A storage system configured to be used in an energy management system

Abstract

A storage system configured for use in an energy management system is provided, comprising a battery having a plurality of cells, a first set of flat plates, a phase change material, an opening disposed adjacent to the phase change material, and a second set of flat plates disposed between the first set of flat plates, and including a propagation barrier configured to create a high temperature gradient such that when the temperature of the activation cell rises, the phase change material absorbs energy, melts, and the previous volume occupied by the phase change material is replaced with air, reducing the temperature rise of adjacent cells.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to power systems, and more particularly to a storage system configured for use in an energy management system.

Background Art

[0002] Storage systems configured for use in an energy management system are known. Generally, a storage system includes one or more batteries configured for single-phase or three-phase operation. The one or more batteries include one or more cells. During operation, when one of the cells (initiating cell) reaches a relatively high temperature, an uncontrollable thermal event, such as thermal runaway, may occur. During thermal runaway, a chemical reaction may sometimes occur in the initiating cell. For example, the heat generated by the initiating cell may diffusively transfer to one or more adjacent cells, and thus, one or more adjacent cells may also enter the same thermal runaway state. Such propagation can lead to the release of excessive (unnecessary) energy by one or more adjacent cells in the thermal runaway state.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0003] Accordingly, the inventors herein provide an improved storage system configured for use in an energy management system.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0004] According to some aspects of the present disclosure, a storage system configured for use in an energy management system includes a battery having a plurality of cells, a first set of flat plates, a phase change material, an opening disposed adjacent to the phase change material, and a second set of flat plates disposed between the first set of flat plates. When the temperature of a starting cell rises, the phase change material absorbs energy, melts, and the previous volume occupied by the phase change material is replaced by air, creating a high temperature gradient that reduces the temperature rise of adjacent cells. The storage system also includes a propagation barrier configured to create such a high temperature gradient.

[0005] According to some aspects of the present disclosure, an energy management system includes a power source, a storage system connected to the power source, the storage system including a battery having a plurality of cells, a first set of flat plates, a phase change material, an opening disposed adjacent to the phase change material, and a second set of flat plates disposed between the first set of flat plates. When the temperature of a starting cell rises, the phase change material absorbs energy, melts, and the previous volume occupied by the phase change material is replaced by air, creating a high temperature gradient that reduces the temperature rise of adjacent cells. The storage system also includes a propagation barrier configured to create such a high temperature gradient. The energy management system further includes a controller connected to the power source, the storage system, a load center, and an interconnection device via a bus for converting DC power from the power source to grid-compatible AC power, converting DC power from the battery to grid-compatible AC power, and converting AC power from the bus to DC output stored in the battery.

[0006] According to some aspects of the present disclosure, a method of manufacturing a battery of a storage system configured for use in an energy management system includes arranging a plurality of cells adjacent to each other, and arranging a propagation barrier adjacent to at least one of the plurality of cells, the propagation barrier comprising a first set of flat plates, a phase change material, an opening disposed adjacent to the phase change material, and a second set of flat plates disposed between the first set of flat plates, wherein when the temperature of the activation cell rises, the phase change material absorbs energy, melts, and the previous volume occupied by the phase change material is replaced by air, creating a high temperature gradient that reduces the temperature rise of adjacent cells.

[0007] To enable a more detailed understanding of the features described above of the present disclosure, a more specific description of the present disclosure, briefly summarized above, may be made by reference to embodiments, some of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. However, it should be noted that the accompanying drawings illustrate only typical embodiments of the present disclosure and should not be regarded as limiting its scope, as the present disclosure may admit of other equally effective embodiments.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] According to the present disclosure, methods and apparatuses configured for use in an energy management system are disclosed herein. For example, a storage system may comprise a battery having a plurality of cells and a propagation barrier. The propagation barrier can comprise a first set of plates, a phase change material, an opening disposed adjacent to the phase change material, and a second set of plates disposed between the first set of plates, and is configured such that when the temperature of the active cell increases, the phase change material absorbs energy, melts, and replaces the previous volume occupied by the phase change material with air, creating a high temperature gradient that reduces the temperature rise of adjacent cells. Compared to conventional methods and apparatuses, the methods and apparatuses described herein provide improved temperature management by substantially confining thermal runaway to the active cell such that the propagation of thermal runaway to other cells is reduced, if not eliminated.

[0010] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a system 100 (energy management system) for power conversion using one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. This figure depicts only one variation of the countless possible system configurations and devices that may utilize the present disclosure.

[0011] System 100 is a microgrid that can operate in both an islanded state and a grid-connected state (i.e., when connected to another power grid (one or more other microgrids and / or a commercial power grid)). System 100 includes a plurality of power converters 102-1, 102-2, …… 102-N, 102-N+1, and 102-N+M collectively referred to as power converter 102 (sometimes called a power conditioner), a plurality of DC power sources 104-1, 104-2,...... 104-N collectively referred to as power source 104, a plurality of energy storage devices 120-1, 120-2,...... 120-M collectively referred to as an energy storage / supply device (or battery 120), a system controller 106, a plurality of BMU 190-1, 190-2,...... 190-M collectively referred to as BMU 190 (battery management unit), a system controller 106, a bus 108, a load center 110, and an IID 140 (island interconnect device) (sometimes called a microgrid interconnect device (MID)). In some embodiments, such as the embodiments described herein, the plurality of energy storage devices 120-1, 120-2,...... 120-M are rechargeable batteries (e.g., a multi-C rate AC battery set), but in other embodiments, the energy storage / supply device may be other suitable devices for storing energy and providing the stored energy. Generally, each of the batteries includes a plurality of cells connected in series, for example, eight cells are connected in series to form a battery.

[0012] Each of the power converters 102-1, 102-2......102-N is coupled to a corresponding one of the DC power supplies 104-1, 104-2......104-N in a one-to-one correspondence. However, in some other embodiments, a plurality of DC power supplies may be coupled to one or more of the power converters 102. The power converters 102-N+1, 102-N+2......102-N+M are each coupled to a plurality of energy storage devices 120-1, 120-2......120-M (supply devices) via the BMU 190-1, 190-2......190-M, respectively, to form the AC batteries 180-1, 180-2......180-M, respectively. Each of the power converters 102-1, 102-2......102-N+M includes a corresponding controller 114-1, 114-2......114-N+M (collectively referred to as the inverter controller 114) for controlling the operation of the power converters 102-1, 102-2......102-N+M.

[0013] In some embodiments, such as the embodiments described below, the DC power supply 104 is a DC power supply, the power converter 102 is a bidirectional inverter, and the power converters 102-1......102-N convert the DC power from the DC power supply 104 into grid-corresponding AC power coupled to the bus 108, and the power converters 102-N+1...102-N+M convert the DC power from the battery 120 (during discharge of the energy storage device) into grid-corresponding AC power coupled to the bus 108, and also convert the AC power from the bus 108 (during charging of the energy storage device) into DC output stored in the battery 120 for later use. The DC power supply 104 may be a suitable DC source, such as the output from a previous power conversion stage, a battery, a renewable energy source (e.g., a solar panel or a photovoltaic (PV) module, a wind turbine, a hydroelectric power system, or a similar renewable energy source), for supplying DC power. In other embodiments, the power converter 102 may be another type of converter (such as a DC-DC converter), and the bus 108 may be a DC power bus.

[0014] The power converter 102 is coupled to the system controller 106 via a bus 108 (which may also be referred to as an AC line or grid). The system controller 106 generally includes a CPU coupled to each of the support circuits, and a memory including a system control module for controlling some operational aspects of the system 100 and / or monitoring the system 100 (e.g., issuing commands and control instructions to one or more of the power converters 102, collecting data related to the performance of the power converters 102, etc.). The system controller 106 can communicate with the power converter 102 by wireless and / or wired communication (e.g., power line communication) to perform certain operation control and / or monitoring of the power converter 102.

[0015] In some embodiments, the system controller 106 may be a gateway that receives data (e.g., performance data) from the power converter 102 and communicates the data and / or other information to a remote device or system such as a master controller (not shown) (e.g., via the Internet). Additionally or alternatively, the gateway may receive information from a remote device or system (not shown), communicate the information to the power converter 102, and / or use the information to generate control commands issued to the power converter 102.

[0016] The power converter 102 is coupled to the load center 110 via the bus 108, and the load center 110 is coupled to the power grid via the IID 140. When coupled to the power grid (e.g., a commercial grid or a larger microgrid) via the IID 140, the system 100 may be called grid-connected, and when disconnected from the power grid via the IID 140, the system 100 may be called self-sufficient. The IID 140 determines when to disconnect from / connect to the power grid (e.g., the IID 140 may detect grid fluctuations, disturbances, outages, etc.) and performs the disconnection / connection. When disconnected from the power grid, the system 100 can continue to generate power as an intentional island without imposing safety risks on any linemen who may be working on the grid using the droop control techniques described herein. The IID 140 includes a disconnect component (e.g., a disconnect relay) for physically disconnecting / connecting the system 100 from / to the power grid. In some embodiments, the IID 140 may further include an autotransformer for coupling the system 100 to a split-phase load that may have some neutral current imbalance therein. In some embodiments, the system controller 106 includes the IID 140 or a portion of the IID 140.

[0017] Power converter 102 converts DC power from DC power source 104 and the discharge of battery 120 (e.g., a discharging battery) into grid-compatible AC power and couples the generated output power to load center 110 via bus 108. The power is then distributed to one or more loads (e.g., one or more devices) and / or (when connected to the power grid) to the power grid. Additionally or alternatively, the generated energy may be stored for later use, for example, using a battery, hot water, pumped hydroelectric storage, conversion of H2O to hydrogen, etc. Generally, system 100 is coupled to the commercial power grid, but in some embodiments, system 100 operates as a standalone microgrid, completely separated from the commercial grid.

[0018] In some embodiments, the AC power generated by power converter 102 is single-phase AC power. In other embodiments, power converter 102 generates three-phase AC power.

[0019] A storage system configured for use in an energy management system such as the ENSEMBLE (registered trademark) energy management system available from ENPHASE (registered trademark) is described herein. For example, FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an AC battery system 200 (e.g., a storage system) according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0020] The AC battery system 200 includes a battery (one or more of the batteries 120) and a BMU 190 coupled to a power converter 102. A pair of metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) switches, namely switch 228 and switch 230, are coupled in series between the first terminal 240 of the battery and the first terminal 244 of the inverter, such that the body diode cathode terminal of switch 228 is coupled to the first terminal 240 of the battery and the body diode cathode terminal of switch 230 is coupled to the first terminal 244 of the power converter 102. The gate terminals of switch 228 and switch 230 are coupled to the BMU 190.

[0021] The second terminal 242 of the battery is coupled to the second terminal 246 of the power converter 102 via a current measurement module 226 that measures the current flowing between the battery and the power converter 102.

[0022] The BMU 190 is coupled to the current measurement module 226 to receive information regarding the measured current and receives an input 224 from the battery indicating the battery cell voltage and temperature. The BMU 190 is coupled to the gate terminals of each of switch 228 and switch 230 to drive switch 228 to control battery discharge and drive switch 230 to control battery charging, as described herein. The BMU 190 is also coupled to the first terminal 244 and the second terminal 246 to provide an inverter bias control voltage (also sometimes referred to as a bias control voltage) to the inverter 102, as further described below.

[0023] The configurations of the body diodes of switches 228 and 230 enable current to be blocked in one direction but not in the reverse direction, depending on the states of switches 228 and 230 respectively. When switch 228 is active (i.e., on) and switch 230 is inactive (i.e., off), battery discharge is enabled, allowing current to flow from the battery to power converter 102 through the body diode of switch 230. When switch 228 is inactive and switch 230 is active, battery charging is enabled, allowing current flow from power converter 102 to the battery through the body diode of switch 228. When both switches 228 and 230 are active, the system is in a normal mode where the battery can be charged or discharged.

[0024] BMU 190 includes a support circuit 204 and a memory 206 (e.g., a non - transitory computer - readable storage medium), each coupled to a CPU 202 (central processing unit). The CPU 202 may comprise one or more processors, microprocessors, microcontrollers, and combinations thereof configured to execute non - transitory software instructions to perform various tasks according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The CPU 202 may alternatively or additionally comprise one or more application - specific integrated circuits (ASICs). In some embodiments, the CPU 202 may be a microcontroller having an internal memory for storing controller firmware that provides the controller functions described herein when executed. BMU 190 may be implemented using a general - purpose computer that becomes a dedicated computer for implementing various embodiments of the present disclosure when executing certain software.

[0025] The support circuit 204 is a well-known circuit used to facilitate the functions of the CPU 202. Such circuits include, but are not limited to, caches, power supplies, clock circuits, buses, input / output (I / O) circuits, and the like. The BMU 190 may be implemented using a general-purpose computer that becomes a dedicated computer for implementing various embodiments of the present disclosure when executing specific software. In one or more embodiments, the CPU 202 may be a microcontroller having an internal memory for storing controller firmware that provides the controller functions described herein when executed.

[0026] The memory 206 may include random access memory, read-only memory, removable disk memory, flash memory, and various combinations of these types of memory. The memory 206 may sometimes be referred to as main memory, and part of it may be used as cache memory or buffer memory. The memory 206 generally stores the OS 208 (operating system) of the inverter controller 114 that can be supported by the CPU capabilities if necessary. In some embodiments, the OS 208 may be one of several commercially available operating systems such as, but not limited to, LINUX, a real-time operating system (RTOS).

[0027] Memory 206 stores non - transient processor - executable instructions and / or data that can be executed and / or used by CPU 202 to implement one or more methods for discharge protection, as will be described in more detail below. These processor - executable instructions may include firmware, software, etc., or some combination thereof. Memory 206 stores various forms of application software, such as collection system module 210, switch control module 212, control system module 214, and inverter bias control module 216. Memory 206 further stores a database 218 for storing data related to the operation of BMU 190 and / or the present disclosure, such as one or more thresholds, equations, formulas, curves, and / or algorithms for the control techniques described herein. In various embodiments, one or more of, or a portion of, collection system module 210, switch control module 212, control system module 214, inverter bias control module 216, and database 218 are implemented in software, firmware, hardware, or a combination thereof.

[0028] The collection system module 210 acquires cell voltage and temperature information from the battery via input 224, acquires the current measurement value provided by the current measurement module 226, and provides cell voltage, cell temperature, and measured current information to the control system module 214 for use as described herein.

[0029] The switch control module 212 drives switches 228 and 230 as determined by the control system module 214. The control system module 214 provides various battery management functions including protection functions (such as overcurrent (OC) protection, overheat (OT) protection, and hardware fault protection), measurement functions (such as averaging the measured battery cell voltage and battery current over, for example, 100 ms to remove 50 and 60 Hz ripples), state of charge (SOC) analysis (such as determining the current flow and using the current flow to estimate the battery SOC, synchronizing the estimated SOC value with the battery voltage (such as setting the SOC to an upper limit like 100% at the maximum battery voltage, setting the SOC to a lower limit like 0% at the minimum battery voltage, etc., turning off the SOC if the power converter 102 does not drive the battery to these limits), a Coulomb gauge 250 for determining, etc.), balancing (such as autonomously balancing the charge equally across all cells of the battery, which can be done at the end of charge, at the end of discharge, or in some embodiments both at the end of charge and at the end of discharge). Based on the end of battery charge and end of discharge respectively, the BMU 190 establishes estimated SOC upper and lower limits and determines the estimated SOC by tracking the current flow and cell voltage (i.e., battery voltage) between these events.

[0030] The inverter controller 114 includes a support circuit 254 and a memory 256, each coupled to a CPU 252 (central processing unit). The CPU 252 may include one or more processors, microprocessors, microcontrollers, and combinations thereof configured to execute non-transitory software instructions to perform various tasks according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The CPU 252 may alternatively or additionally include one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs). In some embodiments, the CPU 252 may be a microcontroller having an internal memory for storing controller firmware that provides the controller functions described herein when executed. The inverter controller 114 may be implemented using a general purpose computer that becomes a dedicated computer for implementing various embodiments of the present disclosure when executing certain software.

[0031] The support circuit 254 is a well-known circuit used to facilitate the functions of the CPU 252. Such circuits include, but are not limited to, cache, power supply, clock circuit, bus, input / output (I / O) circuit, and the like. The inverter controller 114 may be implemented using a general purpose computer that becomes a dedicated computer for implementing various embodiments of the present disclosure when executing certain software. In one or more embodiments, the CPU 252 may be a microcontroller having an internal memory for storing controller firmware that provides the controller functions described herein when executed.

[0032] Memory 256 can include random access memory, read-only memory, removable disk memory, flash memory, and various combinations of these types of memory. Memory 256 may be referred to as main memory, and a portion of it may be used as cache memory or buffer memory. Memory 256 generally stores the OS 258 of the inverter controller 114 that can be supported by the CPU capabilities if necessary. In some embodiments, the OS 258 may be one of several commercially available operating systems such as, but not limited to, LINUX, a real-time operating system (RTOS).

[0033] Memory 256 stores non-transitory processor-executable instructions and / or data that can be executed and / or used by the CPU 252. These processor-executable instructions may include firmware, software, etc., or some combination thereof. Memory 256 stores various forms of application software such as a power conversion control module 270 for controlling bidirectional power conversion and a battery management control module 272.

[0034] The BMU 190 performs droop control (semi-passive) that enables the batteries to substantially deplete their charge simultaneously and controls the batteries to charge the battery with less remaining time to depletion using the battery with more remaining time to depletion based on the remaining time to depletion of each battery until each battery is depleted of its charge, and communicates with the system controller 106 to balance the batteries 120 (e.g., a multi-C rate AC battery set), as will be described in more detail below.

[0035] Figure 3 is a block diagram of a battery (e.g., a plurality of energy storage devices 120-1, 120-2,......120-M) according to at least some embodiments of the present disclosure. The battery has a plurality of cells 300. One or more of the plurality of cells 300 may be in contact with a propagation barrier 301. For example, the propagation barrier 301 may be provided between any two cells of the plurality of cells 300. In at least some embodiments, each cell (e.g., cells 1 to 4) of the plurality of cells 300 is in contact with the propagation barrier 301. The propagation barrier 301 includes a first set of flat plates 302, a phase change material 306, an opening 308 (or outlet) that may be disposed adjacent to the phase change material 306 and may be at the top and / or bottom of each cell, and a second set of flat plates 304 disposed between the first set of flat plates 302.

[0036] The first set of flat plates 302 may be made from one or more low thermal conductivity materials. In at least some embodiments, the low thermal conductivity material may be made from one of a ceramic material, a plastic material, or a foamed material.

[0037] The phase change material can be any suitable phase change material. For example, the phase change material may be formed from at least one of an organic material or a salt hydrate. In at least some embodiments, the phase change material 306 is bromcamphor C 10 H 15 BrO, glautaric acid C3H6(COOH)2, or catechol C6H4(OH)2. The phase change material 306 may be solid at temperatures below 110°C. In at least some embodiments, the phase change material 306 may be solid at temperatures below 90°C.

[0038] The second set of flat plates 304 can be made of a reflective material. In at least some embodiments, the reflective material can be in the form of at least one of a radiant foil or a radiant wrap. For example, the radiant foil can include a radiation barrier made of a thin layer of polyethylene fabric sandwiched between two layers of a highly reflective metal coating. Similarly, the radiant wrap can include two layers of polyethylene industrialized air bubbles adhered between two layers of a highly reflective / white metallized aluminum polyester film. The radiant wrap has industrialized strength, is lightweight, and is durable.

[0039] In use, when the temperature of the activation cell, such as cell 3, increases, the propagation barrier 301 is configured such that the phase change material 306 absorbs energy and begins to melt. The previous volume occupied by the phase change material is replaced by air, which is one of the worst conductors and thus creates a high temperature gradient that reduces the temperature rise of adjacent cells. Further, the highly reflective material of the second set of flat plates 304 reflects radiant energy from movement to adjacent / neighboring cells, which reduces, if not eliminates, thermal runaway propagation.

[0040] FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a method 400 for manufacturing a battery (e.g., one or more of batteries 120) of a storage system configured for use in an energy management system according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. For example, during battery manufacture, at 402 method 400 includes the step of arranging a plurality of cells 300 adjacent to each other (FIG. 3).

[0041] Next, at 404, method 400 includes placing a propagation barrier 301 adjacent to at least one of the plurality of cells 300. As described above, in at least some embodiments, the propagation barrier 301 can include a first set of flat plates 302, a phase change material 306, an opening 308 disposed adjacent to the phase change material 306, and a second set of flat plates 304 disposed between the first set of flat plates 302. When the temperature of the active cell rises (cell 1 in FIG. 3), the battery, the phase change material 306 absorbs energy and melts, replacing the previous volume occupied by the phase change material 306 with air and creating a high temperature gradient that reduces the temperature rise of the adjacent cell (cell 2).

[0042] While the foregoing is directed to embodiments of the present disclosure, other and further embodiments of the present disclosure may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof, and the scope of the present disclosure is determined by the following claims.

Explanation of Symbols

[0043] 100 System 102 Power Converter 104 DC Power Supply 106 System Controller 108 Bus 110 Load Center 114 Inverter Controller 120 Energy Storage Device / Battery 140 Island Interconnection Device (IID) 190 Battery Management Unit (BMU) 200 AC Battery System 202 CPU 204 Support Circuit 206 Memory 208 OS 210 Collection System Module 212 Switch Control Module 214 Control System Module 216 Inverter Bias Control Module 218 Database 226 Current measurement module 228 Switch 230 Switch 240 First terminal 242 Second terminal 244 First terminal 246 Second terminal 250 Coulomb gauge 252 Central processing unit (CPU) 254 Support circuit 256 Memory 258 OS 270 Power conversion control module 272 Battery management control module

Claims

1. A storage system configured for use in an energy management system, comprising: a battery having a plurality of cells; a first set of flat plates, a phase change material, an opening disposed adjacent to the phase change material, and a second set of flat plates disposed between the first set of flat plates, wherein when the temperature of the activation cell rises, the phase change material absorbs energy, melts, and the previous volume occupied by the phase change material is replaced by air, creating a high temperature gradient that reduces the temperature rise of adjacent cells; and a propagation barrier configured as such.

2. The storage system according to claim 1, wherein the first set of flat plates is made of a low thermal conductivity material.

3. The storage system according to claim 2, wherein the low thermal conductivity material is made of one of a ceramic material, a plastic material, or a foamed material.

4. The storage system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the phase change material is formed of at least one of an organic material or a hydrate salt.

5. The storage system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the phase change material is at least one of bromocamphor, glutaric acid, or catechol.

6. The storage system according to claim 1, wherein the second set of flat plates is made of a reflective material.

7. The storage system according to any one of claims 1 to 3 or 6, wherein the reflective material is at least one of a radiation foil or a radiation wrap.

8. An energy management system, comprising: a power source; a storage system connected to the power source, the storage system comprising a battery having a plurality of cells, a first set of flat plates, a phase change material, an opening disposed adjacent to the phase change material, and a second set of flat plates disposed between the first set of flat plates, wherein when the temperature of the activation cell rises, the phase change material absorbs energy, melts, and the previous volume occupied by the phase change material is replaced by air, creating a high temperature gradient that reduces the temperature rise of adjacent cells; and a propagation barrier configured as such. A controller connected to the power source, the energy storage system, the load center, and the interconnection device via the bus to convert DC power from the power source into grid-compatible AC power, convert DC power from the battery into grid-compatible AC power, and convert AC power from the bus into DC output stored in the battery An energy management system comprising the same.

9. The energy management system according to claim 8, wherein the set of the first flat plates is made of a low thermal conductivity material.

10. The energy management system according to claim 9, wherein the low thermal conductivity material is made of one of a ceramic material, a plastic material, or a foamed material.

11. The energy management system according to any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein the phase change material is formed of at least one of an organic material or a salt hydrate.

12. The energy management system according to any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein the phase change material is at least one of bromocamphor, glutaric acid, or catechol.

13. The energy management system according to claim 8, wherein the set of the second flat plates is made of a reflective material.

14. The energy management system according to any one of claims 8 to 10 or 13, wherein the reflective material is at least one of a radiation foil or a radiation wrap.

15. A method of manufacturing a battery of an energy storage system configured for use in an energy management system, comprising: placing a plurality of cells adjacent to each other; placing a propagation barrier adjacent to at least one of the plurality of cells, the propagation barrier comprising a set of first flat plates, a phase change material, an opening disposed adjacent to the phase change material, and a set of second flat plates disposed between the set of first flat plates, and configured to create a high temperature gradient that, when the temperature of the starting cell rises, causes the phase change material to absorb energy, melt, and replace the previous volume occupied by the phase change material with air, reducing the temperature rise of adjacent cells; A method comprising the above.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the set of the first flat plates is made of a low thermal conductivity material.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the low thermal conductivity material is made from one of a ceramic material, a plastic material, or a foamed material. **Claim 18** The method according to any one of claims 15 to 17, wherein the phase change material is formed from at least one of an organic material or a salt hydrate. **Claim 19** The method according to any one of claims 15 to 17, wherein the phase change material is at least one of bromocamphor, glutaric acid, or catechol. **Claim 20** The method according to claim 15, wherein the set of second plates is made from a reflective material.

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