Modular Battery Safety System for Underwater Vehicles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Lithium-ion and Lithium polymer batteries in underwater vehicles face safety risks due to thermal runaway, which can lead to irreversible temperature increases, gas formation, and potential fires, especially when internal short circuits occur, as existing cooling systems are not effective enough to intervene quickly and contain the damage.
Innovation Solution
A safety auxiliary system for modular batteries that includes a dual-subsystem approach: the first subsystem detects thermal runaway conditions and initiates quick cooling within affected modules using refrigerant gases, while the second subsystem manages gas accumulation and expulsion to prevent pressure buildup and contamination within the vehicle.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If cooling systems are used to manage thermal runaway, then temperature control is improved, but the response speed is insufficient and damage cannot be contained
Solution Approach 1:
The battery is divided into multiple independent modules, each equipped with its own safety auxiliary system. When thermal runaway occurs in one module, only that module is isolated and cooled, enabling rapid localized response without waiting for system-wide cooling activation.
Solution Approach 2:
The safety auxiliary system is pre-positioned within each module with cooling agents and isolation mechanisms ready for immediate deployment. Upon detecting thermal runaway, the system automatically activates cooling and isolation without requiring external intervention, achieving instantaneous response.
2Reliability
If modular battery design is used, then safety isolation is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Each module's safety auxiliary system performs multiple functions: thermal detection, cooling agent dispensing, module isolation, and gas containment. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate systems while enhancing safety isolation capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The safety auxiliary system components are nested within each battery module structure. Cooling agents, sensors, and isolation mechanisms are integrated into the module housing, creating a compact self-contained safety system that minimizes overall system 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 system effectively minimizes the risk and consequences of thermal runaway by rapidly cooling affected cells and preventing gas propagation, enhancing safety in underwater vehicles by containing and expelling gases safely, thus reducing the risk of fires and ensuring the integrity of the battery and vehicle environment.
Implementation Method 1
a first subsystem (10a), configured to detect conditions indicative of a thermal runaway in any one of the modules (3) and to manage such thermal runaway, intervening locally and exclusively on such a module (3), immediately cooling the corresponding cells (4)
Implementation Method 2
a second subsystem (10b), configured to manage the gases that originate in the module (3)... preventing them from pouring out into the closed environment inside the underwater vehicle (1)
Data Source
AI summary
A safety auxiliary system, coupled to a modular battery of an underwater vehicle having a number of modules, each provided with a plurality of cells, has: a first subsystem, which detects conditions indicative of a thermal runaway in any of the modules d manages such a thermal runaway, intervening locally on the module to cool the corresponding cells so that the thermal runaway is not propagated; and a second subsystem, cooperating with, and operatively coupled to, the first subsystem, which manages gases present in the module associated with the thermal runaway, preventing them from pouring inside the underwater vehicle. The first subsystem is provided with a first electronic control unit for each of said modules, and the second subsystem is provided with a second electronic control unit, distinct from, and operatively coupled to, the first electronic control unit through a communication connection, so as to receive an alarm signal upon detection of the conditions indicative of the thermal runaway in the corresponding module.