Cell balancing circuit design for battery management systems

Electrical energy is one of the inventions that make human life easier. Considering the use of electrical energy, electrically powered devices require stored electrical energy in environments where there is no network. In line with this need, battery technology has emerged and various electrical batteries have been developed by making many studies in this field. With the development and cheapening of battery technologies, electric motors have been preferred instead of internal combustion engines used in automobiles, and electric batteries have begun to be used in automobiles, which are one of the inventions that have a very important place in human life. Electric batteries are used not only in the automotive industry, but also in many areas such as marine vehicles and aviation technologies. In line with these developments, the usage areas of large battery packs are increasing day by day. While large battery packs are being designed, Battery Management Systems (BMS) are needed to operate battery packs efficiently and safely. Cell balancing systems, which are one of the most important components of battery management systems, come to the fore in order to use batteries in a long-lasting and efficient manner. In this study, battery types, battery management systems, cell balancing methods were investigated and two types of balancing methods were designed. In the study, passive and active balancing circuits were designed for the same battery pack, and these two balancing circuits were modeled in the simulation environment and the results obtained were compared and analyzed. The aim of this study is to investigate cell balancing methods, which is one of the most important components of battery management systems, and to make comparisons with designed balancing circuits to achieve optimum efficiency. In the results obtained, it has been revealed that the designed active balancing method is more advantageous in many points compared to the passive balancing method.