ELT3000 Lithium-Ion Battery Leak Detector for Pouch Cell Testing

INFICON recently announced a new device for integrity testing of lithium-ion battery cells, such as those used in mobile devices, power tools, medical devices or in drive batteries for EV, HEV and FCV vehicles. The product portfolio has now been expanded by an FTC3000 flexible chamber for pouch cell testing.

FTC3000 flexible chamber for pouch cell testing

The flexible chamber was originally developed for leak testing of food packages and has now been adopted to the needs of pouch cell battery testing. A pouch cell is placed between two membranes and when the chamber lid is closed, a vacuum is applied in the small space between the two membrane layers. Pouch cells when exposed to vacuum without any support bear the risk of inflating and finally bursting. The two membranes of the flexible chamber form a customized chamber around the pouch cell (like in vacuum packaging), thus supporting the pouch cells mechanically and preventing any damage to the pouch cell due to leak testing. The patented design of the flexible chamber enables non-destructive testing of pouch cells under vacuum conditions without masking leaks. The testing envelope of the flexible chamber is 380 mm x 380 mm and allows the user to test either one larger pouch cell or several smaller pouch cells.

Direct leak testing by detection of electrolyte solvent

The new ELT3000 device consists of two components: a gas detection system for electrolyte solvents and a control unit for the gas flows. After the battery is placed in the FTC3000 flexible chamber, the test can be started at the push of a button. The control unit then generates a vacuum of a few mbar (absolute) in the chamber. Battery cells are usually filled with electrolyte at a pressure of 50 to 300 mbar. The pressure difference causes electrolyte to escape from the cell through any leaks and the solvent content evaporates in the vacuum of the test chamber. This makes it detectable for the mass spectrometer of the gas detection system. The ELT3000 can directly detect all common electrolyte solvents such as DMC, DEC or EMC.

Further information can be found on our website.

Our tip: Please contact us if you are considering installing automated batch testing for quality assurance in your cell production. At INFICON, we work closely with system integrators who can design your vacuum test chamber to the ELT3000 system according to your exact needs.

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