Battery Pack Vent Chamber Segmentation for Fire Suppression
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing battery packs lack effective fire-extinguishing mechanisms to contain and suppress fires in secondary battery cells, particularly in high-capacity applications like electric vehicles, where thermal runaway can occur.
Innovation Solution
A battery pack design featuring a housing with a chamber divided into unit chambers by partitions, each containing a fire-extinguishing member, and a guide to direct emissions towards the extinguishing agent, along with holders to support the partitions and cells, enhancing fire suppression efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If a battery pack uses high-capacity secondary battery cells to provide high energy density, then the power and energy storage capability are improved, but the risk of thermal runaway and fire propagation increases
Solution Approach 1:
The housing is divided into multiple separate compartments that physically isolate individual battery cells from each other. Each compartment contains a single battery cell and has its own independent fire-extinguishing member, preventing fire propagation between cells while maintaining high-capacity battery configuration
Solution Approach 2:
Fire-extinguishing members are positioned as intermediary elements between adjacent battery cells. These members actively suppress thermal runaway by releasing extinguishing agents when temperature sensors detect heat buildup, serving as a protective barrier that prevents fire spread between high-capacity cells
2Speed
If fire-extinguishing members are positioned close to battery cells for rapid suppression, then fire response time is improved, but the complexity of the battery pack structure increases
Solution Approach 1:
The fire-extinguishing system is segmented into modular units, with each compartment having its own dedicated fire-extinguishing member. This modular approach enables rapid local response to thermal runaway while keeping each individual component simple and easy to install
Solution Approach 2:
Temperature sensors within each compartment automatically detect thermal runaway conditions and trigger the corresponding fire-extinguishing member without requiring external control systems. This self-activating mechanism reduces response time while minimizing the complexity of control wiring and systems
3Object-affected harmful factors
If partitions are added to divide the chamber into unit chambers, then fire propagation is prevented, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The housing is designed with integrated partition walls that are formed as part of the overall housing structure rather than separate components. This integration approach creates effective fire barriers between compartments while simplifying the manufacturing process by reducing the number of separate parts that need to be assembled
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 design effectively suppresses fires by directing extinguishing materials to the source while preventing spread, maintaining the integrity of non-affected cells and reducing fire propagation.
Implementation Method 1
a guide in the unit chamber and configured to guide a flow of an emission discharged from the vent hole toward the fire-extinguishing member
Data Source
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AI summary
A battery pack includes a housing, a plurality of battery cells in the housing and each having a vent hole, a chamber between the housing and the vent hole, a separation member in the chamber and configured to divide the chamber into a plurality of unit chambers, and a plurality of fire-extinguishing members each located in a unit chamber of the plurality of unit chambers and configured to supply a fire-extinguishing material to the battery cells.