Battery Module CO2 Freezing for Sealed Thermal Runaway Suppression
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Solution Overview
Problem
Modern battery technologies, such as lithium-ion batteries, are prone to flammable materials and gases when overheating, leading to difficult-to-suppress fires that can spread quickly between adjacent battery cells, especially since these cells are often contained within sealed housings.
Innovation Solution
A container system equipped with a canister storing liquid CO2, which is removably fluidly coupled with the container's inner volume. The liquid CO2 is discharged to suppress and freeze the battery cells prior to opening the container, forming a rigid medium that allows safe handling and removal of the cells.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If battery cells are contained within sealed housings to protect them, then safety and containment are improved, but access for fire suppression and handling becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary freezing of battery cells using liquid CO2 before opening the sealed housing. This preliminary action reduces the temperature of the cells to below freezing, preventing thermal runaway and enabling safe handling afterward. The freezing process is initiated while the housing remains sealed, maintaining containment while preparing the cells for subsequent safe access.
Solution Approach 2:
Liquid CO2 serves as an intermediary substance that penetrates the sealed housing through fluid coupling ports and directly contacts the battery cells. This intermediary medium transfers cold energy to freeze the cells without requiring physical opening of the housing, thus maintaining sealed containment while enabling suppression and safe handling.
2Ease of operation
If liquid CO2 is discharged to freeze battery cells for safe handling, then ease of operation is improved, but device complexity increases due to additional suppression equipment
Solution Approach 1:
The liquid CO2 system serves multiple functions: it acts as both a fire suppressant and a freezing agent for safe handling. The same CO2 discharge mechanism that suppresses thermal runaway also freezes the cells, eliminating the need for separate suppression and cooling systems. This multi-functionality reduces overall device complexity despite the addition of the CO2 system.
Solution Approach 2:
The liquid CO2 system is designed to be self-contained with automatic or manual activation capabilities. Once triggered, the system self-regulates the discharge process to achieve both suppression and freezing without requiring complex external control systems. The sealed housing with fluid coupling ports provides a self-contained architecture that minimizes additional complexity.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If liquid CO2 is used to suppress fires in battery cells, then fire suppression effectiveness is improved, but loss of substance increases due to CO2 consumption
Solution Approach 1:
The system utilizes the phase transition of CO2 from liquid to gas during discharge. Liquid CO2 is stored in a compact liquid state, then discharged where it rapidly vaporizes to CO2 gas, absorbing heat in the process. This phase transition provides efficient fire suppression through both the cooling effect and the displacement of oxygen, while the liquid storage form minimizes the volume and apparent loss of the suppressant material.
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 use of liquid CO2 effectively suppresses and freezes battery cells, preventing thermal runaway and allowing for safe removal and handling, while also being compatible with various fire suppression technologies.
Implementation Method 1
The canister is configured to discharge the liquid CO2 into the inner volume to suppress and freeze the battery cells prior to physical opening of the container
Implementation Method 2
The liquid CO2 is configured to freeze to provide sublimation to the plurality of battery cells to mitigate thermal runaway of the plurality of battery cells
Implementation Method 3
The liquid CO2 is configured to freeze to provide sublimation to the plurality of battery cells to mitigate thermal runaway
Data Source
AI summary
A container system includes a container, and a canister. The container defines an inner volume. Multiple modules are positioned within the inner volume. The modules include multiple battery cells. The canister is configured to store liquid CO2. The canister is removably fluidly coupled with the inner volume of the container. The canister is configured to discharge the liquid CO2 into the inner volume to suppress and freeze the battery cells prior to physical opening of the container.