Traction Battery Fire Suppression Using On-Demand Foam Mixing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traction batteries in electric and hybrid vehicles are prone to overheating and potential fires, which can lead to explosions, and existing firefighting solutions are either costly or not structurally efficient.
Innovation Solution
A traction battery device equipped with an extinguishing apparatus that combines spatially separate extinguishing agent components to form an extinguishing agent, such as foam, which can be introduced into the battery housing via a feed device, using a compact and economically designed extinguishing-agent-generating device within the battery housing, activated by a control device upon detection of critical operating states.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If existing firefighting solutions are implemented for traction batteries, then fire protection capability is improved, but structural cost and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The extinguishing agent is divided into multiple spatially separate components stored in the battery housing. These components are distributed throughout the battery structure rather than using a single centralized extinguishing system, reducing overall structural complexity while maintaining fire protection capability.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple extinguishing agent components are combined through mixing to form a complete extinguishing agent. This merging of separate components achieves the desired fire protection effect while avoiding the need for complex pre-assembled extinguishing systems, thereby reducing structural cost.
2Volume of moving object
If spatially separate extinguishing agent components are combined to form extinguishing agent, then installation space efficiency is improved, but mixing control complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The extinguishing agent components are arranged in spatially separate locations within the battery housing, utilizing three-dimensional space efficiently. This spatial distribution allows compact installation while the mixing process transforms these separated components into a unified extinguishing agent when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
A mixing device acts as an intermediary between the spatially separate extinguishing agent components. This intermediary mechanism enables controlled combination of the components without requiring complex direct connections between all components, simplifying the overall control structure while achieving efficient space utilization.
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 solution provides a reliable and cost-effective means to prevent or suppress battery fires, ensuring safety and reducing repair costs by generating and distributing extinguishing agents like foam directly into the battery housing, effectively addressing the risk of overheating and damage.
Implementation Method 1
The extinguishing-agent-generating device is suitable for combining and designed to combine, in the case of an extinguishing situation, at least two spatially separate extinguishing agent components in a controlled fashion, and is suitable for mixing, and designed to mix, them to form an extinguishing agent
Implementation Method 2
The extinguishing agent can then be introduced into the battery housing via the feed device
Data Source
AI summary
A traction battery device for an at least partially electrically driven motor vehicle includes at least one traction battery with at least one battery housing for housing battery modules and/or battery cells and at least one extinguishing apparatus for automatically carrying out an extinguishing process in an extinguishing situation. An extinguishing agent can be introduced into the battery housing with the extinguishing apparatus via at least one feed device. In this context, the extinguishing apparatus has at least one extinguishing-agent-generating device which, in the case of an extinguishing situation, is suitable for combining, and is designed to combine, at least two spatially separate extinguishing agent components in a controlled fashion and to mix them to form an extinguishing agent which can be extinguished and which can be introduced into the battery housing via the feed device.