Battery Containment Cooling Channel for Thermal Runaway Gas
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Solution Overview
Problem
Lithium-ion batteries used in aircraft electronic devices pose a fire risk due to thermal runaway, which is exacerbated by the potential for ignition of lithium gas when exposed to oxygen, necessitating a safer battery pack configuration to prevent fires onboard aircraft.
Innovation Solution
A battery containment assembly with a cooling channel that extends from the battery casing to the lithium-ion battery, designed to vent gases and lower their temperature before exit, thereby preventing ignition when exposed to ambient air, incorporating a serpentine or spiral gas flow pathway and thermal interaction to ensure sufficient cooling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If lithium-ion batteries are used for high power density and fast charging, then energy delivery performance is improved, but fire risk increases due to thermal runaway
Solution Approach 1:
The harmful lithium gas is extracted from the battery enclosure through a dedicated venting pathway that directs it away from the battery cell. The vent channel separates the hot gas flow from the battery, preventing the gas from contacting ignition sources while maintaining the high power density benefits of lithium-ion chemistry.
Solution Approach 2:
A cooling channel acts as an intermediary between the lithium gas and the ambient environment. This channel provides a controlled pathway that cools the gas through thermal interaction with the channel walls, preventing ignition while allowing pressure relief during thermal runaway events.
2Reliability
If thermal runaway prevention is prioritized through containment, then fire safety is improved, but gas cooling capability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The battery enclosure is segmented into distinct functional zones: a containment chamber for the battery cell, a vent channel for gas extraction, and a cooling pathway. This segmentation allows the system to simultaneously provide containment for safety while incorporating dedicated cooling pathways that lower gas temperature before discharge.
Solution Approach 2:
The venting system extends in a third dimension away from the battery cell, creating a spatial separation between the hot gas source and the external environment. This dimensional extension allows sufficient distance for cooling while maintaining structural integrity and fire safety containment.
3Stress or pressure
If lithium gas is vented directly to ambient air, then pressure relief is improved, but ignition risk increases due to exposure to oxygen
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling channel performs preliminary cooling of the lithium gas before it is discharged to the ambient environment. By pre-cooling the gas within the enclosed channel, the system reduces the temperature below ignition points before oxygen contact occurs, eliminating the ignition risk while maintaining pressure relief functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling channel creates a temporary controlled environment for the hot gas, isolating it from ambient oxygen during the critical cooling phase. This inert-like environment prevents combustion by excluding oxygen until the gas has been cooled to safe temperatures.
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 cooling channel effectively reduces the risk of fire by cooling lithium gas exhausted during thermal runaway conditions, preventing ignition and ensuring compliance with safety standards like FAA DO-311A by maintaining gas temperatures below the spontaneous combustion point.
Implementation Method 1
The cooling channel is configured to cool the gas exhausted from the at least one lithium-ion battery during a thermal runaway condition of the at least one lithium-ion battery
Data Source
AI summary
Some embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a battery containment assembly for powering an electronic device. The battery containment assembly including at least one lithium-ion battery. The battery containment assembly includes a battery casing enclosing the at least one lithium-ion battery and having a cooling channel extending from a vent of the battery casing to the at least one lithium-ion battery, the cooling channel configured to vent any gas exhausted by the at least one lithium-ion battery to mix with air outside of the battery casing and to lower a temperature of the gas exhausted from the at least one lithium-ion battery during a thermal runaway condition of the at least one lithium-ion battery before the gas exits the vent.