Battery Housing Joule Heating for Fast Thermal Runaway Testing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for triggering thermal runaway in lithium-ion batteries are inefficient, requiring significant time and energy, and are not representative of real-world thermal runaway scenarios, particularly when attempting to simulate thermal runaway in a battery pack.
Innovation Solution
A device comprising two current conducting elements in electrical contact with a metal housing or flexible package of the battery, which applies a high heating current through Joule effect to rapidly heat the battery, achieving thermal runaway in less than 5 minutes with minimal impact on adjacent batteries, using a setup where the output terminals are connected outside the heating current flow to minimize potential perturbations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If traditional heating methods are used to trigger thermal runaway, then thermal runaway can be achieved, but it requires significant time and energy consumption
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a metal housing or flexible package with metal layer as an intermediary conductive element between the heating current source and the battery cells. This intermediary structure enables efficient current distribution and localized Joule heating, reducing the overall energy consumption compared to traditional direct heating methods while achieving the required thermal runaway temperature
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical or conventional thermal heating methods with electrical Joule heating through current-conducting elements. This substitution allows for precise control of heating location and intensity, significantly reducing energy consumption and time required to trigger thermal runaway compared to traditional heating approaches
2Temperature
If traditional heating methods are used to trigger thermal runaway, then thermal runaway can be achieved, but it takes significant time
Solution Approach 1:
The metal housing or flexible package acts as a thermal and electrical intermediary that rapidly distributes heat throughout the battery structure. This intermediary structure enables fast heat propagation to critical areas, reducing the time required to reach thermal runaway temperature compared to traditional localized heating methods
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces slow thermal diffusion-based heating with rapid Joule heating through conductive elements. This substitution enables almost instantaneous heating of targeted areas, dramatically reducing the time to trigger thermal runaway from hours or minutes to seconds
3Productivity
If heating current is applied through the battery structure, then rapid heating is achieved, but it may perturb the output terminals
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the heating current path from the battery's normal electrical circuit by using the metal housing or flexible package as a separate heating pathway. This separation ensures that the heating current does not flow through the output terminals, eliminating perturbations while maintaining rapid heating capability through Joule effect in the conductive housing
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 allows for a fast and controlled thermal runaway simulation with significantly less energy consumption compared to traditional methods, facilitating safer and more accurate testing of safety devices and propagation risks within a battery pack.
Implementation Method 1
an electrical power supply independent from the accumulator, designed to drive a current, referred to as a heating current, between the two elements so as to heat up the flexible package or the housing of the accumulator by Joule effect (resistive heating)
Data Source
AI summary
A device triggers thermal runaway of an electrochemical accumulator, including a flexible package that contains at least once electrochemical cell. A part of the current collectors that form the output terminals of the accumulator pass through the flexible package. The device includes two electrical current conducting elements, each respectively in electrical contact with the exterior of a part of a metal layer of the flexible package or of the metal housing, and an electrical power supply independent from the accumulator. The electrical power supply is designed to drive a current, referred to as a heating current, between the two elements so as to heat up the flexible package or the housing of the accumulator by Joule effect.