Daekyung Electric - KITECH Develops Micro-Arc Prevention System
Solving copper-aluminum joint problems using electromagnetic force
Simultaneous production of pyramid embossed structure trays


An ESS is a combination of numerous batteries and connectors. Therefore, if a micro-arc—a small spark—occurs in one battery, it can easily spread to other batteries, leading to a large-scale fire.

To prevent this, the occurrence of micro-arcs must be reduced first, and second, a system must be established to detect micro-arcs early and prevent them from leading to fire.

The Korea Institute of Industrial Technology (KITECH) announced on the 6th that it has succeeded in developing an 'ESS micro arc detection system' in collaboration with Daekyung Electric, an Energy Storage System (ESS) manufacturer.

Daekyung Electric, focusing on the cause of micro-arc generation, diagnosed that as the connection part of the battery connector becomes loose, energy transfer efficiency decreases, and eventually micro-arc occurs due to overload.

To improve this, Daekyung Electric decided to add a buffer between the battery and the connector. In addition, an idea was devised to increase the capture rate of micro-arc signals by manufacturing the inside of the top of the battery tray in a pyramid embossing shape, thereby increasing the rate of reach to the sensor through the reflection of light from the micro-arcs.

However, the key issue was how to solve the bonding problem between copper, the battery connector material, and aluminum, the cushioning material, and the tearing problem of the tip of the pyramid embossing during general press forming.

Dr. Shim Ji-yeon of the Carbon Materials Application Research Group at KITECH solved the problems based on electromagnetic force-based high-speed bonding and forming technology.

The problem of joining dissimilar materials, copper and aluminum, was solved by utilizing the principle that when different materials collide at high speeds of over 200 m/s using electromagnetic force, they instantly change into a fluid-like state and become strongly bonded.

Similarly, when aluminum is formed at high speed using electromagnetic force, localized heating improves formability, which made it possible to produce a tray with a pointed pyramid embossing structure.

The pyramid embossing structure allows more than 80% of micro-arc signals to be captured by just a single sensor through light reflection, regardless of which battery micro-arcs occur. It also resulted in cost savings as a large number of sensors were not required.

This research was conducted through KITECH's 'Collaborative Technology Development Project with Leading Research Institutions Supporting SMEs.' The developed product is scheduled to be launched in the first half of this year following validation testing.