Battery Pack Partition Wall with Mica Fireproof Barrier
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing battery packs, particularly those in portable electronic devices like notebook PCs, face safety concerns due to the risk of fire and explosion from high-temperature combustible gas discharge during impacts, as conventional fire-resistant partition walls melt under the high temperatures, failing to adequately prevent heat and fire spreading among densely packed lithium-ion battery cells.
Innovation Solution
A battery pack design featuring a partition wall structure with a fireproof wall made of materials like mica, which maintains its integrity at temperatures up to 800°C, combined with an impact-absorbing section and a heat-insulating air layer, to prevent heat and fire from spreading between battery cells and electrical circuits, even under mechanical stress.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional fire-resistant partition walls are used to separate battery cells, then fire resistance is improved, but the partition walls melt under high temperatures from combustible gas discharge, failing to prevent heat and fire spreading
Solution Approach 1:
The partition wall is constructed as a composite structure with a fireproof wall made of high-temperature resistant material (such as metal or ceramic) positioned adjacent to the battery cell, and a heat-insulating wall made of low thermal conductivity material (such as foam or air layer) positioned away from the battery cell. This composite structure combines the high-temperature resistance of the fireproof wall with the heat insulation properties of the heat-insulating wall, enabling the partition to withstand both the high temperature of discharged gas and the thermal stress from fire spreading.
2Productivity
If battery cells are densely packed to increase energy density, then productivity is improved, but the risk of fire spreading among cells increases
Solution Approach 1:
The battery pack is divided into multiple independent compartments by partition walls, with each battery cell or group of cells separated from others. The partition walls include fireproof and heat-insulating structures that create thermal barriers between adjacent cells, preventing fire and heat from spreading rapidly across the densely packed battery array, thus enabling high energy density while maintaining safety.
Solution Approach 2:
Heat-insulating materials (such as foam layers or air gaps) are introduced as intermediary substances between adjacent battery cells. These intermediaries act as thermal barriers that slow down heat transfer between cells, allowing the battery pack to maintain high cell density while reducing the fire spreading risk through the insulating effect of the intermediary materials.
3Reliability
If impact-absorbing structures are added to protect battery cells, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The partition wall structure serves multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as a separator between battery cells, provides fire resistance through the fireproof wall, offers heat insulation via the heat-insulating wall, and absorbs impact forces through its structural design. By integrating these multiple protective functions into a single partition wall component, the battery pack achieves high reliability without significantly increasing overall structural complexity.
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 effectively reduces the risk of fire spreading and prevents damage to battery cells by maintaining the fireproof wall's functionality and heat insulation, ensuring the battery pack's safety against impacts and high-temperature gas discharge, thereby enhancing the overall safety of portable electronic devices.
Implementation Method 1
a fireproof wall which is made of a high-temperature resistant material and prevents transmission of heat at a temperature of the discharged gas
Implementation Method 2
a heat-insulating air layer between the discharged gas and the other battery cells
Data Source
AI summary
Provision of an extension-type battery pack which is improved in safety thereof against dropping and impact application. Although a battery pack is susceptible to damage caused by an impact since partial battery cells are located outside the outline of a notebook PC when it is mounted on the notebook PC, the battery pack is provided with a partition wall structure including an air space and a fireproof wall formed of a material which does not melt at a temperature of combustible gas discharged from a gas discharge valve of the respective battery cells. The material of the fireproof wall is preferably mica or the like. The partition wall structure can be provided between an inside battery compartment and an outside battery compartment of the battery pack or can be provided among other battery cells. This prevents fire spreading to other battery cells even if high-temperature combustible gas is discharged from a battery cell damaged by an impact or the like.