Need help on Pouch cells to recover battery and its overall bank.

[Aldricoak]

Hello community, I have a CHINS battery (12.8V 100AH) with LiFePo4 cells. The battery pack contains four pararelled pairs strung in series to create the overall battery specs. The first pair of pouches seem to be not holding a charge. I have moved the pack about the bank with no improvement. I have top balanced this pack on several attempts. I have removed the pair and attempted to charge them independently but they fail direct charge. 1) I need to know what the amp amount of pair is. 2) I am assuming these are A123 pouches and need to know who carries these in the US. The only markings I could find on the pouch cells are: LY26F1316524508066

 

[sunshine_eggo]

So that's a 2P4S battery.

If it's a 100Ah battery, each "cell" must have 100Ah. Since two parallel cells form a "cell" each should have 50Ah.

It's likely that one of the two in the pair has failed, and it's dragging the other one down with it.

Were you out of warranty on the battery?

 

[OffGridForGood]

Searched the part number got this 50Ah result - maybe this helps, looks like the original company has changed hands a few times.

https://www.evlithium.com/A123-Battery/504.html

 

[Aldricoak]

Awesome guys! Thanks for the help. I couldn't identify it or find the maker. Thank you very much. As for the battery, it was a special deal I had with CHINS and didnt have a warranty with it. No big deal. I wanted to learn, so I opened it.

 

[sunshine_eggo]

Awesome guys! Thanks for the help. I couldn't identify it or find the maker. Thank you very much. As for the battery, it was a special deal I had with CHINS and didnt have a warranty with it. No big deal. I wanted to learn, so I opened it.

Can you un-parallel the two cells? That might help you isolate which has failed.

 

[Aldricoak]

Yes. I did this exactly. The two cells are held in place by a square plastic frame. The frame has two pairs of brass screw insets at the top to which the cell packs are held in place by their respective + & - tabs. These tabs rest atop of each other and have holes to allow screws to pass. The screws insert into the brass insets atop the aformentioned frame and the whole battery pack is compressed by two metal plates at each broad end. In turn the whole tjing is locked in place by some polyvinyl brands. In any case I will be buying a pair to ensure the problem is gone.

 

[Jason Bailey]

If your LiFePo4 pouch cells aren't holding a charge, it could be a bummer. You've tried moving the pack around and even balancing it, but no luck. If you're looking to recover those cells, knowing the amp amount of the pair and finding A123 pouches could be key. Have you checked with local suppliers or online stores for those specific cells? Sometimes contacting the manufacturer directly can also help.