A safety oriented decision support tool for the remanufacturing and recycling of post-use H&EVs lithium-ion batteries

The battery is a key component of electric vehicles. To reach the needed voltage and capacity, single Lithium-Ion cells are assembled into modules, then assembled into the pack. Their disassembly, which unlocks both remanufacturing or recycling and which nowadays is made mainly manually, has high electric hazards. Decision tools have not yet been developed to minimize these risks. This work presents a mathematical model to determine the disassembly sequence with the minimal exposure of the operator to hazardous voltages. The model considers the mechanical and electrical architecture of the battery and the tasks needed to reach the desired disassembly level.