Blue Whale Energy & Innovation provides tailored battery testing and evaluation services for the increasingly diverse set of battery chemistries, enabling a growing circular economy.
Testing & Evaluation Services Added in April 2023
Blue Whale Materials acquired Eclipse Energy in April 2023, bringing 12 years of experience in the battery testing and evaluation business to Blue Whale Energy & Innovation.
Tailored Solutions on your Timeline.
With +700 test channels in 8,000 sf Lab, BWE&I has the capacity to accommodate out-of-the-box testing requirements, including performance assessment, thermal cycling, aging analysis, and abuse and safety testing, for a variety of battery chemistries, such as lead acid, lithium-ion, and other emerging chemistries (NiZn, Na+, etc.).
Offerings up to 420V.
21 new testing machines, including high voltage module cyclers, advanced cell cyclers, and temperature chambers enhance our capacity for rigorous testing. We test anything from alkaline AAA batteries to lithium cells and modules in EV’s and hybrids to lead acid starter batteries and industrial packs, and do so to all industry standards, such as VDA, EN, USABC, IEC, IEEE, JIS, BCI, SAE, Freedom Car, and ABNT. There are many more standards out there, so please don’t hesitate to ask us if you are interested in a specific one.
Energy IQ - Education, Training & Consulting (ETC).
BWE&I ETC (Education, Training, and Consulting) offers new education and training courses covering design, testing & evaluation, and safety at the cell, module, and pack level, delivered in person by experts in the field. Courses include Cell 101, Validation & Safety, Battery Management System (BMS), and Second Life & Recycling.
The BWE&I team, with more than 100 years of experience and access to an extended network of battery specialists, can provide support with validation planning, emergency response standards, project management, and consulting as needed. We can design custom test profiles or work with you to review your custom profiles.
Closing the li-ion loop with BWM.
By testing batteries on the pack, module, and cell level prior to processing, BWE&I can send viable batteries back into the supply chain for secondary use or to Blue Whale Materials to be processed into BLACKSAND™.
Capabilities and Expertise
The lists below include, but are not limited to, some of the key aspects of the areas we serve and our capabilities and expertise.
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• Lead acid (flooded, AGM, EFB, Bipolar, etc.)
• Lithium ion (NMC, LFP, LTO, etc.)
• Nickel-Zinc
• Alkaline
• Emerging and experimental
• Cell, module, and battery pack
• Cylindrical, pouch, prismatic
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• Automotive (Starting, Lighting, & Ignition)
• Electric & Hybrid Electric Vehicle
• Industrial/Heavy Equipment (Forklift, golf cart, construction equipment, etc.)
• Telecom
• Data Center
• Military
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• Battery testing
-Industry standards
-Customer standards
-Customer specific
• Lead-acid battery engineering & failure/warranty analysis
-Tear down facility & 30 years expertise
-Materials analysis via partner laboratories
• Consulting
- Validation planning
- Project management
- Custom test profiles
- Safety standards
- Battery design
- Test planning
- Supply chain
• Validation planning & project management
• Mechanical and abuse testing
- Up to 5kWh modules
- Mechanical
- Nail penetration
- Thermal cycle/thermal
shock
- Electrochemical
- Overcharge & overheat
• Battery integration & maintenance
• Recycling and second-life solutions
- End-of-life (EoL) state-of-health testing for packs, modules, and cells
- Service model for recalls or EoL determination for warranty batteries
- Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS)
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• 700 programmable test channels with constant current, voltage, and power modes
- 0 TO 420 volts
- 0 to 1,000 amps single station
-Up to 2,000 amps paralleled stations
- Up to 270kW
• Thermal control
- Steady-state ovens and freezers
-Programmable thermal cycle chambers
- <1 ft3 to > 32 ft3 space per chamber
- -70°C to 340°C range
- Can custom build steady state ovens
- Waterbaths (25°C to 75°C operation)
• Various calibrated and reference meters, scales, calipers, gauges, etc.
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• Lead acid specifications
-SAE: J537, J2801, J2185, J3060
-EN: 50342-1, 50342-6
-BCIS: -04, -05, -06, -14, -15, -22
-IEC: 60896-11, 60896-21, 60896-22, 61427-1
-JIS: D5301, D5302
-Telecordia GR-4228
-ABNT NBR: 15940, 15941
-USABC
-Various OEM specifications (GM, Ford, Toyota, Honda, etc.)
• Lithium and other secondary specifications
-Performance-based:
-IEC: 61960-3, 62620
-Telecordia GR-3150-CORE
-Safety & abuse-based:
-UN 38.3
-IEC: 62281, 62133, 62619
-UL: 1642, 2271, 1973, 2054
-BATSO: 01, 02
-Telecordia GR-3150-CORE
• Commonly conducted tests:
-Low rates/capacity (reserve capacity, 100-, 20-, 10-, 5-, 1-hr rates)
-High rates (cold cranking amps, HPPC characterization)
-Charge float
-OCV stand
-Parasitic drain
-Case freeze
-Drive cycle
-Durability :
-Simple cycle life
-Complex cycle life
-Corrosion resistance
-Micro cycling
-Deep cycling
-Waterloss
Certification
BWE&I is ISO/IEC 17025 accredited and has maintained this certification in electrical testing of industry standards and parameter-based tests since 2017. We utilize a parameter-based scope of accreditation such that any test method or standard run in our laboratory which falls within the parameters listed on our scope of accreditation is considered an accredited test unless otherwise noted. In the event that certain circumstances require the test standard be listed on the scope of accreditation, we are happy to work with our accrediting body to add these tests/standards as required.
danny marshall, lead engineer of testing and evaluation
Danny spearheads the test and evaluation vertical for Blue Whale Energy and Innovation, leveraging his expertise in electrochemical systems. Though it is the central focus, his vision extends beyond just testing; he is instrumental in developing grading technology for batteries entering the recycling process, maximizing both sustainability and profitability. With an esteemed background in the U.S. Air Force and a summa cum laude distinction from UT Knoxville in electrical engineering, Danny Marshall brings a rich tapestry of experience to Blue Whale Energy and Innovation.
1752 Fields Blvd. Greenfield, IN 46140