SIL selected for Phase I & II Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) contracts from the NAVAIR, Patuxent River to develop a 7S2P @ 32Ah F-18 avionics/maintenance Li-Ion battery a 7S1P @ 16Ah Li-Ion battery for UAS. SIL’s advanced Li-Ion batteries address various shortcomings of the heritage lead-acid (F-18), Ni-Cad and Ni-Metal Hydride batteries for UAS with an advanced Li-Ion Battery Management System (BMS), holistic Protect, Prevent, and Enclose (PPE) safety features, and a reduced size, weight, and power (SWAP).

SIL’s holistic PPE safety technologies are designed to stop cascading cell failure propagation, limit cell-to-cell thermal transport, and safely contain flames and debris. Protection is accomplished with SIL’s advanced BMS which actively protects, balances, and monitors individual cells at all times. The BMS also features a health module which supports prognostic algorithms including State of Charge (SoC), State of Health (SoH), and Remaining Useful Life (RUL). These diagnostic tools provide users with real time battery status and predictive assessments. Prevention is accomplished with a semi-active Thermally Isolating Phase-change (TIP) material which absorbs heat energy and thermally isolate cells from each other in the event of a thermal runaway. SIL’s robust and flight proven battery enclosure is the final layer of PPE safety technologies. It is designed and tested to maintain cell safety in highly demanding aerospace environments and can withstand cell failure without flame or debris expulsion.