From Thermal Runaway to No Thermal Propagation

Authors

M. Sens, A. Fandakov, K. Mueller, L. von Roemer, M. Woebke, P. Tourlonias, T. Mueller, IAV, Berlin; T. Burton, K. Srivastava, K. Senecal, Convergent Science, Wisconsin:

Year

2024

Print Info

Production/Publication ÖVK

Summary

As already discussed in our contribution to the 44th Vienna Motor Symposium, increasing the power and energy density of batteries is one of the primary development goals. This pursuit automatically leads to an ever-greater use of cell chemistries with high energy density. The materials used to achieve this are characterized by thermally less stable behavior. Keeping high energy density cells under control requires the application of increasingly complex and powerful thermal management systems. However, if a critical state is reached in the cell, e.g., due to a production error, a thermal runaway of the cell can occur. This means that exothermic chemical reactions within the cell lead to a sharp increase in cell temperature. The associated heat release can in turn trigger a chain reaction known as thermal propagation. The phenomenon is characterized by the respective neighboring cells being driven to an unstable state by the temperature rise, with cell thermal runaway eventually occurring. The propagation process then continues until either all cells are affected, or the thermal propagation is stopped. In the case of large battery packs, the propagation can lead to overall extremely strong exothermic reactions because of the large amount of energy within the battery, with the resulting destruction not limited to the vehicle.
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ISBN

978-3-9504969-3-2

DOI

https://doi.org/10.62626/wznd-tsm7 Copy link