Battery Fire Suppression Container With Melt-Release Barrier
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Solution Overview
Problem
Batteries in electric vehicles can ignite and cause dangerous fires, posing serious safety risks.
Innovation Solution
A container design with a compartment for energy storage devices and a chamber for fire suppressive material, separated by a barrier that melts or ignites at a lower temperature than the container material, allowing the suppressive agent to drop and extinguish the fire.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a barrier with lower melting temperature than the container is used, then the fire suppressive agent can be released before the container fails, but the barrier may fail at lower temperatures reducing overall structural integrity
Solution Approach 1:
The container is segmented into distinct functional zones: a compartment for the energy storage device, a chamber for the fire suppressive agent, and a barrier layer between them. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific function - the barrier for low-temperature response and the container for high-temperature structural support.
Solution Approach 2:
The barrier acts as an intermediary component between the energy storage device compartment and the fire suppressive agent chamber. It mediates the fire suppression process by failing at a controlled low temperature to release the suppressive agent, while the main container structure maintains its integrity at higher temperatures.
2Speed
If the barrier is positioned close to the energy storage device, then the suppressive agent can reach the device quickly, but the barrier may be exposed to higher temperatures affecting its release timing
Solution Approach 1:
The barrier is nested within the container structure, positioned between the compartment and chamber. This nested configuration allows the barrier to be thermally coupled to the compartment for early detection of fire conditions while maintaining sufficient distance to be protected from the most intense thermal exposure.
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
Effectively suppresses fires by releasing fire suppressive agents before the container melts or ignites, preventing further damage and ensuring safety.
Implementation Method 1
the barrier is configured to change from the first physical state to a second physical state in response to thermal energy having a threshold temperature
Implementation Method 2
the barrier is configured to change from the first physical state to a second physical state in response to thermal energy having a threshold temperature
Implementation Method 3
the fire suppressive material drops from the top portion down onto the energy storage device below
Data Source
AI summary
An energy storage device container can suppress fires and can comprise a compartment configured to receive an energy storage device and a chamber configured to hold a fire suppressive agent, the chamber being positioned above the compartment. A barrier can be positioned between the compartment and the chamber and can physically separate the fire suppressive agent from the energy storage device to inhibit the fire suppressive agent from entering the compartment when the barrier is in a first physical state. The barrier can change from the first physical state to a second physical state in response to thermal energy having a threshold temperature to allow the fire suppressive agent to enter the compartment to contact the energy storage device.