Thermal Runaway Prevention Technologies for Lithium-Ion Batteries

Incorporation of renewable power sources into the power generation mix in the US is not only important for National Security, but also to meet the growing electricity needs in the US. Of the various battery chemistries available today, Li-ion batteries are most suitable for grid-scale energy storage systems (ESS) because they combine high energy, long life, and decreasing costs. However, safety concerns with Li-ion technology must be addressed before widescale deployment of Li-ion based grid-scale ESS is accepted. CAMX Power proposes to demonstrate a multi-component approach for mitigating the propensity for and consequences of thermal runaway in grid-scale Li-ion ESS incorporating detection of internal short circuits, suppression of thermal runaway, and design of battery components that facilitate high rates of heat removal. In the Phase 1 program, we propose to use a combination of testing and simulation to demonstrate the feasibility of detecting an initiation of thermal runaway and to develop an approach to intervene to suppress thermal runaway/cascading. In Phase II, we will further optimize the detection/intervention approach for integration into large-scale cell arrays and estimate the weight/volume/cost penalty of incorporating the optimized system into grid-scale ESS. The global grid-scale battery storage market is anticipated to grow significantly in the coming years, and as this market grows safety will be a key factor in the technical advancement and public acceptance of the technology. In a large battery system, such as grid-scale ESS, thermal runaway in a single cell can induce thermal runaway in neighboring cells through a process called cascading. Such cascading can result in catastrophic losses not only of the energy storage system, but also of adjacent property. Therefore, it is important to not only prevent the first cell from experiencing thermal runaway, but also to prevent thermal runaway from propagating to neighboring cells.