Battery Module Edge Seals and Spacers for Thermal Runaway Isolation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing thermal management systems for lithium-ion batteries fail to effectively prevent or mitigate thermal runaway events due to insufficient insulation, heat dissipation, and mechanical resilience, leading to potential fire and explosion risks, while also limiting energy density and structural integrity.
Innovation Solution
A multilayer thermal barrier material comprising aerogel compositions with alternating insulation, thermal capacitive, and sacrificial layers, designed to minimize thickness and weight, provide compressional resilience, and contain heat and gas propagation, while maintaining structural integrity during thermal events.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional thermal management systems are used, then the battery module structure is simple, but thermal runaway propagation cannot be effectively prevented and heat dissipation is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The thermal barrier is divided into multiple functional layers including insulation layer, heat dissipation layer, fire-resistant layer, and compressible pad layer. Each layer performs a specific function in preventing thermal runaway propagation, allowing the complex protection mechanism to be modular and manageable while achieving comprehensive thermal safety.
Solution Approach 2:
The thermal barrier employs composite material structure combining different materials with complementary properties: aerogel for insulation, metal foil for heat dissipation, fire-resistant materials for flame protection, and compressible pads for mechanical resilience. This composite approach achieves superior thermal management performance that cannot be obtained with single materials.
2Temperature
If thicker insulation materials are used to prevent thermal propagation, then thermal insulation performance improves, but energy density decreases due to increased volume
Solution Approach 1:
Different regions of the thermal barrier have different material properties optimized for their specific functions. The insulation layer uses high-performance aerogel materials with excellent thermal resistance at minimal thickness, while heat dissipation zones use thermally conductive materials. This localized optimization achieves effective thermal protection without uniformly increasing overall barrier thickness.
Solution Approach 2:
The thermal barrier incorporates porous aerogel materials that provide exceptional thermal insulation performance with extremely low density and minimal thickness. The porous structure traps air pockets that resist heat transfer, allowing effective thermal protection with minimal volume occupation, thereby preserving battery energy density.
3Strength
If rigid thermal barrier structures are used to maintain structural integrity, then thermal protection is improved, but mechanical resilience to compression decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The thermal barrier incorporates compressible pad layers that can dynamically adjust their compression state based on battery expansion/contraction during charge-discharge cycles. These pads maintain constant contact pressure between battery cells and thermal barrier layers, ensuring sustained thermal protection while accommodating mechanical changes. The system transitions from static rigid structure to dynamic adaptive structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The thermal barrier uses flexible compressible pad materials and thin film structures that can deform under compression while maintaining their protective function. These flexible components conform to battery shape changes and provide continuous thermal protection even when compressed, unlike rigid structures that would crack or lose contact.
4Reliability
If multiple functional layers are added to the thermal barrier, then comprehensive protection against thermal runaway improves, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple thermal protection functions are merged into an integrated thermal barrier assembly where insulation layers, heat dissipation layers, fire-resistant layers, and compressible pads are pre-assembled as a unified structure. This merging reduces the number of separate assembly steps and ensures proper layer alignment, simplifying the manufacturing process while maintaining comprehensive thermal protection.
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 multilayer material effectively prevents thermal runaway propagation by absorbing and redirecting heat and gases, maintaining cell temperature within safe ranges, and ensuring structural integrity, without significantly impacting energy density or increasing module weight.
Implementation Method 1
Each of the spacer elements contacts the interior surface of the enclosure such that a thermal barrier is formed between the adjacent battery cells
Implementation Method 2
The multilayer material effectively prevents thermal runaway propagation by absorbing and redirecting heat and gases, maintaining cell temperature within safe ranges
Implementation Method 3
one or more extension portions that extend from the spacer elements, wherein the one or more extension portions deflect and form a seal between the spacer element and the enclosure
Data Source
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AI summary
A battery module comprising: an enclosure comprising an interior surface, the interior surface defined by a first endplate and a second endplate extending between a first side wall and a second side wall and a top plate and a bottom plate, two or more battery cells disposed in the interior space of the enclosure; one or more spacer elements disposed between adjacent battery cells, each of the spacer elements comprising at least one thermal capacitive layer and at least one insulation layer; and a plurality of separate edge elements disposed along an interior surface of the enclosure, wherein the edge element comprises a material that is compressible and has an onset temperature of chemical decomposition greater than about 100 °C; wherein the edge element comprises a silicone polymer; and wherein each of the spacer elements contacts one of the plurality of separate edge elements such that a seal is formed by the edge elements between the spacer element and the interior surface of the enclosure thermally isolating the adjacent battery cells.