Researchers have commissioned an advanced prismatic battery cell production line at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). The production line consists of 16 pieces of equipment across a 1,400 sq. ft laboratory space.

PNNL said the prismatic cell line will allow researchers to test emerging energy storage technologies that may support grid operations. The line is housed in a dry lab because small amounts of water can damage battery materials.

“With the new prismatic line, we can create, test, and demonstrate real-world prismatic cells at an industrially relevant scale. This helps our researchers bridge the gap between science and industry,” said Adam Jivelekas, Operations Manager at DOE’s Grid Storage Launchpad, which is operated by PNNL and funded by DOE’s Office of Electricity. “We can help external researchers or industry partners test and validate their prismatic cell designs.”

The prismatic line completed testing in February, and researchers are finalizing operating procedures before using it in a project intended to validate its efficacy.

Prismatic cells are rectangular and shaped like a conventional 9-volt battery, but larger. PNNL said these cells are built with heavier metal casings, making them less prone to overheating.

Mark Weller, a materials scientist at PNNL and principal investigator on the project, said metal conducts heat better than other materials, allowing heat to escape the battery more easily.

The rectangular shape also allows prismatic cells to be stacked efficiently, fitting more cells into a smaller space than cylindrical cells. At the pack level, efficient packing provides higher energy density and makes prismatic cells attractive for grid applications.

Better heat transport, mechanical uniformity, and efficient packing can translate to higher safety and lower cost.

PNNL aims to demonstrate to potential partners that the line can consistently produce high-quality prismatic cells for various applications. Weller said coin cells require a few milligrams of material, while prismatic cells require at least a kilogram. Battery chemistries that perform well in coin cells may not perform as well in prismatic cells after scaling.

The researchers selected sodium-ion and lithium iron phosphate chemistries for the initial prismatic cells. Sodium could replace lithium in grid energy storage systems because it is more abundant on Earth than lithium. Lithium-iron-phosphate also relies on more abundant materials and tends to be safer.

Researchers will produce the two prismatic cell types and test their performance and safety under varying conditions.

Weller said the tests will establish baselines that PNNL can share with potential collaborators, along with its process and capabilities for testing other chemistries.

The Grid Storage Launchpad team plans to work with private battery companies seeking to test their chemistries in a prismatic cell format.

In 2024, researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory repurposed nitrogenous triphosphate, or nitrilotrimethyl phosphonic acid, which is commonly used in water treatment facilities, for large-scale battery energy storage.

Prismatic cells are increasingly used to manufacture high-density battery packs because of their design.

This January, lithium-ion battery solutions provider Nash Energy commissioned a 2 GWh fully automated prismatic battery pack manufacturing line at Dobbspet, near Bengaluru.