Uncertainty analysis of selected standard methods in battery measurement technology

Measuring the state of batteries and their change over time is essential during research and development. A number of standard test methods are available to determine specific cell parameters, such as capacitance, internal resistance, coulombic efficiency, etc. Although these methods have been in use for a long time, a thorough analysis of the uncertainties associated with them – especially when using high-precision measuring equipment – is still lacking.

Therefore, a primary goal of this work is to close this gap. For each method, the results of the uncertainty analysis are divided into a variable part (noise, jitter) and a constant part (absolute accuracy). In addition, the theoretical analysis is accompanied by practical measurement results from a high-precision measurement hardware, demonstrating what is currently possible with state-of-the-art equipment.

The constant part of the uncertainty is mainly limited by the used calibration equipment. For the variable part of uncertainty, the situation is somewhat more varied. Using a battery temperature control with a variability of only ±0,1 C capacity, capacity change and coulombic efficiency still show a strong influence on the prevailing small temperature variations. For the voltage analysis methods (differential capacity and voltage analysis) the predominate factor is voltage noise and drift.