Active Balancing: How It Works

and Its Advantages

By Kelly Kong, Battery Management Application Manager
By Greg Zimmer, Business Development Manager

Introduction
The stability and safety of lithium batteries requires treating them with careful consideration. If lithium-ion
battery cells do not operate within a constrained state-of-charge (SOC) range, their capacity can be
reduced. If they are pushed beyond their SOC limits, these batteries can be damaged, leading to unstable
and unsafe behavior. To ensure the safety, lifetime, and capacity of lithium-ion battery cells, their SOC
must be carefully limited.
To maximize each battery cell’s useful capacity and life, degradation must be minimized while operating
all cells across a full SOC range. Simply keeping cells within a constrained SOC without intervention will
avoid degradation but slowly decrease the usable capacity by the amount of SOC mismatch. That is
because charging or discharging must stop when one cell reaches the upper or lower SOC limit, even
though the other cells have remaining capacity (see Figure 1).
Charging must stop
when Max_SOC (100%)
is reached.

Series cells with

unbalanced SOC

Discharging must stop

when Min_SOC (0%)
is reached.

Note: The remaining capacity available in a battery cell is generally

expressed as a percentage (0% = empty; 100% = full).
Figure 1: The Useful Capacity of a Battery Pack Is Decreased by the Mismatched SOC
Most battery management systems (BMS) today include passive balancing to periodically bring all cells
in series to a common SOC value. Passive balancing does this by connecting a resistor across each
individual cell as necessary to dissipate energy and lower the SOC of the cell. As an alternative to passive
balancing, active balancing uses power conversion to redistribute charge among the cells in a battery
pack. This allows for a higher balancing current, lower heat generation, faster balancing time, higher
energy efficiency, and longer operating range.
This article describes a few common active balancing methods and provides a design example using one
of these methods.
Cell Balancing
Cells in a pack develop capacity variation over time, even if they are initially well-matched. For example,
cells at different physical locations in a pack can experience different temperatures or pressures that
effect capacity. In addition, slight manufacturing differences can be amplified over time and create
differences in capacity. Understanding capacity differences is critical to understanding the source of SOC
imbalance.

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 ACTIVE BALANCING: HOW IT WORKS AND ITS ADVANTAGES

Changes in battery cell SOC are primarily dictated by cell capacity and the current in, or out of, a cell.
For example, a 4Ahr cell receiving 1A for 1hr will experience a 25% SOC change, while a similar 2Ahr
cell will experience a 50% SOC change.
Maintaining SOC balance requires adjusting each cell’s charge/discharge current according to its
capacity. Cells that are connected in parallel automatically do this, since current will flow from high-SOC
cells to low-SOC cells. In contrast, cells in series experience the same current between cells, which
creates an imbalance if there are capacity differences. This is important since most battery packs have
series cell connections, even if they also include parallel connections.
SOC adjustment is possible for both passive and active balancing.
Passive balancing reduces cell SOC by placing a resistive load across individual cells (most commonly
using BJT or MOSFET transistors). But active balancing takes a switch-mode approach to redistribute
energy between cells in a battery pack. The added complexity and cost of implementation has traditionally
limited active balancing to battery systems with very higher power levels and/or large capacity cells, such
as batteries in power stations, commercial energy storage systems (ESS), home ESS, and battery
backup units. New solutions are now available with significantly lower cost and complexity, enabling a
growing range of applications to leverage the advantages of active balancing.
Passive balancing is typically limited to 0.25A of current, while active balancing can support up to 6A. A
higher balancing current allows for faster balancing, which supports larger-capacity battery cells, such as
those used in ESS. In addition, a higher balancing current supports systems operating on fast cycles
where balancing must be completed quickly.
Passive balancing simply dissipates energy; active balancing, however, redistributes energy with a
significant improvement in energy efficiency. Passive balancing is only practical during the charge cycle,
since operation during discharge hastens energy depletion from the pack. Conversely, active balancing
can be implemented during charging or discharging. The ability to actively balance during discharge
provides more balancing time and allows charge to be transferred from the strong cells to the weak cells,
thereby extending battery pack runtime (see Figure 2). In summary, active balancing is advantageous
for applications that require faster balancing, limited thermal load, improved energy efficiency, and
increased system runtime.

Active Balancer

Unbalanced Battery Cells Similar SOC

Figure 2: Active Balancer Equalizes the SOC
Active Balancing Methods
Commonly used active balancing topologies include direct transformer-based, switch matrix plus
transformer, and bidirectional buck-boost balancing.

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 ACTIVE BALANCING: HOW IT WORKS AND ITS ADVANTAGES

Transformer-Based (Bidirectional Flyback) Active Balancer

A bidirectional flyback converter allows charge to be transferred in both directions. The bidirectional
flyback is designed to operate as a boundary mode flyback converter. Each battery cell in the stack
requires a bidirectional flyback, including a flyback transformer (see Figure 3).

DC 24V

Bidirectional
Flyback

Figure 3: A Transformer-Based Bidirectional Active Balancer Using a 24V Rail

When using different transformer designs, there are several possible energy transfer paths. For example,
energy can be transferred from one cell to a sub-group of cells within the battery stack. Energy can be
transferred from any cell to the top of the battery stack (connected to the battery pack terminals), which
requires a large, high-voltage flyback transformer. Energy can also be transferred to or from an auxiliary
power rail, such as a 24V system (see Figure 3).
Many transformers are often required when using the transformer-based active balancing approach,
which results in large, costly solutions for battery packs with a high string count.
Switch Matrix plus Transformer Active Balancer
The switch matrix plus transformer method uses an array of switches to connect a transformer to and
from individual cells; this reduces the number of transformers to one. Within a switch matrix, there are
two categories of switches: cell switches and polarity switches. The cell switches are back-to-back
MOSFETs connected directly to the battery cells. They can block the current flowing in both charge and
discharge directions. Conversely, the polarity switches block the current flowing in one direction only, and
they are connected directly to the secondary side of a single, bidirectional flyback converter or a
bidirectional forward converter (see Figure 4).
The primary side of the bidirectional flyback converter or the forward converter is connected to the battery
pack or an auxiliary power rail. In this arrangement, every cell can exchange the energy (during charge
or discharge) with the battery pack or an auxiliary power rail. As noted, the primary advantage of the
switch matrix plus transformer is that only one transformer is required.

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 ACTIVE BALANCING: HOW IT WORKS AND ITS ADVANTAGES

Option 1 Option 2

DC 24V DC 24V

Bidirectional
Bidirectional
Flyback
Forward

Matrix
Switch
Controller

Digital Port

Figure 4: Switch Matrix Based Bidirectional DC/DC Active Balancer

Bidirectional Buck-Boost Active Balancer
A buck-boost active balancer takes a simpler approach by leveraging commonly used buck and boost
battery charger technology. Rather than moving charge to various locations along a battery stack or to a
separate power rail, buck-boost active balancing moves charge to directly adjacent cells. This greatly
simplifies the balancing circuitry and leverages the simultaneous operation of many balancers to
distribute charge across the entire stack.
A 2-channel buck-boost balancer provides bidirectional charge movement between two adjacent cells by
operating in buck-balance mode or boost-balance mode. By placing a 2-channel buck-boost balancer on
every pair of cells, charge can be moved throughout an entire pack (see Figure 5).

Buck

Boost

Buck

Boost

Figure 5: Bidirectional “Buck” and “Boost” Active Balancer

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 ACTIVE BALANCING: HOW IT WORKS AND ITS ADVANTAGES

Compared to the two previous active balancers, a 2-channel buck-boost active balancer follows a simple
process:
• In buck-balancing mode, the active balancer transfers energy from the upper cell (CU) to the lower
cell (CL).
• In boost-balancing mode, the active balancer transfers energy from the CL to the CU.
Among the three types of active balancers, the bidirectional buck-boost active balancer is the simplest
and most reliable. Table 1 compares all three active balancing methods.
Table 1: Different Active Balancing Methods
Advantages Disadvantages
• Expensive due to the complex transformer
• Highest balance efficiency
Bidirectional • Large footprint
• Multiple channels can be balanced
Flyback • Low reliability
simultaneously
• Difficult to source transformers
• Expensive due to the large quantity of
MOSFETs (for example - 2x(N+1)+4 (where
Matrix Switch • High balance efficiency N is the number of cells)
• Complex circuit
• Only a single channel is balanced at a time
• High reliability
• Low cost, single inductor • Reduced balance efficiency (careful design
Buck-Boost • Simple operation of balancing strategy can improve balancing
• Multiple channels can be balanced efficiency)
simultaneously
Design Example
The MP264x family (MP2641, MP2642, and MP2643) are highly integrated, bidirectional buck-boost
active balancers that provide up to 3A of charge redistribution between two series lithium-ion cells (see
Figure 6). These devices can be used for all common lithium-ion battery chemistries, such as NMC, NCA,
Li-polymer, and LFP. The MP264x efficiently moves charge between cells to minimize balancing time and
heat generation. The MP264x can also compensate for mismatched cell capacities to extend battery
runtime. To guarantee safe operation, the MP264x provides CL and CU over-voltage protection (OVP)
and under-voltage protection (UVP), as well as thermal shutdown. The MP264x family is available in
QFN-26 (4mmx4mm) packages.

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 ACTIVE BALANCING: HOW IT WORKS AND ITS ADVANTAGES

R2 CBST L1

CU_FB BST SW LX
R1 Q1
Battery CU

CCU L = Buck-Balance
Q2 MODE
Boost Balance
Start/Stop Signal
CL EN
CCL
QRB
4V5
MP264x UBC
LBC
PGND C4V5

AGND

Figure 6: MP264x Typical Application Circuit

Configuring the MP264x is simple:
1. Set the buck-balancing current (IUBC). IUBC can be configured between 0.5A and 2.5A via an external
resistor (RUBC, in kΩ) connected between the MP264x’s UBC and AGND pins. IUBC can be calculated
with Equation (1):
640
IUBC = (A) (1)
3×RUBC
2. Set the boost-balancing current (ILBC). ILBC can be configured between 0.5A to 3A via a resistor (RLBC,
in kΩ) connected between the MP264x’s LBC and AGND pins. ILBC can be estimated with Equation
(2):
VCU -×VCL 640
ILBC =( × ) (A) (2)
×VCL 3×RLBC

Where VCL is the lower cell voltage (between CL and AGND), and VCU is the voltage of both series
cells (between CU and AGND). Both VCL and VCU refer to voltages measured without balancing
enabled. η is the converter’s boost-balance efficiency; since this efficiency depends on cell voltage,
an appropriate value should be selected (see Table 2).
Table 2: η Selection
VCL(V) η
< 3.65V 0.89
≥ 3.65V 0.91
By combining multiple MP264x devices together, active balancing can be scaled to any number of series
cells, and charge can be redistributed to and from any cells within the pack. Figure 7 shows the active
balancing example for 4-cell batteries with three MP264x devices in series.

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 ACTIVE BALANCING: HOW IT WORKS AND ITS ADVANTAGES

CU3 C4
Fuse
CU
CL3 FB
MP264x
AFE
C2
MODE (MP2797)
U3 CL3 C3
CL
S3
EN Fuse
VCC AGND PGND

Cell 4
CU2
Fuse
CU
CL2 FB

C1 MP264x Cell 3
MODE
U2 S3
CL2 C2
S2 EN
CL
Fuse
VCC
AGND PGND Cell 2
S2

CU1 Cell 1
Fuse S1
CU
CL1 FB

MP264x
VREG = 5V MODE
U1 CL1 C1
Control MODE Via S1 CL
the AFE or External EN Fuse
GPIO1 VCC AGND PGND

C0

Figure 7: Typical Application Circuit in an ESS

Conclusion
With a growing demand for safer, more energy efficient, and longer lasting lithium-ion battery systems,
there is a growing demand for better cell balancing. Passive balancing, which is limited to small currents
that simply dissipates energy, is no longer sufficient to meet these demands. As a result, active balancing
solutions are increasingly being adopted for their high-current, fast cell balancing advantages. In
particular, bidirectional buck-boost active balancers (such as the MP2641, MP2642, and MP2643) offer
simplicity and reliability. Explore MPS’s active balancers to find the best solution for your application.

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