Battery Module Thermal Barrier Bonding Against Chain Runaway
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing battery modules and packs face challenges in preventing thermal runaway from spreading between battery cells, as conventional heat-resistant sheets or pads often fail to securely couple with the housing, allowing conductive particles and flames to transfer and cause chain thermal runaway.
Innovation Solution
A battery module design that includes a housing with an internal cell stack comprising multiple battery cells and thermal barrier assemblies, where an adhesive member, potentially thermally conductive, fills the gap between the thermal barrier assembly and the housing, ensuring secure coupling and preventing thermal energy and conductive particles from transferring between cells.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a heat-resistant sheet or pad is disposed between battery cells to delay thermal runaway transfer, then thermal protection is improved, but secure coupling to the housing deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The adhesive member combines the functions of thermal insulation and mechanical coupling into a single integrated component. It is disposed between the thermal barrier assembly and the housing, simultaneously providing thermal protection and secure attachment, thereby eliminating the need for separate coupling mechanisms and ensuring both thermal safety and structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The adhesive member acts as an intermediary substance that fills the gap between the thermal barrier assembly and the housing. This intermediary material ensures complete contact and coupling while maintaining the thermal barrier function, preventing conductive particles and flames from passing through gaps that would exist with rigid sheet-based solutions.
2Ease of manufacture
If an empty space is formed between the sheet or pad and the housing, then ease of assembly is improved, but thermal runaway prevention deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The adhesive member serves as an intermediary that eliminates empty spaces between the thermal barrier assembly and the housing. By filling all gaps and ensuring complete contact, it prevents conductive particles and flames from bypassing the thermal barrier, thereby maintaining thermal runaway prevention while accommodating manufacturing tolerances and assembly variations.
Solution Approach 2:
The adhesive member changes the physical state of the interface between components from a gapped, rigid connection to a continuous, conformal bond. This parameter change ensures that the thermal barrier function is maintained across the entire interface area, eliminating pathways for thermal and conductive particle transfer that would exist with spaced or loosely fitted sheets.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the edge of the sheet or pad is temporarily or repeatedly separated from the housing, then adaptability to pressure changes is improved, but thermal protection deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The adhesive member merges the thermal barrier function with the structural coupling function, creating a unified system that maintains its integrity under varying pressure conditions. The adhesive bond ensures that the thermal barrier remains continuously attached to the housing, preventing edge separation that would occur with sheet-based solutions while still accommodating internal pressure changes.
Solution Approach 2:
The adhesive member ensures continuous thermal protection by maintaining uninterrupted contact between the thermal barrier assembly and the housing throughout operation. This continuous bond prevents moments of disconnection or edge separation that would allow thermal runaway to propagate, ensuring the thermal protection function operates continuously and reliably under all pressure conditions.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The proposed solution effectively suppresses chain thermal runaway by preventing the transfer of thermal energy, flames, or conductive particles between battery cells, thereby enhancing the safety and reliability of battery modules and packs.
Implementation Method 1
an adhesive member, disposed between the cell stack and the housing, wherein at least a portion of the adhesive member fills a gap between at least one edge of the thermal barrier assembly and the housing
Implementation Method 2
the heat-resistant member may include mica, ceramic wool, or aerogel, or a combination of two or more of mica, ceramic wool, and aerogel
Data Source
AI summary
A battery module includes a housing having an internal space, a cell stack disposed in the internal space and including a plurality of battery cells and one or more thermal barrier assemblies, and an adhesive member disposed between the cell stack and the housing, wherein at least a portion of the adhesive member fills a gap between at least one edge of the thermal barrier assembly and the housing, and the at least one edge of the thermal barrier assembly is coupled to the housing by the adhesive member.