Initial Electrical Parameter Validation in Lead-Acid Battery Model Used for State Estimation

Abstract

The paper presents a current impulse-based excitation method for lead-acid batteries in order to define the initial electrical parameters for model-based online estimators. The presented technique has the capability to track the SoC (State of Charge) of a battery, however, it is not intended to be used for online SoC estimations. The method is based on the battery’s electrical equivalent Randles’ model [1]. Load current impulse excitation was applied to the battery clamps during discharge while the voltage and current was logged. Based on the Randles’ model, a model function and a fit function were implemented and used by exponential regression based on the measured data. The diffusion-related non-linear characteristic of the battery was approximated by a capacitor-like linear voltage function for speed and simplicity. The initial capacitance of this bulk capacitor was estimated by linear regression on measurements recorded in the laboratory. Then, the RC parameters of the equivalent battery model were derived from exponential regression on transients during each current impulse cycle. The battery model with initial RC parameters is suitable for model-based online observers.