Battery Show Europe: Voltavision presents new cell test benches in rack arrangement with clamping plate temperature control and additional laboratories with climate-neutral cooling technology for the first time

This month, innovative power will once again meet industry expertise in Stuttgart. From June 18 to 20, 2024, the leading minds of the battery and e-mobility industry will once again gather at the Battery Show Europe. Voltavision, a pioneer and established specialist for battery testing in the development phase, will be presenting its portfolio of testing services as well as specially developed components for test benches for lithium cell contacting and test specimen temperature control. The Bochum-based company will also be providing information about the first test laboratory with climate-neutral refrigeration technology, in which CO2 and propane are used as refrigerants. While the EU requirements from the “F-Gas Regulation” stipulate the phasing out of HFCs by 2030, Voltavision has already succeeded in completely replacing them while maintaining the quality and reliability of the refrigeration process.

Realistic individual temperature control for higher efficiency and lower costs in cell testing

In Hall 6, Stand E27, the experts from Bochum will be showcasing their new “VPZ” cell test benches for the first time, with which even larger cell test setups can be temperature-controlled and tested independently of each other in separate test chambers using clamping plates. The concept of the test bench in a shelf arrangement - instead of a large test chamber with ambient cooling for several test specimens - has been in use at Voltavision since 2023, and the second generation is currently under construction. Voltavision is now presenting the concept of its new generation of cell testers with 12 compartments in one system for the first time at the Stuttgart trade fair. All individually equipped with connections for load cables and measuring equipment for voltage, temperature, displacement and force measurement, one test specimen per compartment can be easily connected using the plug & play method and individually tempered with a water-glycol mixture. Voltavision thus offers more realistic cell tests in line with the subsequent use of high-voltage batteries in electric cars with liquid cooling. Voltavision uses central cooling for the cold water circuit and operates the cell test benches with propane as a refrigerant, while the hot water circuit is heated with process waste heat from the nitrogen generation system. This approach results in high energy efficiency and CO2 savings.

In addition, the “VPZ” is particularly recommended when manufacturers want to simulate many different temperature ranges. The ability to test a separate scenario for each test specimen in each compartment offers many advantages and minimizes the risk of failure in the event of an accident, as only the affected test specimen fails and no further test series are jeopardized. Last but not least, there are far-reaching space and energy benefits: depending on the test scenario, significantly less space and energy is consumed, which in turn reduces the CO2 footprint and costs.

In addition, with the ESR-45 cell contacting systems for round cells and ESF-45 for smaller pouch cells, Voltavision will be presenting its own developments that combine easy handling with robust design and enormous adaptability while maintaining consistently high contact quality. With these cell contacting systems, the Bochum-based company also offers other test laboratories a new solution for use under the highest laboratory demands and test conditions for fast and reproducible contacting of cells of different sizes and designs.

First battery test laboratory with climate-neutral refrigeration technology based on natural refrigerants

Of course, sustainability also plays a major role at the Battery Show, especially at Voltavision. With several test laboratories with a total laboratory area of 4,600 square meters, 195 test chambers and 2111 test channels for cells, modules and batteries, the company is one of the leading test service providers for batteries. As a player in the transition to climate-friendly electromobility, Voltavision is constantly striving to become climate-neutral itself as quickly as possible and has put the first test laboratory with climate-neutral refrigeration technology, in which CO2 and propane are used as refrigerants, into operation. Voltavision has been using specially developed temperature control units - Voltacoolers - with high performance and low environmental impact for some time in order to reliably carry out the important tests on product properties at low temperatures down to -40 °C in the test laboratories. Engineers have now designed a system for these low temperatures that uses CO2 as a natural refrigerant. The entire system achieves a GWP value (Global Warming Potential) of less than 3 and an ODP value (Ozone Depletion Potential) of 0 - so unlike many other refrigerants, it is also completely harmless to the ozone layer. In Stuttgart, the Bochum-based company is presenting its concept of a climate-neutral central refrigeration system for batteries and, more recently, cells.