A Battery Management and Control System using a Universal Reconfigurable Architecture for Extended Health of Batteries in Hybrid and/or All-Electric Propulsion Systems

NASA seeks intelligent monitoring for hybrid and/or all electric propulsion systems, as well as methods to significantly extend the life of electric aircraft propulsion energy sources. From the available energy sources, Lithium-based batteries play a key role due to their high energy and power volumetric and gravimetric densities. The requirement to evolve towards more fuel efficient and more environmentally friendly aircrafts demands Lithium-based battery systems that can operate for longer periods of time in a safer and more reliable manner. On the battery monitoring and control area, focus has been directed at achieving accurate and stable long-term estimation of cell State of Charge (SOC), State of Health (SOH), and Remaining Useful Life (RUL). These efforts have achieved excellent progress and accuracies below 3% error are common now. Complimentary to these efforts, new approaches are needed that intelligently utilize the estimated and predicted information and turn it into tangible and considerable battery health and life performance improvements. Fuel-based aircrafts also benefit from these advances as they use batteries to power auxiliary loads, which also demand intelligent battery utilization that can translate into longer battery life and safety. Our proposed system answers these needs through the creation of a battery that adapts to the demands of the application and to the changes the battery suffers as it ages.

NASA has great interest in methods and approaches for intelligent monitoring of electric power and propulsion systems for hybrid and/or all-electric aircrafts. NASA is specifically interested in the areas of intelligent monitoring and battery life and health improvement methods for fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly aircrafts. This includes the development of battery management systems capable to significantly extend the life of batteries while at the same time ensuring safety and performance.

The proposed system has many market applications in different industries such as exploration, defense, terrestrial hybrid and all-electric vehicles, unmanned vehicles, and energy sectors. Other government agencies, including DOD, DOE, DOT, and commercial sectors will benefit from this technology. Battery technologies are constantly being sought for renewable systems, such as solar, wind, and hybrid and electric vehicles. Besides propulsion systems batteries are used in commercial airplanes for auxiliary load support among others.

This is early/mid-stage (TRL 6) — the most realistic path in is NASA SBIR/STTR, which funds small businesses and research institutions to develop technology aligned with NASA's needs (equity-free, phased funding). Check whether a current SBIR/STTR solicitation topic overlaps with this project's technology area, or contact the project directly (above) to ask.

None of these are guaranteed paths for this specific project — TechPort itself doesn't have an "apply" button. Reaching out to the contact(s) above with a specific question is usually the fastest way to find out what's actually open.