Skip to main content
OSTI.GOVU.S. Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information
 

Modelling and experiments to identify high-risk failure scenarios for testing the safety of lithium-ion cells

Journal Article · · Journal of Power Sources
 [1];  [2];  [2];  [1];  [1];  [3];  [3];  [3];  [2];  [4];  [3];  [3];  [1];  [2]
  1. National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
  2. NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX (United States)
  3. Univ. College London, London (United Kingdom)
  4. The European Synchrotron (ESRF), Grenoble (France)
+ Show Author Affiliations
Intentionally inducing worst-case thermal runaway scenarios in Li-ion cells on-demand is a definitive way to test the efficacy of battery systems in safely mitigating the consequences of catastrophic failure. An internal short-circuiting (ISC) device is implanted into three 18650 cell designs: one standard, one with a bottom vent, and one with a thicker casing. Through an extensive study of 228 cells, the position at which thermal runaway initiates is shown to greatly affect the tendency of cells to rupture and incur side-wall breaches at specific locations. The risks associated with each failure mechanism and position of the ISC device are quantified using a custom calorimeter that can decouple the heat from ejected and non-ejected contents. Furthermore the causes of high-risk failure mechanisms, such as bursting and side-wall breaches, are elucidated using high-speed synchrotron X-ray imaging at 2000 frames per second and image-based 3D thermal runaway computational models, which together are used to construct a comprehensive description of external risks based on internal structural and thermal phenomena.
Research Organization:
National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Vehicle Technologies Office (EE-3V)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC36-08GO28308
OSTI ID:
1496843
Report Number(s):
NREL/JA--5400-71712
Journal Information:
Journal of Power Sources, Journal Name: Journal of Power Sources Journal Issue: C Vol. 417; ISSN 0378-7753
Publisher:
ElsevierCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (23)

Abuse behavior of high-power, lithium-ion cells journal January 2003
Simulation and experimental study on lithium ion battery short circuit journal July 2016
A 3D thermal runaway propagation model for a large format lithium ion battery module journal November 2016
A three-dimensional thermal abuse model for lithium-ion cells journal July 2007
Analysis of internal short-circuit in a lithium ion cell journal October 2009
Experimental triggers for internal short circuits in lithium-ion cells journal August 2011
Evaluation of mechanical abuse techniques in lithium ion batteries journal February 2014
Thermal runaway features of large format prismatic lithium ion battery using extended volume accelerating rate calorimetry journal June 2014
Preventing thermal runaway propagation in lithium ion battery packs using a phase change composite material: An experimental study journal February 2017
A review of safety-focused mechanical modeling of commercial lithium-ion batteries journal February 2018
In-operando high-speed tomography of lithium-ion batteries during thermal runaway journal April 2015
Safety modelling and testing of lithium-ion batteries in electrified vehicles journal April 2018
Investigation on the fire-induced hazards of Li-ion battery cells by fire calorimetry journal January 2012
Thermal-runaway experiments on consumer Li-ion batteries with metal-oxide and olivin-type cathodes journal January 2014
Investigating lithium-ion battery materials during overcharge-induced thermal runaway: an operando and multi-scale X-ray CT study journal January 2016
Characterising thermal runaway within lithium-ion cells by inducing and monitoring internal short circuits journal January 2017
Multi-scale study of thermal stability of lithiated graphite journal January 2011
Multi-Domain Modeling of Lithium-Ion Batteries Encompassing Multi-Physics in Varied Length Scales journal January 2011
Studies on the Thermal Breakdown of Common Li-Ion Battery Electrolyte Components journal January 2015
Internal Short Circuit Trigger Method for Lithium-Ion Battery Based on Shape Memory Alloy journal January 2017
Characterization of Lithium-Ion Battery Thermal Abuse Behavior Using Experimental and Computational Analysis journal January 2015
Experimental Analysis of Thermal Runaway and Propagation in Lithium-Ion Battery Modules journal January 2015
Tracking Internal Temperature and Structural Dynamics during Nail Penetration of Lithium-Ion Cells journal January 2017

Cited By (4)

Mechanical Deformation of Lithium-Ion Pouch Cells under In-Plane Loads—Part I: Experimental Investigation journal May 2020
Perspective—From Calorimetry Measurements to Furthering Mechanistic Understanding and Control of Thermal Abuse in Lithium-Ion Cells journal January 2019
Mechanical Deformation of Lithium-Ion Pouch Cells under In-Plane Loads : Part I: Experimental Investigation text January 2020
Investigation of Internal Short Circuits of Lithium-Ion Batteries under Mechanical Abusive Conditions journal May 2019

Figures / Tables (9)

Fig. 1(p. 2)figure Fig. 1
Fig. 2.(p. 5)figure Fig. 2.
Fig. 3(p. 7)figure Fig. 3
Fig. 4(p. 8)figure Fig. 4
Fig. 5(p. 9)figure Fig. 5
Table 1(p. 10)table Table 1
Fig. 6(p. 11)figure Fig. 6
Fig. 7(p. 11)figure Fig. 7
Fig. 8(p. 12)figure Fig. 8

Similar Records

Identifying the Cause of Rupture of Li-Ion Batteries during Thermal Runaway
Journal Article · Thu Oct 26 20:00:00 EDT 2017 · Advanced Science · OSTI ID:1431246

Related Subjects

25 ENERGY STORAGE
33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS
Li-ion batteries
X-ray imaging
calorimetry
computational modeling
thermal runaway