Battery Module Fire Suppression Using Resistor-Triggered Fluid Discharge
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing battery modules lack effective countermeasures against abnormal ignition and thermal runaway, which can lead to fire spread and serious accidents, especially in large-capacity battery packs used in electric vehicles.
Innovation Solution
A battery fire-extinguishing apparatus with integrated fire-extinguishing fluid storages and resistors that monitor voltage and increase current flow to trigger discharge of fire-extinguishing fluid when abnormal conditions are detected, using a control circuit to manage resistor connections and heat pads to suppress fire ignition and prevent heat spread.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If fire-extinguishing fluid storages and resistors are integrated into each battery module, then fire suppression capability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines fire-extinguishing fluid storages, resistors, and control circuits directly into each battery module, creating an integrated fire suppression system. This merging of components within individual modules enables autonomous fire detection and suppression without requiring external intervention, thereby improving reliability while the modular nature manages the complexity through standardization.
Solution Approach 2:
The resistor components serve dual functions: as electrical circuit elements for battery operation and as temperature sensors for fire detection. When overheating occurs, the resistors also function as heating elements to activate the fire-extinguishing fluid storage. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated components, improving fire suppression capability without proportionally increasing device complexity.
2Reliability
If voltage monitoring and automatic current increase are implemented, then thermal runaway prevention is improved, but control circuit complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control circuit automatically monitors voltage across the resistors and, upon detecting abnormal conditions indicating thermal runaway, autonomously increases current flow through the resistors to activate the fire-extinguishing mechanism. This self-service capability eliminates the need for external monitoring systems or manual intervention, improving thermal runaway prevention while keeping the control circuit relatively simple through automated decision-making logic.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors the voltage across the resistor and uses this feedback to determine when thermal runaway conditions are developing. When the voltage exceeds a threshold, the control circuit responds by increasing current flow. This closed-loop feedback mechanism provides reliable thermal runaway prevention through simple voltage-threshold-based control, avoiding the need for complex algorithms or multiple sensors.
3Reliability
If fire-extinguishing fluid is discharged to adjacent battery modules, then heat spread prevention is improved, but loss of substance increases
Solution Approach 1:
The fire suppression system is divided into segmented units, with each battery module containing its own fire-extinguishing fluid storage and control mechanisms. When thermal runaway occurs in one module, only that module's fire-extinguishing fluid is discharged, rather than requiring system-wide deployment. This segmentation prevents heat spread to adjacent modules while minimizing fire-extinguishing fluid loss to only what is necessary for the affected module.
Solution Approach 2:
The fire-extinguishing fluid discharge is localized to the specific battery module experiencing thermal runaway and its immediate adjacent modules. Each module's fire-extinguishing system is activated only when needed, providing targeted heat spread prevention rather than universal coverage. This local quality approach prevents unnecessary fluid loss while effectively containing thermal events to their origin points.
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 apparatus automatically suppresses fire ignition and prevents thermal runaway by discharging fire-extinguishing fluid to affected and adjacent battery modules, effectively minimizing damage and preventing explosion of the entire battery pack.
Implementation Method 1
a plurality of resistors respectively adjacent to the plurality of fire-extinguishing fluid storages, and a control circuit configured to monitor voltage across both ends of the plurality of resistors and to increase current flowing through each of the plurality of resistors when the voltage across both ends of the plurality of resistors is higher than a reference voltage
Implementation Method 2
each resistor may include a heating pad that is destroyed by heating to open a connected circuit
Implementation Method 3
the fire-extinguishing fluid may include a material that prevents an electrolyte gas at a battery module from contacting oxygen and lowers a temperature at the battery module
Data Source
AI summary
A battery fire-extinguishing apparatus for preventing heat from spreading to an entire battery pack when fire occurs in some battery module includes a plurality of fire-extinguishing fluid storages respectively located at a plurality of battery modules and configured to discharge fire-extinguishing fluid, a plurality of resistors respectively adjacent to the plurality of fire-extinguishing fluid storages, and a control circuit configured to monitor voltage across both ends of the plurality of resistors and to increase current flowing through each of the plurality of resistors when the voltage across both ends of the plurality of resistors is higher than a reference voltage.