Low Temperature Battery Characterization

In support of its remote power stations in Antarctica, the IDL undertook to better understand how sealed lead-acid batteries respond to temperature.

The experiments are long and tedious if there is no automation. Consequently, the environmental chamber, the power supply, the programmable load and some sensors were connected into an automated system that could easily run this simple experiment over a period of days.

Block Diagram of the automated system for low-temperature testing of batteries.  Battery Test results at -10C.