May. 06, 2024
The lithium battery are always made of cells, there are two main kinds of cells in the market- Cylindrical cells and Prismatic cells. In this article, we will take you to know what is the difference and Similarity between cylindrical Battery vs prismatic Battery.
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Prismatic battery VS cylindrical batteryCylindrical lithium-ion battery is a lithium ion battery with cylindrical shape, so called cylindrical lithium-ion battery. According to the anode materials, cylindrical li-ion battery are divided into lithium cobalt oxides (LiCoO2), lithium manganese (LiMn2O4), lithium nickel manganese cobalt (LiNiMnCoO2 or NMC), lithium aluminum nickel cobalt (LiNiCoAlO2 or NCA), lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) and lithium titanate (Li4Ti5O12).
Cylindrical cell inner structureThere are many types of cylindrical lithium batteries, including 14500, 14650, 18500, 18650, 21700, 26650, 32650, etc. They are widely used in special equipment, medical equipment, instrumentation, handheld equipment, security and communication.
For details production process, you can check our another article 《What is the production procell of lithium battery cells》
Also there are video to show the production process of cylindrical cells in our fatory.
The 18650, 21700, and 4680 battery cells used by Tesla batteries are all cylindrical batteries. Driven by mature marketization, cylindrical batteries are the most mature packaging form. Specifically, the 18650 and 21700 cells has a higher yield, and the cost of PACK can be effectively controlled.
Prismatic lithium-ion battery is a lithium ion battery with prismatic shape, so called prismatic lithium-ion battery. The shell of prismatic battery are mostly made of aluminum alloy, stainless steel and other materials, and the internal use of winding or lamination process, the protection of the battery is better than that of aluminum-plastic film battery (ie soft-pack battery), the safety of the battery Relatively cylindrical batteries have also been greatly improved.
Prismatic cell inner structureThe lithium battery aluminum case is developed on the basis of the steel case. Compared with the steel case, the light weight and safety and the performance advantages derived from it make the aluminum case the mainstream of the lithium battery case. The lithium battery aluminum shell is still developing in the direction of high hardness and light weight technology, which will provide the market with more technologically superior lithium battery products. At present, the companies producing square hard-shell batteries include Guoxuan Hi-Tech, Samsung SDI, Lishen, and CATL.
Nearly all the production process are same except the Back-end process. The typical difference is that the prismatic battery cells are uses the Lamination process, while the cylindrical battery uses the winding process. For details production process, you can check our another article 《What is the production procell of lithium battery cells》
Also there are video to show the production process of cylindrical cells in our fatory.
50Ah 100Ah, 200Ah is the most commonly prismatic batteries cell in the market, check ELB prismatic cells spec to know more details.
1. The energy density of prismatic cells is theoretically higher than cylindrical cells. Because the structure of prismatic batteries is relatively simple, the production process is not complicated, also prismatic batteries do not use high strength stainless steel as shell like cylindrical batteries. More and More Electric Vehicle battery apply square battery.
2.With excellent thermal characteristics, the prismatic cell requires less cooling per energy unit when compared to the cylindrical lithium cell format. Additionally, the prismatics offers excellent cycle life expectancies even under high and varied load, which typically has an adverse effect on the life expectancy of other lithium cell formats. With a cycle life of up to four times greater than cylindrical lithium cells, the cost of operation and ownership for prismatics can be significantly lower.
3.Cylindrical battery development is the longest process, the technology is the most mature, its standardization is high as well. And because cylindrical cells have more space between individual cells when they are assembled, they have a big advantage in terms of heat dissipation, and many models with cylindrical cells have adopted lower-cost air cooling technology.
If your lithium application requires high power, long service life and good performance, thinking less about the effective use of space, a cylindrical cell could be your selection. Otherwise, if your application needs to be suitable for a limited space and a higher price is acceptable, a prismatic cell could be better.
When you are not sure what type of lithium cell you should use, try to consider an experienced partner, such as ELB, that is able to provide a power supply solution matching your specific requirement and helps you make a reasonable buying decision.
There are three main types of lithium-ion batteries (li-ion): cylindrical cells, prismatic cells, and pouch cells. In the EV industry, the most promising developments revolve around cylindrical and prismatic cells. While the cylindrical battery format has been the most popular in recent years, several factors suggest that prismatic cells may take over.
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Because Laserax provides laser solutions for battery manufacturing, we are watching these developments closely. Before we go over what’s coming, let’s do a quick overview of the two types of batteries.
A prismatic cell is a cell whose chemistry is enclosed in a rigid casing. Its rectangular shape allows efficiently stacking multiple units in a battery module. There are two types of prismatic cells: the electrode sheets inside the casing (anode, separator, cathode) are either stacked or rolled and flattened.
For the same volume, stacked prismatic cells can release more energy at once, offering better performance, whereas flattened prismatic cells contain more energy, offering more durability.
Prismatic cells are mainly used in energy storage systems and electric vehicles. Their larger size makes them bad candidates for smaller devices like e-bikes and cellphones. Therefore, they are better suited for energy-intensive applications.
A cylindrical cell is a cell enclosed in a rigid cylinder can. Cylindrical cells are small and round, making it possible to stack them in devices of all sizes. Unlike other battery formats, their shape prevents swelling, an undesired phenomenon in batteries where gasses accumulate in the casing.
Cylindrical cells were first used in laptops, which contained between three and nine cells. They then gained in popularity when Tesla used them in its first electric vehicles (the Roadster and the Model S), which contained between 6,000 and 9,000 cells.
Cylindrical cells are also used in e-bikes, medical devices, and satellites. They are also essential in space exploration because of their shape; other cell formats would be deformed by the atmospheric pressure. The last Rover sent on Mars, for example, operates using cylindrical cells. The Formula E high-performance electric race cars use the exact same cells as the rover in their battery.
Shape is not the only thing that differentiates prismatic and cylindrical cells. Other important differences include their size, the number of electrical connections, and their power output.
Prismatic cells are much larger than cylindrical cells and hence contain more energy per cell. To give a rough idea of the difference, a single prismatic cell can contain the same amount of energy as 20 to 100 cylindrical cells. The smaller size of cylindrical cells means they can be used for applications that require less power. As a result, they are used for a wider range of applications.
Because prismatic cells are larger than cylindrical cells, fewer cells are needed to achieve the same amount of energy. This means that for the same volume, batteries that use prismatic cells have fewer electrical connections that need to be welded. This is a major advantage for prismatic cells because there are fewer opportunities for manufacturing defects.
Cylindrical cells may store less energy than prismatic cells, but they have more power. This means that cylindrical cells can discharge their energy faster than prismatic cells. The reason is that they have more connections per amp-hour (Ah). As a result, cylindrical cells are ideal for high-performance applications whereas prismatic cells are ideal to optimize energy efficiency.
Example of high-performance battery applications include Formula E race cars and the Ingenuity helicopter on Mars. Both require extreme performances in extreme environments.
The EV industry evolves quickly, and it’s uncertain whether prismatic cells or cylindrical cells will prevail. At the moment, cylindrical cells are more widespread in the EV industry, but there are reasons to think prismatic cells will gain in popularity.
First, prismatic cells offer an opportunity to drive down costs by diminishing the number of manufacturing steps. Their format makes it possible to manufacture larger cells, which reduces the number of electrical connections that need to be cleaned and welded.
Prismatic batteries are also the ideal format for the lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) chemistry, a mix of materials that are cheaper and more accessible. Unlike other chemistries, LFP batteries use resources that are everywhere on the planet. They do not require rare and expensive materials like nickel and cobalt that drive the cost of other cell types upward.
There are strong signals that LFP prismatic cells are emerging. In Asia, EV manufacturers already use LiFePO4 batteries, a type of LFP battery in the prismatic format. Tesla also stated that it has begun using prismatic batteries manufactured in China for the standard range versions of its cars.
The LFP chemistry has important downsides, however. For one, it contains less energy than other chemistries currently in use and, as such, can’t be used for high-performance vehicles like Formula 1 electric cars. In addition, battery management systems (BMS) have a hard time predicting the battery’s charge level.
You can watch this video to learn more about the LFP chemistry and why it is gaining in popularity.
When it comes to battery pack production demand, energy storage systems (ESS) are just as important as electric vehicles. ESSs are already using prismatic cells and it is very likely that they will keep using them. Prismatic cells have a longer cycle life, are less dangerous, and come at a low cost compared to cylindrical cells.
With its tabless cell design, high energy density, and low manufacturing cost, Tesla’s 4680 cylindrical cell is probably the most noteworthy battery cell at the moment. But recently, Elon Musk has talked about the advantages of prismatic cells, and Tesla has begun using them in certain car models.
The 4680 cylindrical cells haven’t been replaced by prismatic cells yet, but Tesla’s next move will be telling of what the future holds. Will they replace the 4680’s Nickel-Cobalt-Aluminum oxide (NCA) chemistry with the LFP chemistry? If so, will they switch to prismatic cells, the preferred format for this chemistry? With the increased cost of raw materials around the world, it is a strong possibility.
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