Battery knowledge · Charging and discharging
Pulse charging
Charging with current pulses separated by rests or short discharges, intended to let concentration gradients relax and reduce plating. Benefits for lithium-ion are modest and depend on the cell; it is not standard practice. [1]
Example
Separate peak from average current
A 4 A charge pulse that is on for 10 s and off for 10 s has a 2 A average over one full period. Its peak current is still 4 A. Matching average current alone does not match instantaneous heating or electrochemical response.
Explore the graph
See which quantity is held constant, when the phase changes and how charging ends.
Current alternates between 5 A and rest at two-thirds duty. Rest allows relaxation; this does not establish a faster or healthier charging method.
I_average = duty × I_peak
Illustrative model. Positive current charges the cell. Time is normalized; selected thresholds are not cell-specific recommendations. The voltage trace ends at termination; post-stop relaxation is excluded.
Use in Lemonergy
Design protocol or analysis tool
Build pulse and rest
The bench programs direction, current, timing and repetitions.
Equation or tool to use
- Pulse
Applies repeated pulses
Inputs & settings
- direction
- a
- pulseS / restS
- count
This overview identifies the components to use. Follow the example in Lemonergy for their connections and settings.
Example. 10 A for 10 s adds 100 C, about 0.0278 Ah, before efficiency adjustment.
Observe. Rest and pulse timing change excitation.
Pulse programming does not establish faster, safer or longer-life charging. An existing pack and product access are required.
Open Design → Protocol bench →References & further reading
Technical references
- Lithium-ion battery fast charging: A review
Anna Tomaszewska et al. · eTransportation · 2019
Technical reference · CC-CV and alternative charging protocols, transport limitations, degradation and thermal implications; results depend on cell and test conditions. Software behavior is documented separately in Lemonergy block references.