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Thermal-Runaway Propagation over a Linear Cylindrical Battery Module

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Abstract

Thermal-runaway propagation in battery systems can escalate the battery fire hazard and pose a severe threat to global users. In this work, the thermal-runaway propagation over 18650 cylindrical lithium-ion battery was tested in the linear-arranged module with a 3-mm gap. State of charge (SOCs) from 30% to 100%, ambient temperatures from 20°C to 70°C, and three tab-connection methods were investigated. Results indicate that the battery thermal-runaway propagation speed was about 0.35 ± 0.15 #/min, which increased with SOC and ambient temperature. The critical surface temperature of thermal runaway ranged from 209°C to 245°C, which increased with ambient temperature while decreased with SOC. Compared to the open-circuit module, the flat tab connection could cause an external short circuit to accelerate the thermal-runaway propagation, and the non-flat tab connection was more likely to trigger an explosion. A heat transfer analysis was proposed to qualitatively explain the speed and limiting conditions of thermal-runaway propagation, as well as the influence of SOC, ambient temperature, and tab connection. This work reveals the thermal-runaway propagation characteristics under well-controlled environments, which could provide scientific guidelines to improve the safety of the battery module and reduce battery fire hazards.

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Abbreviations

A :

Heat transfer area (m2)

c :

Specific heat (J/kg K)

E :

Electric energy (J)

h :

Heat transfer coefficient (W/m2/K)

m :

Mass (kg)

n :

Number of cells (–)

Q :

Heat (J)

\(\dot{Q}\) :

Heat release rate (W)

r :

Propagation rate (#/min)

R t :

Total heat resistance (m2/W)

t :

Time (min)

T :

Temperature (°C)

0:

Initial

a:

Ambient

b:

Battery

es:

External short circuit

ARC:

Adiabatic rate calorimeter

EV:

Electric vehicle

LIB:

Lithium-ion battery

SOC:

State of charge

TC:

Thermocouple

TR:

Thermal runaway

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Acknowledgements

This work is supported by the National Key R&D Program of China (2018YFB0104100).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Industry Technology, Guangzhou & Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China

    Huichang Niu, Caixing Chen, Dan Ji, Lei Li & Zhao Li

  2. Research Center for Fire Engineering, Department of Building Services Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China

    Yanhui Liu & Xinyan Huang

Authors
  1. Huichang Niu
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  2. Caixing Chen
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  3. Dan Ji
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  4. Lei Li
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  5. Zhao Li
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  6. Yanhui Liu
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  7. Xinyan Huang
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Correspondence to Huichang Niu or Xinyan Huang.

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Niu, H., Chen, C., Ji, D. et al. Thermal-Runaway Propagation over a Linear Cylindrical Battery Module. Fire Technol 56, 2491–2507 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10694-020-00976-0

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