AN EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION TO IMPROVE LEAD ACID BATTERY RECHARGING ALGORITHMS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE

An experimental testing program has been developed that looks to optimize the battery recharging algorithms to improve battery lifetime and state of charge knowledge. The first phase of the testing targeted lead acid battery performance characterization as a function of controlled environmental temperatures. Subsequent testing includes performance testing under alternator recharging using default and proposed charging algorithms. A new experimental apparatus has been developed to integrate battery testing with alternator charging to simulate in-vehicle operations under controlled environmental conditions. Results are presented for the baseline performance testing, a model is presented for the characterization of battery parameters and a description of the test apparatus and approach employed for the integrated alternator testing is included.