banks deployed in an EV and those for house use.  Perhaps the biggest difference is House banks follow a dramatically different change / discharge cycle.  EV's tends to be isolated charge, followed by isolated heavy discharge (with perhaps regent included) while house usage tends to be charge, moderate to light discharge cycles, and they may occur concurrently.

A case in point:  what to do about 'Float'?   Consider this usage scenario:

• Depart dock with fully charged battery for weekend at anchor.
• Decide to do laundry underway, powered via your large inverter.
• What State of Charge do you want your House Bank to be when you arrive at the Anchorage? 
• Fully Charged?
• About 50% depleted?

The EV guys will never see this, as they have no way to recharge while underway (Not too much hobby serial hybrid is out there) - but there is a camp that says one should not 'float' a LiFePO4 battery.  Charge it and turn off the charger.  Adopting this approach will result in you arriving for your weekend with low batteries, but then there is oh so little out there about how LiFePO4 batteries will respond with a nominal voltage being applied to them...

Just a few areas still in the learning curve!

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REVISED DEFAULT LiFePO4 Charge Profile Entry

With all this, and more thinking, I have revised the default LiFePO4 CPE - the new one will be included in the next source code release.  There are a couple of guiding principals I have kept in mind when setting the new default:

• At all times we want to protect the battery - if there is a question about getting to close to the edge, back off.  (You can always adjust things to get closer if you want)
• This is a House Battery, not an EV deployment.  Need to keep in mind many use cases and scenarios that can and do differ from simple charge / discharge usage patterns.  

With that, here is the new default CPE #8 for LiFePO4 batteries.  Remember, these are for a 'normalized' 12v / 500Ah battery.

• Bulk / Acceptance Vmax: 14.0v                   
• Acceptance Termination:  14.0v & Amps < 50a   (C/10,  Stops at about 90% SOC))
• Float:  Max VBat:  13.36v
• Float:  Max Amps:      0A         (This is new, see below)
• Resume Charge at:  13.3v         (Resume when battery reaches SOC 10% based on Vbat  or .... )
• Resume Charge at:  -50Ah        (Resume when 10% of battery capacity has been removed)

Charging will stop at a very conservative 14.0v.   Not only is this withing the range that may give good battery life, it is well below most HVC limits for BMS systems, reducing the risk of a battery disconnect happening in a non-integrated system.   How to handle the hold, or 'float' state is a bit different.  Two new capabilites have been added:

1. The ability to regulate Amps into the battery during Float.
2. An exit float  criteria based on Ahs that have been removed from the battery.

First, to allow house loads to be carries by the Alternator we can not shut it down when the battery is fully charged.  However, there is little know about doing slow trickle charges into a LiFePO4 battery during traditional voltage based 'floats', so a new capability has been enabled: managing the number of Amps placed into the battery during Float.  By setting this parameter = 0 for LiFePO4 batters we assure that no additional energy is pushed into a 'fully charged' battery, but at the same time allow the alternator to carry house loads.  The Float Voltage of 13.36 is actually a backup, and it may need to be adjusted if in your installation it is to restrictive and you see current flowing out of your battery.

Another new capability that has been enabled is a mini SOC meter:  Once we decide the battery is fully charged, the regulator will monitor any amperage draw from the battery - counting the total number of Ahs.  (say in the case of where the alternator is not able to fully support a heavy house load).  This is then used to trigger the regulator to restart a new recharge cycle.  Again a voltage threshold (13.3v) is retained as a backup.


As experience is gained with the deployment of LiFePO4 battery systems in a house load situation, I am sure the above will get changed and refined.  Until then it is a good starting point to consider the needs of a House battery vs. an electric car one.

I need to complete bench testing of the revisions, and then will post a new release of the source.