HiPot Test

The HiPot test applies a high potential to the cell to measure leakage current and/or internal resistance. HiPot testing is used to detect short circuits due to defects and/or insulation failures and is often used in battery Quality Control (QC).

  • Pros: Nondestructive, rapid (~seconds), and can directly measure the presence of an internal short.
  • Cons: Not spatially resolved and unable to detect latent defects.​

Isolation Tests on Assembled Cells come in a number of forms, but the intention is to check for:

  • foreign metallic particles
  • short circuits inside the cell
  • issues with the separator
  • burred edges on the electrodes
circuit schematic for HiPot test modelling

Using an ECM to Model HiPot Tests by Siddharth Kurwa

With the RC model, we can predict the expected dynamic response (leakage current) through the system for a given capacitance. The nominal capacitance and insulation resistance of the cell can be estimated by fitting this model to empirical current response.

References

  1. Decreasing Risk of Electrical Shorts in Lithium Ion Battery Cells, Steve Grodt, Chroma Systems Solutions

See also: Using an ECM to Model HiPot Tests