An ultrasound tool used to measure lithium batteries (Photo © Kjetil Daae Lohne/NORCE)

New Ultrasound Method Could Optimise Battery Reuse

NORCE researchers have begun a new collaborative project aimed at using ultrasound technology to determine the viability of used lithium batteries in the transport sector. This project could help determine which batteries can be reused and which should be recycled.

Batteries will play a central role in the upcoming green shift, as well as in the electrification of the transportation sector and society at large. However, these batteries will eventually become depleted and need to be replaced.

Using ultrasound technology to accurately determine the viability and health of these batteries could lead to sustainable battery management, reduce their carbon footprint and help prevent the risk of unexpected fires from deteriorating batteries.

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Funded by the Regional Research Fund Vestland, this cooperative project brings NORCE together with the Institute for Energy Technology (IFE), Corvus Energy, AS Batteriretur Hydro Energy AS and Repack AS.

“Reuse and recycling of such batteries are therefore essential to make production more sustainable and reduce the emissions of CO₂ associated with production. Lithium is also a scarce resource that is both very expensive and resource-intensive to extract”, said Geir Nævdal, NORCE researcher and Project Manager for this new battery project.

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Can still be used

The project will focus on lithium batteries used specifically in electric cars and the maritime sector. These are quite different from traditional starter batteries used in early model cars.

Read more about this project

“A challenge when reusing batteries is that there is a lack of good and accurate methods for determining the health status of the batteries”, says Nævdal.

The use of ultrasounds has previously been used in the oil industry and within medical technology. The knowledge acquired from this project could have applications in other fields, such as in the development and advancement of fuel cells.

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Created 31/01/2022