Study on the Suppression Effect of Cryogenic Cooling on Thermal Runaway of Ternary Lithium-Ion Batteries

Abstract

To solve the misfire problem of lithium-ion batteries in storage and transportation, a method of using cryogenic control to prevent thermal runaway of lithium-ion batteries is proposed, and a serial of tests of thermal runaway of ternary lithium-ion batteries under the effect of cryogenic cooling are carried out. The results show that cryogenic cooling can weaken the energy release of a lithium-ion battery after thermal runaway by reducing its internal reaction activity and then blocking the chain propagation of thermal runaway between battery packs. The lower the temperature of a lithium-ion battery, the more difficult it is for the battery to develop thermal runaway; when the temperature drops to −20 °C, thermal runaway propagation does not occur. The highest CO concentration and mass loss in the test chamber were reduced by 83.1% and 75.9%, respectively, compared with the normal temperature group. When the temperature dropped below −30 °C, the battery that was directly punctured did not develop thermal runaway. This discovery can be used in the transportation and storage of lithium batteries.

Keywords

• lithium-ion batteries
• cryogenic cooling
• thermal runaway
• energy storage
• transportation