UCB – Arvio

The Ultra Capacitor Battery (UCB)

INTRODUCTION

The Ultra Capacitor Battery (UCB) is a high-performance lithium hybrid capacitor battery designed for universal application in the energy storage industry.

Traditional ultracapacitors have long been heralded as the future of energy storage. The vast graphite or synthesised graphene electrostatic surface area within ultracapacitors facilitates extremely fast charge and discharge with no theoretical degradation and predicted cycle life of 10+ million ⥁ (cycles). The upside to electrostatic storage is very high peak power (W), the downside is comparatively low energy (Wh) density relative to a traditional lithium ion battery.

The Quest

The quest for the ultimate battery has driven scientists and engineers for decades. Imagine the ultimate battery paired with low cost variable renewable generation sources such as PV solar panels, wind turbines, hydro and biogas generators, designed to deliver base load energy at a significantly lower cost and with far lower net emissions than traditional non-renewable energy power stations. New non-renewable energy power station’s plans would be stopped in their tracks and the full transition to clean energy would begin.

The Team

Arvio’s team has been involved in energy storage system design, implementation and software development since 2011. The recent launch of Arvio’s Ultra Capacitor Battery (UCB) is setting the new standard for the change to a 100% clean energy generation.

The Materials

To enhance the energy density of an electrostatic ultracapacitor, 30-60nm Ø spheres of lithium titanate oxide (Li4Ti5O12) form the cathode while highly porous graphite 5,000 -15,000nm Ø spheres form the anode. This increases the energy density (Wh) and decrease the power density (W) of the hybrid cell.

The nanospheres allow for safe mechanical movement of the anode and cathode substrates as temperatures and state of charge change delivering a highly durable and long-lasting cell.

Some lithium ion batteries with an SEI (solid electrolyte interphase) layer carry a risk of dendrite growth piercing the fragile SEI layer between the anode and the cathode as the cell ages or is mistreated. This can cause thermal run away or fire. Thanks to technological enhancements, the SEI layer is not required in the hybrid cells, further enhancing the safety and removing the risk of thermal runaway and fire.

Key Features & Benefits of the UCB

Feature	Metric	Benefit	UCB + Solar/Wind/Hydro/or Biogas?
Very low LCOE (Levelised Cost of Energy)	Lower than traditional base load energy	All new generators built are renewable	5% to 30% less cost than non-renewable base load energy
Competitive capital cost	Lower project cost than non-renewable based generators	All new generators built are renewable	Lower cost to own and operate than non-renewable per MWh produced
Long projected life with low maintenance	Generator Life to Exceed 25 years	Low running cost, extremely reliable	More reliable than non-renewable
Scalable	Can be deployed in any size required	Suits low consumption remote sites through to full scale	Fully scalable from 3kW to 3GW. Any size is possible.
No risk of thermal runaway, fire or catastrophic failure	A fault does not cause a catastrophic system failure	High reliability, low danger, low environmental harm	No thermal runaway, does not fuel a fire
Safe to transport by sea or air	Low risk category for transport	Low cost to ship, low risk to carrier	UCB cell impact, penetration, crush, cut tested to failsafe.
Practical and safe to deliver, install, monitor and maintain	Can be delivered & maintained by one person	Far reaching in to remote areas	Easy to handle, modular, expandable, multi energy sources
Fast discharge and recharge	Outperforms inverters and PV source	Captures short bursts of renewable energy form PV or wind in sporadic weather	Charge in as little as 6 minutes ensuring every electron is captured
Very high peaking power available	10 second burst to 20 C 10C continuous subject to temperature control	Supports peak shaving, FCAS and other grid support measures	Can be used in all applications
Very high RTE (Round Trip Efficiency)	99% preserved	Low loss	High overall performance

We help you design
the battery you want

Arvio has over 20 years experience in energy systems and renewable energy projects. Arvio has applied leading edge software and hardware technologies to the increasingly complex energy sector. The Ultra Capacitor Battery is designed and developed in Melbourne, Australia.

The Arvio Ultra Capacitor Battery (UCB) is ideal for installations where battery longevity, safety and performance are critical.

Safety First

Technology and design elements combine to make the UCB an exceptionally stable product.

Non-flammable
Cell level monitoring and battery management system
Enclosed terminals
Module level fuse
Impact resistant
Water resistant

Flexibility

Each module stores 2.2 kWh and is available in 7 different voltages.

Modules can be connected in series and in parallel to meet a wide range of applications.

Powerful Performance

It works really well for a long time…..

35,000 cycles on at 30 minute charge rate
25 year design life
10 year warranty
–50°C to +60°C operating temperature

Connection Method

When the series-parallel combination is chosen, the physical layout can be selected and the End Bar, Joiner Tube and Joiner Bar set can be calculated.