Fire Extinguishing Composition for Battery Thermal Runaway

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing fire extinguishing materials face challenges in maintaining a liquid phase at low temperatures and effectively responding to heat generation, ignition, and explosion in products like battery modules, while avoiding adverse effects on adjacent elements due to volume changes and hardness shifts.

Innovation Solution

A composition comprising a vaporizable solvent with a low freezing point, non-flammable and non-toxic components, including a freezing point adjuster to maintain a liquid phase and quickly vaporize to extinguish fires, and a carbonizable organic material for insulation, ensuring rapid response to heat and explosion.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If water is used as fire extinguishing material, then fire extinguishing function is improved, but freezing point is too high causing solidification at low temperatures

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefire extinguishing functionVSAvoidfreezing point
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSTemperature

Solution Approach 1:

The patent modifies the physical parameters of the fire extinguishing material by using a eutectic mixture of inorganic salts (such as sodium nitrate, potassium nitrate, calcium nitrate) that lowers the freezing point to below -50°C, allowing the material to remain liquid at low temperatures while maintaining fire extinguishing effectiveness

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The patent employs a composite eutectic mixture of multiple inorganic salts rather than a single substance, combining different salts in specific ratios to achieve both low freezing point and high fire extinguishing performance, creating a material with optimized properties that neither component alone could provide

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

2Reliability

If fire extinguishing material is positioned adjacent to battery cells, then TR and TP phenomenon can be coped with, but volume expansion stress cannot be effectively responded if material is in solid state

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveresponse to TR and TP phenomenonVSAvoidresponse to volume expansion stress
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent maintains the fire extinguishing material in liquid state by controlling its freezing point below operating temperatures, enabling it to flow and respond to volume expansion stresses from battery cells during charging or use processes, rather than remaining rigid in solid form

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Speed

If fire extinguishing material vaporizes, then fire extinguishing function is performed quickly over wider range, but vaporization efficiency is lowered if material becomes solid in low-temperature environment

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvevaporization speedVSAvoidfreezing point
Core Design Contradiction:
SpeedVSTemperature

Solution Approach 1:

The patent lowers the freezing point of the fire extinguishing material to below -50°C through eutectic mixture composition, ensuring it remains liquid at low temperatures and can rapidly vaporize when exposed to heat from battery thermal runaway, maintaining high vaporization efficiency across a wide temperature range

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

4Temperature

If liquid phase fire extinguishing material is exposed to low-temperature environment, then phase conversion occurs, but volume changes and hardness changes adversely affect adjacent products

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvephase stabilityVSAvoidvolume changes and hardness changes
Core Design Contradiction:
TemperatureVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent formulates the fire extinguishing material with a eutectic composition that maintains liquid phase stability down to -50°C or lower, preventing phase conversion and associated volume and hardness changes that could harm adjacent battery cells or components during normal operation and storage

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

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 composition effectively prevents the propagation of heat and explosion by maintaining a liquid phase at low temperatures, minimizing volume changes, and providing quick fire extinguishing capabilities without flammability or toxicity, thus ensuring safety in products with heat generation risks.

Implementation Method 1

a vaporizable solvent with a low freezing point, non-flammable and non-toxic components, including a freezing point adjuster to maintain a liquid phase and quickly vaporize to extinguish fires

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectVaporization: Evaporation

Implementation Method 2

A composition comprising a vaporizable solvent with a low freezing point, non-flammable and non-toxic components, including a freezing point adjuster to maintain a liquid phase

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectFreezing point depression: Phase Change

Implementation Method 3

a carbonizable organic material for insulation, ensuring rapid response to heat and explosion

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectCarbonization: Pyrolysis

Data Source

PatentEP4631582A1composition
Publication Date: 2025.10.15 LG CHEM LTD
  • EP4631582A1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP4631582A1 patent drawingFigure 3~4
  • EP4631582A1 patent drawingFigure 5

AI summary

The present specification relates to a composition, a fire extinguishing device, and a use thereof. The present specification discloses a composition, a fire extinguishing device, and a use thereof, which can be applied to a product or element with a possibility of heat generation, ignition, and/or explosion during drive, storage, and/or maintenance processes to effectively respond to the heat generation, ignition, and/or explosion. The present specification discloses the composition that is substantially non-flammable and non-toxic, and a use thereof.