Search

US-20260128308-A1 - SPACE-RATED BATTERY PACK

US20260128308A1US 20260128308 A1US20260128308 A1US 20260128308A1US-20260128308-A1

Abstract

A battery pack for use in a spacecraft is provided. The battery pack includes one or more cells and an enclosure operable to receive the one or more cells therein. The one or more cells have a cathode material that includes lithium, iron, and phosphate. The enclosure is constructed at least partially of aluminum and is operable to provide radiation shielding.

Inventors

  • Neeldev KUNJUR

Assignees

  • K2 SPACE CORPORATION

Dates

Publication Date
20260507
Application Date
20251229

Claims (20)

  1. 1 . A battery pack for use in a spacecraft, the battery pack comprising: one or more cells having cathode material including lithium, iron, and phosphate; an enclosure operable to receive the one or more cells, the enclosure being at least partially made of aluminum and operable to provide radiation shielding.
  2. 2 . The battery pack of claim 1 , wherein the cathode material includes LiFePO4.
  3. 3 . The battery pack of claim 1 , further comprising a battery management system coupled with the one or more cells, the battery management system operable to monitor performance of the one or more cells.
  4. 4 . The battery pack of claim 3 , wherein the performance of the one or more cells includes temperature, managing operation performance within safe operating area, voltage, current, and/or state of balance between the one or more cells.
  5. 5 . The battery pack of claim 3 , wherein the battery management system is received in the enclosure.
  6. 6 . The battery pack of claim 1 , wherein the one or more cells are rechargeable.
  7. 7 . The battery pack of claim 1 , wherein the enclosure includes greater than 50% aluminum.
  8. 8 . The battery pack of claim 1 , wherein the enclosure is entirely made of aluminum.
  9. 9 . The battery pack of claim 1 , wherein the one or more cells provides passive thermal runaway resistance.
  10. 10 . A spacecraft comprising: one or more solar arrays; a battery pack coupled with the one or more solar arrays, the battery pack including: one or more cells having cathode material including lithium, iron, and phosphate; an enclosure operable to receive the one or more cells, the enclosure being at least partially made of aluminum and operable to provide radiation shielding, wherein the one or more cells is operable to store energy and be charged via the one or more solar arrays.
  11. 11 . The spacecraft of claim 10 , wherein the cathode material includes LiFePO4.
  12. 12 . The spacecraft of claim 10 , further comprising a battery management system coupled with the one or more cells, the battery management system operable to monitor performance of the one or more cells.
  13. 13 . The spacecraft of claim 12 , wherein the performance of the one or more cells includes temperature, managing operation performance within safe operating area, voltage, current, and/or state of balance between the one or more cells.
  14. 14 . The spacecraft of claim 12 , wherein the battery management system is received in the enclosure.
  15. 15 . The spacecraft of claim 10 , wherein the one or more cells are rechargeable.
  16. 16 . The spacecraft of claim 10 , further comprising one or more spacecraft components coupled with the battery pack such that the battery pack is operable to supply power to the one or more spacecraft components.
  17. 17 . The spacecraft of claim 10 , wherein the enclosure is operable to mount the battery pack to a structure of the spacecraft.
  18. 18 . The spacecraft of claim 10 , wherein the enclosure is greater than 50% aluminum.
  19. 19 . The spacecraft of claim 10 , wherein the enclosure is entirely made of aluminum.
  20. 20 . The spacecraft of claim 10 , wherein the spacecraft includes a satellite.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application is a continuation of International Patent Application PCT/US24/036175 filed Jun. 28, 2024, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/524,001, filed in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Jun. 29, 2023, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes. FIELD The present disclosure relates generally to a space-rated battery pack. In at least one example, the present disclosure relates to a space-rated battery pack containing Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) battery cells and a battery management system (BMS) enclosed within an aluminum radiation shield. BACKGROUND Conventional battery packs for use in space are optimized for high energy density. For example, some conventional battery packs utilize cell chemistries such as Nickel Manganese Cobalt (NMC), which suffers from issues related to thermal runaway, narrow charge/discharge temperature range, and low life cycles. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Implementations of the present technology will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the attached figures, wherein: FIG. 1 illustrates an environment for the battery pack, according to the present disclosure; FIG. 2 illustrates the battery pack mechanical design, including battery cells for a battery management system (BMS) enclosed within a radiation shield; FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a power architecture; FIG. 4 illustrates Nickel Manganese Cobalt (NMC) cell chemistry versus conventional Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) cell chemistry; FIG. 5 illustrates NMC cell performance versus LFP cell performance; and FIG. 6 is a graph that illustrates the effectiveness of the aluminum shielding of the battery pack as a function of aluminum thickness. SUMMARY Aspects of the present disclosure include a battery pack for use in a spacecraft. The battery pack includes one or more cells and an enclosure. The one or more cells have a cathode material that includes lithium, iron, and phosphate. The enclosure, which can receive the one or more cells, is at least partially made of aluminum and can provide radiation shielding. In various possible examples, the cathode material includes LiFePO4. In various possible examples, the battery pack includes a battery management system coupled with the one or more cells. The battery management system can monitor performance of the one or more cells. In some examples, the performance of the one or more cells includes temperature, managing operation performance within safe operating area, voltage, current, and/or state of balance between the one or more cells. In some examples, the battery management system is received in the enclosure. In various possible examples, the one or more cells are rechargeable. Aspects of the present disclosure include a spacecraft that includes one or more solar arrays, a battery pack, and an enclosure. The battery pack, which is coupled to the one or more solar arrays, includes one or more cells that have cathode material that includes lithium, iron, and phosphate. The enclosure, which can receive the one or more cells, is at least partially made of aluminum and can provide radiation shielding. The one or more cells can store energy and can be charged by the one or more solar arrays. In various possible examples, the cathode material includes LiFePO4. In various possible examples, the spacecraft includes a battery management system coupled with the one or more cells. The battery management system can monitor performance of the one or more cells. In some examples, the performance of the one or more cells includes temperature, managing operation performance within safe operating area, voltage, current, and/or state of balance between the one or more cells. In some examples, the battery management system is received in the enclosure. In various possible examples, the one or more cells are rechargeable. In various possible examples, the spacecraft includes one or more spacecraft components coupled with the battery pack such that the battery pack can supply power to the one or more spacecraft components. In various possible examples, the enclosure can mount the battery pack to a structure of the spacecraft In various possible examples, the spacecraft includes a satellite. DETAILED DESCRIPTION Various embodiments of the disclosure are discussed in detail below. While specific implementations are discussed, it should be understood that this is done for illustration purposes only. A person skilled in the relevant art will recognize that other components and configurations may be used without parting from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Additional features and advantages of the disclosure will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or can be learned by practice of the principles disclosed herein. The features and advantages of the disclosure can be realized and obt