Battery Pack Pressure Relief Valve With Thermal Runaway Whistle Warning
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing battery management systems (BMS) fail to timely send thermal runaway fault signals due to damage from high-temperature gas ejected during thermal runaway, potentially leading to safety hazards and reduced escape time in vehicles.
Innovation Solution
A pressure relief valve with a whistle hole that discharges high-temperature gas through a whistle hole, generating an audible warning signal when thermal runaway occurs, even if the BMS fails.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the BMS is used to send thermal runaway fault signals, then the warning system is automated and reliable, but the BMS may be damaged by high-temperature gas and fail to send signals timely
Solution Approach 1:
The pressure relief valve acts as an intermediary device between the battery module and the external environment. It provides a controlled discharge path for high-temperature gas through the pressure relief hole, preventing direct contact with the BMS while still enabling thermal runaway warning through the whistle hole mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The warning function is extracted from the BMS and implemented through the pressure relief valve's whistle hole. This separates the gas discharge function from the warning signal generation, allowing the BMS to be protected from high-temperature gas while maintaining automated warning capability through the valve's acoustic signal.
2Reliability
If the pressure relief valve discharges high-temperature gas to protect the BMS, then the BMS is protected from damage, but no audible warning signal is generated
Solution Approach 1:
The high-temperature gas, which poses a harmful effect to the BMS, is converted into a beneficial warning signal. The gas flow through the whistle hole generates an audible sound that serves as a thermal runaway warning, transforming the harmful kinetic energy of the ejected gas into a useful acoustic alert.
Solution Approach 2:
The pressure relief valve utilizes mechanical vibration to generate the warning signal. As high-temperature gas flows through the whistle hole, it creates vibrations that produce an audible sound, providing a passive acoustic warning without requiring additional electronic components or power sources.
3Speed
If the pressure relief hole is made larger to discharge gas faster, then the discharge speed increases, but the warning sound intensity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The design optimizes the parameters of both the pressure relief hole and whistle hole to achieve a balance between discharge speed and sound intensity. By carefully controlling the dimensions, shapes, and relative positions of these holes, the system maintains adequate gas discharge speed while ensuring sufficient acoustic signal strength for effective warning.
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
Ensures timely warning of thermal runaway through an audible signal, enhancing safety by compensating for BMS failure and reducing potential safety incidents.
Implementation Method 1
the whistle hole is configured to generate a sound when a portion of gas in the pressure relief hole is discharged through the whistle hole
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
Provided are a pressure relief valve (100) and a battery pack (10). A pressure relief valve (100) includes a valve body (110). The valve body (110) is provided with a pressure relief hole (1100) penetrating through the valve body (110) along a length direction (LD) of the valve body (110). At least one whistle hole (1130) is disposed at a side wall (SW) of the valve body (110). Each of the at least one whistle hole (1130) extends from an outer side surface (1104) of the valve body (110) to an inner side surface (1103) of the valve body (110), to form an opening (1131) communicated with the pressure relief hole (1100) at the inner side surface (1103). The whistle hole (1130) is configured to generate a sound when a portion of gas in the pressure relief hole (1100) is discharged through the whistle hole (1130).