This study presents a diagnostic and regrouping approach for used 18650 lithium-ion cells using the DBSCAN clustering algorithm. A total of 154 cells were recovered from discarded laptop batteries. After electrical testing (constant-current discharge measuring capacity, voltage, and internal resistance), 120 cells (78%) were identified as healthy and suitable for reuse. The DBSCAN algorithm (eps=0.3, min_samples=10) was applied to cluster these 120 cells based on their electrical characteristics. The algorithm successfully formed three homogeneous clusters of 40 cells each. These clusters were assembled in a 3S40P configuration (three parallel packs of 40 cells connected in series) to form a second-life battery of approximately 81 Ah capacity at 10.9 V. Comparative analysis shows that DBSCAN outperforms K-means and hierarchical clustering for this application, achieving a silhouette coefficient of 0.62 versus 0.48 for K-means. The proposed method achieves a 78% cell recovery rate, demonstrating its effectiveness for battery recycling and second-life applications.
Rezoug,M R , Khettache,L , Benmakhlouf,A and Djarah,D . (2026). New Approach to Assembling Used 18650 Cells by the DBSCAN Clustering Algorithm. (e6065). AUT Journal of Electrical Engineering, (), e6065 doi: 10.22060/eej.2026.24892.5788
MLA
Rezoug,M R , , Khettache,L , , Benmakhlouf,A , and Djarah,D . "New Approach to Assembling Used 18650 Cells by the DBSCAN Clustering Algorithm" .e6065 , AUT Journal of Electrical Engineering, , , 2026, e6065. doi: 10.22060/eej.2026.24892.5788
HARVARD
Rezoug M R, Khettache L, Benmakhlouf A, Djarah D. (2026). 'New Approach to Assembling Used 18650 Cells by the DBSCAN Clustering Algorithm', AUT Journal of Electrical Engineering, (), e6065. doi: 10.22060/eej.2026.24892.5788
CHICAGO
M R Rezoug, L Khettache, A Benmakhlouf and D Djarah, "New Approach to Assembling Used 18650 Cells by the DBSCAN Clustering Algorithm," AUT Journal of Electrical Engineering, (2026): e6065, doi: 10.22060/eej.2026.24892.5788
VANCOUVER
Rezoug M R, Khettache L, Benmakhlouf A, Djarah D. New Approach to Assembling Used 18650 Cells by the DBSCAN Clustering Algorithm. AUT J Electr Eng. 2026;():e6065. doi: 10.22060/eej.2026.24892.5788
