A new approach for health monitoring of cylindrical lithium-ion cells using X-ray computed tomography

Cylindrical cells are essential for industrial applications. However, health monitoring of cells remains a significant challenge. Ageing gradually occurs while cycling, and the internal structural changes of the cell related to this can serve as an early indication of cell failure. X-ray computed tomography (XCT) is an ideal method to quantify these changes. This paper proposes a new and robust method, based on a modified spiral function, to mathematically model the internal structure of cylindrical lithium-ion (Li-ion) cells. The sensitivity and robustness of the proposed method have been demonstrated using different types of cylindrical cells at different stages of their cycle life. This method can be used for pass/fail evaluation, failure analysis, and cell evaluation for second-life applications.