Thermal Insulator PCM Pouch for Battery Runaway Containment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Battery cell failures in energy storage systems lead to thermal runaway, causing a cascade of heat-induced failures that can propagate and result in dangerous temperature rises, necessitating a solution to mitigate and retard this thermal feedback loop.
Innovation Solution
A pouch system incorporating a wettable non-woven thermal insulator and a phase change material that absorbs heat from failed battery cells, vaporizes to divert heat away from adjacent cells, and is designed to burst and vent excess gas, thereby interrupting the thermal runaway cycle.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a pouch system with phase change material and thermal insulator is used to absorb and redirect heat, then the risk of cascading thermal events is reduced, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements nesting by placing the phase change material inside a pouch, which is then positioned between battery cells. The thermal insulator is integrated into the pouch structure, creating a nested configuration where multiple functional layers (pouch material, phase change material, insulator layers) are contained within each other to form a compact heat mitigation system
Solution Approach 2:
The pouch system employs composite materials by combining the phase change material (paraffin or salt hydrate) with thermal insulator materials (aerogel, vacuum insulation, or reflective barriers) within a sealed pouch structure. This composite approach integrates multiple functional properties—phase change heat absorption, thermal insulation, and heat redirection—into a single integrated component that addresses thermal runaway without requiring separate systems
2Use of energy by moving object
If phase change material is used to absorb heat through vaporization, then heat absorption capacity increases, but the loss of substance increases due to gas venting
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the potentially harmful loss of phase change material through venting into a beneficial safety feature. The pouch is designed with intentional venting capabilities that allow controlled release of vaporized phase change material, transforming what could be a loss mechanism into an active heat dissipation pathway that protects surrounding battery cells from thermal damage
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 pouch system effectively regulates temperatures, preventing further battery failures by absorbing and redirecting heat, thus reducing the risk of cascading thermal events and protecting adjacent battery cells.
Implementation Method 1
a phase change material that absorbs heat from failed battery cells, vaporizes to divert heat away from adjacent cells
Implementation Method 2
a phase change material that absorbs heat from failed battery cells
Implementation Method 3
A pouch system incorporating a wettable non-woven thermal insulator
Data Source
AI summary
A system that includes a wettable thermal insulator, a phase change material, and a flexible pouch. In the event a thermal event occurs, the phase change material changes from a liquid state to a gaseous state. The flexible pouch is configured to envelope the wettable thermal insulator and the phase change material in the liquid state.