A Lead-Acid Battery Discharge Emulator with a Hardware-in-the-Loop System for Low-Power General Applications

This study addresses the critical need for efficient laboratory methods to test battery performance, identified through a bibliometric analysis of research trends in battery technologies, integration challenges, lifespan, and recovery. A key focus is the detailed evaluation of lead-acid batteries and battery emulators in electronic applications. The study highlights the significance of lead-acid battery discharge emulators as cost-effective and safe alternatives to actual batteries in laboratory testing, enabling controlled testing conditions. The system behavior was validated by employing a resistive load module and making comparisons with manufacturer data. Using this system and a resistive load module, its behavior was verified by comparing it with the data provided by the manufacturer. The next phase of this work involved selecting components to emulate the battery's behavior using a switched-mode power supply controlled by a current source and a mathematical model chosen from the Matlab-Simulink tool through a Hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) system that interprets the battery's state of charge (SoC) to match the pre-configured model response to the lead-acid battery manufacturer's data. The emulator circuit was thoroughly evaluated against the model's expected responses to various charge levels, culminating in the implementation of an integrated prototype that simulates the discharge of lead-acid batteries in low-power applications and introduces a user-friendly interface, facilitating its application in general engineering studies. The work offers a valuable tool for battery research and development, promoting advancements in the study of lead-acid battery discharge in low-power applications.