Layering of Sensor Technologies for Robust Early Detection of Thermal Runaway

摘要

While preventing battery thermal runaway is foremost in the design process of large scale lithium ion battery arrays, currently available electrochemistries, battery design, and manufacturing techniques cannot insure that thermal runaway will not occur in the field. Recent xEV and stationary site incidents have demonstrated that best practices alone can fully mitigate the risk of catastrophic thermal runaway. Therefore, early detection of battery thermal runaway is critical to maintaining high levels of safety for both mobile and stationary applications. The venting of a single cell in a large battery array is challenging to detect using any single sensor technology without possibility of Type 1 and Type 2 faults, as either missed detection or false positive indication is not tolerated in safety critical applications. In addition, there are threats of both flammable and hazardous gas release in the venting of decomposition products and highly volatile electrolyte materials. This poster presentation will explore the nature of the venting process that precedes the runaway event and describe the strengths and weaknesses discrete sensor based detection technologies as well as strategies to utilize multiple sensors in combination to cost effectively reduce risk while providing the earliest possible robust detection of an event. Presentation will include exemplary data of typical sensor response characteristics to thermal event.