NASA- kBMS: -String Li-ion Safety System

Overview

The KULR Battery Management System (kBMS) is engineered to meet the stringent demands for space applications, ensuring safe and reliable operation under extreme conditions.

A Battery Management System (BMS) is critical for space applications. It ensures the safety, reliability, and longevity of battery systems by actively monitoring the voltage, temperature, and state of charge while preventing overcharging and deep discharge. In the extreme conditions of space—where radiation, temperature fluctuations, and power constraints pose significant challenges—a BMS optimizes performance and safeguards mission success by providing precise control and fault protection.

The KULR BMS (kBMS) is designed for compatibility with batteries that have lithium-ion cell chemistries, with current support featured for up to 8 series strings. The kBMS is designed around a chipset that is available through TI in both a radiation tolerant and non-radiation tolerant form. Users can select the necessary level of protection for their application.

Additionally, the kBMS is constructed with integrated safety features such as overcurrent, overvoltage, and undervoltage protections. It is designed to provide necessary levels of fault tolerance for batteries that satisfy NASA’s Crewed Space Vehicle Battery Safety Requirements standard, JSC 20793 Revision

D.

• Available in both radiation tolerant (75 kRad TID) and non-radiation tolerant formats
• Rigorously tested against thermal and vibration profiles for prominent spacecraft, such as the Space Launch System (SLS)
• JSC 20793 Revision D certification compatibility
• 8 series strings, 33.6 V
• Passive balancing of series strings
• Temperature monitoring of the module
• UART communications off board and I2C onboard
• Killswitch integration for long duration pre-launch storage