Avionics News July 2023 - 45

Lithium main ship batteries
are smaller, lighter
Also announced at the AEA Convention, True Blue
Power introduced two new lithium-ion main ship
batteries - the certified TB14 (13 amp-hour) for 28volt
aircraft and TB28-12V (26 amp-hour) for 14-volt
aircraft. Each weighing just 10 pounds, they are the
company's smallest and lightest main ship batteries
- even small enough that both batteries can fit in a
shoe box together - and designed specifically for
smaller fixed-wing Part 23 aircraft.
The first company in the world to engineer and
certify lithium-ion batteries for aviation, True Blue
Power designed the TB14 and TB28-12V main ship
batteries to provide more power per pound than any
other aircraft battery.
" Weight is particularly critical, and lithium is a
great weight savings compared to more traditional
lead acid and nickel cadmium batteries, " Williams
said. " But what we're also hearing from our customer
base is that, in some cases, it wasn't even the weight
that was driving their interest in the technology.
Instead, it's things like battery life; it's things like reliability
and starting power. It's all the other features
and benefits that lithium brings to their aircraft, rather
than necessarily just size and weight, even though
those are benefits as well. "
Both the TB14 and TB28-12V offer on-condition
maintenance, with intelligent cockpit communication
via discrete output and RS-232, and feature built-in
charge current limiting to protect the aircraft's alternator
or generator without needing to install additional
equipment.
Aircraft owners can save time and money with an
eight-year battery life and reduced maintenance costs
up to 90%, according to the company.
Other benefits of the batteries include the ability to:
* " Start lighter " by saving up to 20 pounds per
battery and increasing useful load.
* " Start faster " by extending component life with
cooler, faster, more reliable engine starts, and
gaining superior performance in extreme temperatures
(-20℃ to +70℃).
* " Start smarter " by eliminating capacity checks
with on-condition maintenance and receiving
intelligent cockpit communication via RS-232
and discrete signals.
Over the last 15 years, True Blue Power has had
a number of firsts in the development of lithium-ion
batteries for aviation and was early involved in
helping develop the industry standards that dictate
minimum performance requirements for these products.
The company has been a leader in the market,
providing batteries for a range of uses, from emergency
backup to engine start.
" Whether it was myself specifically or others on
our team, sitting on RTCA committees and working
directly with the FAA really helped us bring some of
these batteries to market as the standards and regulations
were evolving, " Williams said. " That represented
a unique challenge for us to continue to stay
on top of our game as the requirements changed, but
each time they did, we were keen to be first to market
with products that met the new standards so that they
would be considered safe and qualified for installation. "
Thanks
to its long experience with lithium batteries,
True Blue Power now is able to deliver " smart
batteries " of a size appropriate for light Part 23 aircraft,
which also marks the first time the company has
produced a battery for a 14-volt airplane. The TB14
and TB28-12V offer intelligent digital battery management
and a high level of safety, design assurance,
and software certification, according to Williams.
" That's leveraged our many years of experience on
how to design and manufacture lithium-ion batteries
and all the protections that are required in order to
deliver a very safe product. We bring a higher premium
of competence to users, " he said.
" For instance, lithium technology can deliver a
whole lot of power - which is great for starting an
engine - but it also can absorb a whole lot of power.
It's like a big sponge, and a small Part 23 airplane
doesn't have a lot of power to give. So if you drop a
lithium battery into a typical Part 23 airplane, a lot
of times, you'll get alternator overruns, brownouts,
or overloads because it's absorbing all the electrical
power that the aircraft can produce. It may even take
down some of your avionics in the process because
it's the batteries absorbing all that electrical current.
" So we designed a current limiter in our battery, and
that way, it doesn't overload smaller electrical systems
in the Part 23 market, " he continued. " We've considered
all the potential challenges and roadblocks Part 23
operators may be facing when they put new technology
into the airplane, and we're taking all of that into
Continued on following page
avionics news * july 2023 45
Avionics News July 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Avionics News July 2023
