Battery Power - Fall 2016 - 8
Feature
Protecting Lithium Batteries and Battery Packs from Runaway Thermal Events
BS&B Safety Systems
The market for lithium batteries and battery packs is
booming. With extensive applications in automotive, IT,
aerospace, consumer electronics and a myriad of industrial sectors, the usage of rechargeable lithium batteries is
growing throughout the world. The market for lithium-ion
batteries alone is expected to exceed $30 billion in the next
few years.
Unfortunately, the high energy storage capacity that we
all want from lithium batteries has a more "explosive" side,
as evidenced by news reports of exploding laptops and
electric vehicle fires some years back with early adopters of the technology. The highly reactive chemistry of a
lithium battery is carefully managed by design and control
features within the individual cell and in the collection of
individual cells that comprises a custom battery pack to fit
an application. Under extreme abuse conditions, it is possible for damaged or malfunctioning components, short
circuits, or other events to start a thermal runaway process that develops a rapidly rising pressure, leading to an
explosive release of
that pressure from a
cell having a durable
metal enclosure.
To achieve the required power output
of an application, individual battery cells
are combined into a
single, turnkey energy
pack such as those
used in electric vehicles. If an individual cell within a pack
is compromised and
overheats or causes a
fire, it can then cause
a similar reaction in
adjacent cells requiring that battery pack
to be vented.
To optimize application safety, lithium
battery manufacturers provide protective design and control features as well as last resort venting mechanisms for
each metallic cell, as well as for battery packs. Traditional
pressure relief techniques used in legacy battery designs,
such as crimped seals or seams in the battery can that will
open to relieve pressure, are significantly less reliable with
next generation low mass / high energy lithium chemistry
cells and battery packs.
This has left battery manufacturers searching to pro-
8
Battery Power * Fall 2016
vide more reliable, stable pressure relief technology at the
low pressures demanded for low mass battery and battery
pack products.
Global Expansion of the Lithium Battery Market
Interest in using battery technology alongside energy
conservation and renewable resources has become so
widespread that electric car sales and home back up power
sales are soaring and are likely to fuel the future. Among
the paramount fully-electric vehicle manufacturers, Tesla
Motors has enjoyed dramatic success with its Model S sedan, which is powered by more than 7,000 recent technology lithium-ion battery cells bundled into packs. As battery
manufacturers continue to innovate spurred by the growth
in consumer demand, higher energy combined with lower
mass is the guiding design principle for the next generation
of lithium-ion cells.
Less visible applications will also comprise the mass
deployment of next generation lithium-ion cell and battery
pack technology. The use of lithium-based batteries is in
industries where
electric motors are
used to lift and
drop heavy objects,
or where standby
power is needed for
critical applications,
such as in medical
suites and data centers. The rechargeable capability of
next generation lithium-ion cells allows
energy consumed
to lift, such as a
shipping container,
to be recovered
when the container
is dropped back to
ground level.
Global demand
is escalating rapidly,
in particular due
to new initiatives from the Chinese government that are
driving the move toward electric vehicles as a national
strategy and challenging the historic dominance of Japanese manufacturers in the lithium battery industry. Energy
being of strategic importance, this Asian lead is being
increasingly balanced by a fast pace of development in the
North America and most recently in Europe.
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Battery Power - Fall 2016
Improving Lithium-Ion Battery for Future Energy Storage Needs
Protecting Lithium Batteries and Battery Packs from Runaway Thermal Events
Sorting Busbar Choices for Electric Vehicle Power Distribution
2016 Battery Power Resource Guide
Battery Power - Fall 2016 - Cover1
Battery Power - Fall 2016 - Cover2
Battery Power - Fall 2016 - 3
Battery Power - Fall 2016 - Improving Lithium-Ion Battery for Future Energy Storage Needs
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Battery Power - Fall 2016 - 7
Battery Power - Fall 2016 - Protecting Lithium Batteries and Battery Packs from Runaway Thermal Events
Battery Power - Fall 2016 - 9
Battery Power - Fall 2016 - Sorting Busbar Choices for Electric Vehicle Power Distribution
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