Battery Module Housing Structure for Spark Containment During Venting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing battery modules in energy storage systems and electric vehicles face challenges in safely venting gas during thermal runaway, preventing high-temperature sparks from leaking, and avoiding oxygen introduction that could lead to fires.
Innovation Solution
A battery module design featuring a cell stack, module housing with spark delay protrusions and concave portions, a bus bar frame assembly, and a fire-proof sheet assembly that prevents external oxygen introduction and contains sparks within the module.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If venting gas is rapidly discharged to the outside of the battery module, then internal pressure is reduced, but high-temperature sparks may leak to the outside causing fire
Solution Approach 1:
A water spray system is introduced as an intermediary substance between the venting gas/sparks and the external environment. The water spray absorbs sparks through cooling and encapsulation, preventing them from reaching external oxygen sources while allowing gas to vent. This mediator resolves the contradiction by enabling rapid venting without spark leakage hazards.
Solution Approach 2:
The harmful high-temperature sparks are converted into a controllable phenomenon by using water spray to cool and capture them. The spray system transforms the dangerous spark ejection into a controlled water-spark mixture that can be safely directed or contained, turning the harmful thermal energy into a manageable flow that protects the external environment.
2Strength
If a bus bar frame is damaged by sparks and high-temperature gas, then structural integrity is compromised, but oxygen may be introduced from the outside causing fire
Solution Approach 1:
The battery module interior is maintained as an inert or low-oxygen environment using fireproof sheets and sealed structures. Even when the bus bar frame is damaged, the inert atmosphere design prevents external oxygen from easily entering the module interior, thereby preventing fire spread. This approach protects against oxygen introduction regardless of structural damage to internal components.
Solution Approach 2:
The battery module is segmented into isolated compartments using fireproof sheets and modular structures. When the bus bar frame is damaged in one section, the segmentation prevents oxygen and fire from spreading to other sections. Each segment acts as an independent containment zone, limiting the impact of localized damage.
3Quantity of substance
If the number of lithium secondary batteries in a battery module is increased to satisfy output power characteristics, then capacity is improved, but damage increases when fire or explosion occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The battery module is divided into multiple isolated compartments using fireproof sheets and modular structures. When fire or explosion occurs in one compartment, the segmentation prevents the event from spreading to other compartments containing additional batteries. This allows the module to maintain high capacity through increased battery quantity while limiting damage extent through spatial isolation.
Solution Approach 2:
Each battery compartment is designed to maintain an inert or low-oxygen environment, preventing fire spread between compartments. When thermal runaway occurs in one compartment, the inert atmosphere design prevents external oxygen from fueling the reaction, thereby containing the damage even when large numbers of batteries are packed into the module.
Data Source
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AI summary
A battery module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes: a cell stack in which a plurality of battery cells are vertically stacked; a module housing including a base plate supporting the cell stack and a pair of side plates covering both side portions of the cell stack; and a bus bar frame assembly covering an opening portion formed on a side of the module housing in a longitudinal direction of the module housing, wherein each of the pair of side plates includes: a plurality of spark delay protrusions protruding from an inner surface of the side plate; and a plurality of spark delay concave portions recessed from the inner surface of the side plate.