Battery Drain Valve Plug for Thermal Runaway Vent Blocking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Batteries in vehicles can experience thermal runaway, during which the drain valve can unintentionally vent gas, accelerating the thermal runaway. This poses a risk of uncontrolled venting and potential safety hazards.
Innovation Solution
A temperature-controlled drain valve assembly that includes a plug retained by an environmental parameter-sensitive device, which releases the plug when temperature and pressure thresholds are exceeded, allowing the plug to move into the fluid path and block venting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-generated harmful factors
If the drain valve remains open during thermal runaway, then gas can vent from the battery, but this accelerates the thermal runaway event
Solution Approach 1:
The plug is pre-positioned to block the drain valve opening before thermal runaway occurs. The retaining device holds the plug in place during normal operation, and only releases it when temperature or pressure thresholds are exceeded, ensuring the valve is closed and ready to prevent harmful venting at the critical moment
Solution Approach 2:
The environmental parameter-sensitive retaining device uses the harmful thermal and pressure conditions of thermal runaway as the trigger mechanism to activate the plug. The same extreme conditions that cause the problem also automatically trigger the solution, converting the harmful environment into the activation signal for closing the valve
2Reliability
If the plug is held in place by a retaining device, then unintended venting is prevented, but the plug must be released when critical thresholds are exceeded
Solution Approach 1:
The retaining device is designed to automatically release the plug in response to environmental parameters (temperature or pressure) without requiring external control systems, sensors, or power sources. The device serves itself by using the physical environment's own parameters as the release trigger, eliminating the need for complex electronic control while maintaining reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The retaining device exploits changes in environmental parameters (temperature and pressure) to trigger plug release. As these parameters exceed predetermined thresholds during thermal runaway, the physical properties of the retaining device change, causing automatic release of the plug without requiring complex control mechanisms
3Object-generated harmful factors
If the drain valve is blocked by a plug, then gas venting is prevented, but the plug must be positioned precisely to block the fluid path
Solution Approach 1:
The plug is designed with a shape and size that creates a simple, direct blocking geometry against the drain valve opening. The plug's dimensions and the valve opening are matched to ensure that when the plug is in its blocked position, it completely seals the opening without requiring complex positioning mechanisms or high manufacturing precision
Solution Approach 2:
The drain valve system is segmented into distinct functional zones: the plug, the retaining device, and the drain opening. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently, with the plug focused solely on blocking the opening when released, while the retaining device handles the complexity of holding and releasing the plug based on environmental 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
Prevents unintended venting during thermal runaway events by ensuring the plug is only released when critical thermal and pressure thresholds are met, thereby mitigating the risk of accelerating the thermal runaway.
Implementation Method 1
a retaining device that retains the plug in the first position, wherein the retaining device is configured to release the plug when an environmental parameter of the battery exceeds a threshold
Implementation Method 2
the retaining device releases the plug when one of a temperature at the drain assembly is at or above a temperature threshold and a pressure at the drain assembly is at or above a pressure threshold
Implementation Method 3
a biasing device that biases the plug towards a second position in the fluid path
Implementation Method 4
a plug disposed at a first position out of the fluid path... allowing the plug to move into the fluid path and block venting
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle includes a battery and a drain assembly for the battery. The battery includes a housing and a drain assembly having a first section within the housing and a second section outside of the housing. A fluid path passes through the drain assembly for flow of a fluid from the battery. A plug is disposed at a first position out of the fluid path. A retaining device retains the plug in the first position. The retaining device is configured to release the plug when an environmental parameter of the battery exceeds a threshold. A biasing device biases the plug towards a second position in the fluid path.