Safety Evaluation of Lithium-ion Batteries under Combined Mechanical and Electrical Abuse Conditions-Phase II
Abstract
ABSTRACTThe goal of the proposed research is to develop an experimental and modeling program to understand the complex and interactive effects of combined mechanical and electrical loading on safety and integrity of lithium-ion cells, modules, and battery packs. This research is a continuation of the work performed in the first year of ONR Grant N00014-17-1-2869. Several tasks have started under the referenced program and will be completed under the current proposal. The electrical cell testing task is restructured in coordination with a concurrent proposal by Massachusetts Institute of Technology, titled ~High Current Experimental and Modeling Performance Characterization of Lithium-ion cells, Targeting Large Scale, Safe, Reliable and Cost-Effective Lithium Ion Battery Systems.~Lithium-ion batteries are a favorable power source for various Navy applications because of their highenergy density over their weight or volume. However, there is an inherent risk in use of such batteries in case of inadvertent mechanical or electrical abuse. The Technical Manual for Navy Lithium Battery Safety Program Responsibilities and Procedures provides safety guidelines for design, testing, packaging, and transportation of lithium-ion batteries[1]. The packaging guideline is to reduce ~shock and vibration during transit to a minimum and prevents crushing among cells/batteries.~ the NAVSEA High-EnergyStorage System Safety Manual[2] also emphasizes the importance of hazard analysis in case of various modes of abuse including mechanical and electrical abuses. Therefore, it is imperative to understand the response of lithium-ion batteries in case of extreme loading conditions such as impact or explosiveloading. Extensive studies on mechanical abuse of lithium-ion batteries by Sahraei and co-workers[3~8] shows that battery cells may go under limited crush without any detectable change in voltage until reaching a critical displacement/force level that initiates internal short circuit. What has not been studied is the probability of failure for a battery cell that has been subjected to an impact or crush but has not reached short circuit, when it is used in regular charge and discharge cycles. A small local deformation to a cell which does not create an instantaneous loss in voltage or failure may remain undetected, but create a change in internal resistance of the cell and its charge and discharge profile. If this cell is used in a battery pack, this, in turn, may result in a non-uniform state of charge among the cells and trigger a failure. A local deformation in a cell may also change its tolerance to electrical abuse such as overcurrent/voltage. Studies on the combined effects of mechanical abuse with electrical loading do not exist in the current literature and may provide a clue to several unexplained failures of lithium-ion batteries in the field. It isoften not possible to find the root cause of battery fires, as the failed part is burned and disintegrated during the thermal runaway event. For example, the Boeing Dreamliner or Samsung Note battery fires are remain with no definite explanation of the cause of the catastrophe. The knowledge gained about thefailure causes, through well-planned experimental study and predictive modeling proposed in this document, will provide a tool to improve the design of equipment to survive abusive conditions and prevent catastrophic failures from happening in the future.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- May 23, 2019
- Source ID
- N000141912351
Entities
People
- Elham Sahraei
Organizations
- Office of Naval Research
- Temple University
- United States Navy