EV Battery Packaging to Prevent Thermal Runaway

Crushing lithium-ion battery packs without explosion or fire by freezing them first. The process involves cooling and freezing the battery packs for a minimum time based on their weight, then crushing the frozen packs. This prevents internal electrolyte ignition during crushing by suppressing heat generation. By freezing first, the packs can be crushed without explosion or fire hazards.

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Battery system with fire suppression capability to prevent propagation of fires between battery modules and extinguish fires in individual modules. The system uses a cooling plate with a refrigerant accommodation space, connected cooling passages, and a circulation pump. The pump circulates refrigerant between the cooling plate and passages. Temperature sensors on the modules and a pressure sensor in the passages are connected to a processor. The processor stops the pump if module temperatures exceed a threshold, but starts it if pressure drops below a threshold. This allows selective refrigerant flow to cool overheated modules without continuous pumping. It also prevents pump leakage misdiagnosis by periodic pumping.

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Testing materials used in battery packs to contain thermal runaway of individual cells. The testing involves exposing barrier materials between cells to actual or simulated conditions of a thermal runaway. The tests are done in enclosures with arrays of cells and sensors to measure characteristics during thermal runaway. This allows evaluating the containment ability of barrier materials in realistic battery pack conditions.

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Controlling battery thermal management in electric vehicles to prevent thermal runaway from spreading between battery modules. The method involves detecting battery cell temperature and voltage to identify the location of thermal runaway. Then, heating devices near the thermal barrier on the opposite side of the runaway cell are activated to generate heat. This minimizes thermal transfer to the barrier and prevents further spread. The technique allows reducing barrier thickness without risking runaway propagation.

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Managing thermal energy within a traction battery pack of an electrified vehicle to prevent cell venting debris from spreading to adjacent cells during thermal events. The technique involves securing thermal blockers between adjacent battery cells using an adhesive-backed base assembly that sandwiches between the cells. This prevents vent byproducts from migrating between cells during a thermal event. The base assembly can be an adhesive tape, securing the thermal blockers and adjacent cells together. The adhesive tape also provides mechanical support to the cells. The technique helps contain thermal runaway within cells and prevent cell-to-cell propagation.

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Mitigating thermal events in energy storage systems like lithium-ion batteries to prevent thermal propagation to adjacent cells after a portion of the battery has experienced a thermal runaway. The mitigation involves using a thickness of thermal barrier material in the battery cells, modules, or packs to prevent heat transfer and isolation of cells from each other. This allows higher cell densities and energy densities while reducing the risk of thermal runaway propagation.

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Battery module design to prevent flame propagation between cells and suppress heat transfer when one cell catches fire. The module has a stack of battery cells enclosed in insulating spaces separated by blocking members. The insulating spaces prevent direct flame spread and heat transfer between cells. A heat dissipation plate on one side allows external heat removal. This isolates cells and contains failures to prevent chain reactions.

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Battery cap design that reduces cap height while maintaining seal and explosion prevention. The cap has a smaller diameter anti-explosion valve plate beneath a larger diameter top cover. A narrow gap between the plates is sealed with an internal washer. This allows the valve plate to fracture and turn over for pressure relief without needing excessive space between the cover and jelly roll. The cap also has recesses and grooves for sealing rings and grooves on the plates to accommodate the recesses.

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Reducing heat propagation between adjacent cylindrical battery cells in a battery pack to prevent thermal runaway from spreading. The solution involves inserting a thermal insulation material between the cells in the axial direction. The insulation has high reflectance in the 1000-10000 nm wavelength range to block heat radiation. It completely covers the cells, shielding them from each other's heat radiation. This helps prevent thermal runaway in one cell from spreading to the adjacent cell.

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Battery module design to improve cooling efficiency and prevent cell damage when injecting thermally conductive adhesive into the module case. The module has injection holes in the bottom of the case to directly access the cell assembly inside. This allows precise and controlled adhesive injection without needing to access through the top of the module. This prevents damage to the cells and allows more accurate adhesive placement for enhanced cooling. The battery pack and vehicle configurations also use this improved battery module design.

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Vehicle with battery compartment safety system that automatically opens the compartment covers when battery temperature reaches a critical level to prevent thermal runaway propagation. The system uses thermosensitive devices to detect high battery temperature and pneumatic actuators to instantly open the compartment covers. This allows rapid cooling to contain thermal runaway without needing manual intervention.

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Battery case design to improve safety by condensing gas inside the case to prevent condensate dripping onto electrical connections. The case has a heat conducting component that transfers heat from the thermal management component to the case wall with a through hole. Gas from outside the case flows in through the hole, condenses on the wall, and prevents it from entering the battery. This prevents condensate dripping onto electrical connections if it forms on the case wall. This reduces safety issues from condensate short circuits or corrosion.

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Battery pack for electrified vehicles with vent gas passageways to mitigate thermal events and protect the enclosure while reducing debris discharge. The battery pack has a vent gas passageway within the enclosure that aligns with the cell vents. This passageway has inlet ports at each cell vent location. When a cell vent releases gas during a thermal event, it enters the corresponding inlet port and flows through the passageway instead of directly into the enclosure. This prevents gas discharge into the vehicle while mitigating pressure and temperature spikes. The passageway can also have features like serpentine channels or frangible sections to further reduce risks.

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Battery pack with a heat transfer member that allows rapid cooling of a specific battery cell in a pack with multiple cells in close contact to prevent thermal runaway from spreading. The heat transfer member has ports for introducing and discharging a cooling fluid. Valves in the ports open and close based on cell temperature. This allows reusing the heat transfer member by cyclically introducing and discharging fluid. It also provides a small amount of fluid residue and a vacuum to seal the member when closed. This enables targeted cooling of a failing cell to prevent thermal runaway propagation.

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Battery assembly and power supply apparatus with improved thermal management and safety features. The battery assembly has a distributed heat sink made of interconnects between the batteries. This allows equalizing battery temperatures and preventing hot spots. The heat sink is integrated into the battery pack design. The pack also has a thermal exchange device with surfaces for heat exchange and a contact surface in thermal contact with the interconnects. This allows transferring battery terminal heat to the heat sink. This aids cooling and prevents terminal overheating. The pack has battery management circuitry and a housing with a discharge chamber to contain thermal runaway. The housing has insulated upper walls to prevent air exchange and improve temperature sensing accuracy.

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Electric vehicle design with improved safety in case of battery thermal events. The vehicle has longitudinal sills on each side and a battery pack sandwiched between them. If the battery overheats, it has a degassing device to release gases. A duct is formed between the battery and one sill to guide the gases out. This prevents them from reaching occupants or other components. A heat-resistant deflection device between the battery and sill can also be added to further protect against hot gases.

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Battery module design to improve cooling uniformity and reduce temperature variation in electric vehicle battery packs. The module has heatsinks attached to both sides of the battery cell and a pair of perpendicular cooling plates contacting the bus bar. This direct contact cooling setup improves heat dissipation and reduces temperature gradients compared to conventional modules with heatsinks only on one side.

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Supporting housing for battery compartments of electric vehicles that uses flat metal sheets for cost-effective mass production, while integrating passive thermal management and other functions. The housing consists of deep-drawn shells that fit together to form a double-floor compartment. The batteries sit on the double-floor separated from the thermal management system. Coolant channels in the outer shell indirectly cool/heat the compartment. Sensors can be integrated into the double-floor for battery status monitoring. The double-floor design isolates the batteries from the cooling system to prevent short circuits. The thin metal sheets have high thermal conductivity for efficient heat transfer.

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Partition member for preventing thermal runaway propagation in assembled lithium-ion battery packs. The partition member separates individual battery cells in the pack. It has two surfaces in the thickness direction. If the average temperature of one surface exceeds 180°C, the thermal resistance per unit area (θ1) in that direction satisfies a specific expression. If both surfaces stay below 80°C, the thermal resistance per unit area (θ2) in both directions satisfies a different expression. This allows controlling heat transfer between cells based on temperature levels.

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Phase change composite battery thermal management system that integrates cooling, heating, and waste heat recovery to efficiently maintain optimal battery operating temperature. The system uses a phase changer, heat exchanger, electric heater, thermoelectric converter, and valve. Air is circulated through the system to cool the battery during normal operation. In low temperatures, waste heat from thermoelectric conversion is used to heat the battery. This prevents battery degradation and thermal runaway by maintaining optimal temperature.

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