Course Catalogue

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This course provides an exploration of battery technologies, from fundamental principles to advanced applications. Students will gain comprehensive insight into battery types, design, modelling, and management, covering key chemistries, performance metrics, and efficiency considerations. The course also examines battery materials, cell design, testing, ageing, and thermal management, with an introduction to battery management systems (BMS).

2 x 1 hour lecture for 10 weeks (20 hours of lecture in total)

3-hour lab sessions, 4 times per semester

4 x 1 hour tutorial per semester

Mandatory Entry Requirements

None

Recommended Entry Requirements

None

None

None

■ 50% Written Examination -

■ The 2 out of 4 questions format is preferred.

■ The suggested exam duration is 1 hour.

■ The exam is planned as an in-person on-campus exam.

■ 50% Written Assignment - The written assignment include: 

■ Lab reports (15%),

■ Technical essay (15%), on modern battery technologies 

■ Group design activities (20%), including presentation on practical/theoretical knowledge.

Reassessments are normally available for all courses, except those which contribute to the Honours classification. Where, exceptionally, reassessment on Honours courses is required to satisfy professional/accreditation requirements, only the overall course grade achieved at the first attempt will contribute to the Honours classification. For non-Honours courses, students are offered reassessment in all or any of the components of assessment if the satisfactory (threshold) grade for the overall course is not achieved at the first attempt. This is normally grade D3 for undergraduate students and grade C3 for postgraduate students. Exceptionally it may not be possible to offer reassessment of some coursework items, in which case the mark achieved at the first attempt will be counted towards the final course grade. Any such exceptions for this course are described below. 

The aims of this course are to:

■ Develop an appreciation for the type, range and design of batteries;

■ Develop a detailed appreciation of the battery parts in the context of materials;

■ Develop a detailed appreciation of battery management system principles and operation.

■ Develop skills in battery modelling.

■ Provide participants with an appreciation for the product lifecycle of batteries including ageing and degradation mechanism; 

■ Provide participants with a practical appreciation of battery technological concepts in terms of the design, management, manufacturing, and recycling.

By the end of this course students will be able to:

■ Critically appraise diverse battery types and technologies, including lithium, post-lithium, and emerging alternatives, examining their advantages across applications such as consumer electronics, electric vehicles, transportation systems (e-aircraft), and stationary energy storage.

■ Formulate and apply advanced mathematical models to analyse battery properties, performance characteristics, and aging mechanisms.

■ Design, optimize, and assess battery management systems for a range of applications, integrating state estimation, health diagnostics, and control strategies to enhance reliability and efficiency.

■ Compare, substantiate, and justify battery technologies against other energy storage systems in terms of power quality, cost, and efficiency, using advanced testing and evaluation methodologies.

Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course's summative assessment.

Students must attend the timetabled laboratory classes.

Note that these are minimum requirements: good students will achieve far higher participation/submission rates. Any student who misses an assessment or a significant number of classes because of illness or other good cause should report this by completing a MyCampus absence report.