The US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) has commissioned a new prismatic battery cell production line, giving researchers and industry partners access to a facility designed to develop and validate next-generation battery technologies at an industrially relevant scale.
The new line, located within DOE’s Grid Storage Launchpad (GSL) facility in Richland, Washington, occupies a 1,400ft² (130m²) dry-room laboratory and comprises 16 pieces of manufacturing equipment. According to PNNL, it is the first prismatic cell production line operated by a US national laboratory.
Prismatic cells are rectangular batteries enclosed in rigid metal casings. The format is attracting increasing interest for grid-scale energy storage and heavy-duty transport applications because of its packaging efficiency and thermal management characteristics.
PNNL: creating and demonstrating prismatic cells at an industrially relevant scale
“With the new prismatic line, we can create, test and demonstrate real-world prismatic cells at an industrially relevant scale. This helps our researchers bridge the gap between science and industry,” said Adam Jivelekas, operations manager of DOE’s Grid Storage Launchpad, which is operated by PNNL and funded by DOE’s Office of Electricity.
“We can help external researchers or industry partners test and validate their prismatic cell designs.”
The line has been installed inside an ultra-low-humidity dry room because battery materials can be damaged by even small amounts of moisture. Researchers will use the facility to manufacture and evaluate emerging battery chemistries and cell designs under conditions that more closely resemble commercial production.
PNNL said prismatic cells are becoming increasingly important for stationary energy storage systems because their robust metal housings help dissipate heat more effectively than some alternative cell formats.
The laboratory expects the new capability to support both lithium-ion and sodium-ion battery research. Speaking previously about the facility, PNNL materials scientist Cassidy Anderson said: “We will be the only National Laboratory under the Department of Energy that can make prismatic cell batteries.”
“We plan on testing a couple new chemistries in that format, including both lithium- and sodium-type chemistries.”
The commissioning of the prismatic line expands the capabilities of the Grid Storage Launchpad, which was opened to accelerate development of long-duration and grid-scale energy storage technologies. In addition to the new prismatic cell line, the facility includes dry rooms, advanced characterisation equipment and automated battery research systems designed to speed up battery development and scale-up.
Photo: PNNL’s new prismatic cell line will allow researchers and industry partners to create, test and demonstrate real-world prismatic cells at an industrially relevant scale
Credit: Andrea Starr/Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
