Identifying the Cause of Rupture of Li-Ion Batteries during Thermal Runaway

Finegan, Donal P.; Darcy, Eric; Keyser, Matthew; Tjaden, Bernhard; Heenan, Thomas M.  M.; Jervis, Rhodri; Bailey, Josh J.; Vo, Nghia T.; Magdysyuk, Oxana V.; Drakopoulos, Michael; Di Michiel, Marco; Rack, Alexander; Hinds, Gareth; Brett, Dan J.  L.; Shearing, Paul R.

doi:10.1002/advs.201700369

Identifying the Cause of Rupture of Li-Ion Batteries during Thermal Runaway

Journal Article · Fri Oct 27 00:00:00 EDT 2017 · Advanced Science

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.201700369· OSTI ID:1431246

^[1]; ^[2]; Keyser, Matthew ^[3]; ^[1]; Heenan, Thomas M. M. ^[1]; Jervis, Rhodri ^[1]; Bailey, Josh J. ^[1]; Vo, Nghia T. ^[4]; Magdysyuk, Oxana V. ^[4]; Drakopoulos, Michael ^[4]; Di Michiel, Marco ^[5]; Rack, Alexander ^[5]; Hinds, Gareth ^[6]; Brett, Dan J. L. ^[1]; Shearing, Paul R. ^[1]

Univ. College London (United Kingdom). Electrochemical Innovation Lab, Department of Chemical Engineering
NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX (United States)
National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxford (United Kingdom). Diamond Light Source
ESRF-The European Synchrotron, Grenoble (France)
National Physical Laboratory, Teddington, Middlesex (United Kingdom)

As the energy density of lithium-ion cells and batteries increases, controlling the outcomes of thermal runaway becomes more challenging. If the high rate of gas generation during thermal runaway is not adequately vented, commercial cell designs can rupture and explode, presenting serious safety concerns. Here, ultra-high-speed synchrotron X-ray imaging is used at >20 000 frames per second to characterize the venting processes of six different 18650 cell designs undergoing thermal runaway. For the first time, the mechanisms that lead to the most catastrophic type of cell failure, rupture, and explosion are identified and elucidated in detail. The practical application of the technique is highlighted by evaluating a novel 18650 cell design with a second vent at the base, which is shown to avoid the critical stages that lead to rupture. The insights yielded in this study shed new light on battery failure and are expected to guide the development of safer commercial cell designs.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC36-08GO28308

OSTI ID:: 1431246

Report Number(s):: NREL/JA--5400-71248

Journal Information:: Advanced Science, Journal Name: Advanced Science Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 5; ISSN 2198-3844

Publisher:: WileyCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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Oropharyngeal Injury From Spontaneous Combustion of a Lithium-ion Battery: A Case Report: Lithium-ion Battery Oropharyngeal Burn Morse, Justin; Tittman, Sarah; Gelbard, Alexander The Laryngoscope, Vol. 129, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1002/lary.27275	journal	September 2018
4D imaging of lithium-batteries using correlative neutron and X-ray tomography with a virtual unrolling technique Ziesche, Ralf F.; Arlt, Tobias; Finegan, Donal P. Nature Communications, Vol. 11, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-13943-3	journal	February 2020
Evaluating microstructure evolution in an SOFC electrode using digital volume correlation Heenan, T. M. M.; Lu, X.; Finegan, D. P. Sustainable Energy & Fuels, Vol. 2, Issue 12 https://doi.org/10.1039/c8se00292d	journal	January 2018
Virtual unrolling of spirally-wound lithium-ion cells for correlative degradation studies and predictive fault detection Kok, Matt D. R.; Robinson, James B.; Weaving, Julia S. Sustainable Energy & Fuels, Vol. 3, Issue 11 https://doi.org/10.1039/c9se00500e	journal	January 2019
Li-Ion Battery Fire Hazards and Safety Strategies Kong, Lingxi; Li, Chuan; Jiang, Jiuchun Energies, Vol. 11, Issue 9 https://doi.org/10.3390/en11092191	journal	August 2018

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