Battery Cell Support Assembly for Thermal Runaway Venting

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Thermal runaway events in battery cells can lead to heat propagation among adjacent cells, causing degradation and potential failure of the entire battery system, necessitating effective thermal management to prevent such events.

Innovation Solution

A cell support assembly is constructed with a cell holder and thermal-barrier strips, incorporating potting elements to channel thermal runaway energy away from affected cells and insulate neighboring cells, using materials with matched thermal expansion coefficients and adhesive coatings to maintain position and insulation during extreme conditions.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Temperature

If thermal management systems are used to remove thermal energy from battery cells, then heat build-up is mitigated, but the systems may become saturated and fail to effectively channel away excess thermal energy during thermal runaway events

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvethermal energy managementVSAvoidthermal runaway mitigation

Core Design Contradiction:

TemperatureVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system divides the battery pack into discrete cell modules, each with its own thermal barrier strip and potting element configuration. This segmentation allows thermal energy to be contained and managed at the individual cell level rather than requiring the entire thermal management system to handle all thermal events simultaneously, preventing system saturation during thermal runaway.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Thermal barrier strips act as intermediary elements positioned between adjacent battery cells. These strips provide a dedicated thermal isolation layer that intercepts and redirects thermal energy before it can propagate to neighboring cells, serving as a localized mediator that supplements the primary thermal management system during runaway events.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Area of stationary object

If battery cells are arranged in close proximity to generate a battery cell array, then space efficiency is improved, but thermal runaway can spread to adjacent cells

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebattery cell array densityVSAvoidthermal runaway propagation

Core Design Contradiction:

Area of stationary objectVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The system applies localized thermal barrier strips and potting elements at specific interfaces between battery cells where thermal propagation risk is highest. This local quality approach provides targeted thermal protection at critical locations while maintaining close cell spacing overall, achieving both space efficiency and thermal safety without requiring uniform spacing throughout the entire array.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

3Object-affected harmful factors

If thermal-barrier strips and potting elements are added to channel thermal runaway energy, then thermal insulation is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvethermal insulationVSAvoidcell support assembly structure

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The thermal barrier strips are integrated with the cell holder structure and potting elements are incorporated into the existing cell support assembly. This merging combines multiple functions (structural support, thermal insulation, and thermal runaway containment) into a unified assembly, reducing the number of separate components and simplifying the overall device complexity while maintaining effective thermal protection.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

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 assembly effectively channels thermal runaway energy out of the enclosure without triggering adjacent cell failures, maintaining system stability and performance.

Implementation Method 1

Each thermal-barrier strip is configured to thermally insulate corresponding battery cells from gases expelled by neighboring battery cells during a thermal runaway

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectThermal insulation: Thermal Insulation

Implementation Method 2

Each potting element is configured to adhere to the battery cell and to the corresponding thermal-barrier strip to maintain position of the battery cell on the formed cell holder

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectAdhesive bonding: Adhesive

Data Source

PatentUS12614808B2Manufacturing methods for battery cell support assembly with integrated thermal runaway mitigation

Publication Date: 2026.04.28 GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC

AI summary

A method for constructing a cell support assembly with thermal runaway mitigation for a multi-cell rechargeable energy storage system (RESS) include forming a cell holder configured to support the RESS battery cells. The cell holder has a holder body defining a plurality of apertures arranged in rows, such that each aperture is configured to align and be in fluid communication with a cell vent of one of the RESS battery cells. Individual embodiments of the method also include various techniques of arranging a plurality of thermal-barrier strips and potting elements to align with apertures of the cell holder body and adhering the thermal-barrier strips to the potting elements and to the cell holder. The resultant cell support assembly operates to channel thermal runaway energy away from the affected battery cell(s) and out of the RESS enclosure without triggering thermal runaway in adjacent cells.