SAE Update - June 2022 - 27

TECH FOCUS:
TESTiNg
against cooling-system leaks, specified leak
rates need to be much lower than currently
required. INFICON's testing also determined
that lower rates could be detected by tracergas
testing with a high degree of confidence.
INFICON scientists used glass capillaries
to simulate leak channels of various
diameters. They also tested with various
channel lengths and inlet-outlet pressures
to confirm leak rates for capillaries with a
diameter of 5-30 microns - barely larger
than the diameter of a strand of spider web.
The INFICON tests used a variety of
pressures to simulate typical battery-pack
operation. Leak rates for coolant
penetration through well-defined openings
were correlated to helium leak rates by
measuring gas flow through the same
openings with a helium leak detector.
The company's research confirms that
gas-based test methods can be used to
accurately detect potential leak channels in
battery packs using a variety of housing
materials, whether the cooling fluid is
water or a water-glycol mixture and under
a variety of temperatures and pressures.
Similar tests also are effective for leaktesting
cooling channels in fuel-cell stacks.
INFICON offers a variety of gas-based
leak-detection systems, including industryfirst
mass-spectrometer technology that
enables testing of all types of lithium-ion
battery cells and battery packs, whether
" dry " or filled with electrolytes. Gas-based
systems provide quantifiable and repeatable
results with extremely high sensitivity rates.
Laboratory tests demonstrate the
accuracy and effectiveness of INFICON's
gas-based leak-detection systems,
according to Thomas Parker, the company's
North American automotive sales manager.
He notes that INFICON customers already
are conducting validation tests for gasbased
leak-detection systems on
production lines.
" Our research and customer studies
provide hard data and scientific proof that
gas-based leak detection is needed to
ensure safety, lower warranty costs, and
maintain high levels of customer
satisfaction, " Parker said. " Using INFICON
equipment with such high sensitivity rates
will ensure batteries and their assembled
packs operate as intended, help increase
consumer confidence in EVs, and drive
growth in coming years. "
A print or digital copy of INFICON's SAE
Lab tests conducted last year at iNFiCON's facilities in
Cologne, germany, established that to safely protect against
cooling-system leaks, specified leak rates need to be much
lower than currently required.
UPDATE
Paper (2022-01-0716) is available from SAE
for $33. There is a discount for SAE
members. n
June 2022
27
INFICON
https://www.sae.org/publications/technical-papers/content/2022-01-0716/
SAE Update - June 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of SAE Update - June 2022
