COMPUTATIONAL STUDY OF EXPLOSIONS IN BATTERY CELLS UNDER THERMAL ABUSE

During the last decade the implementation of alternative forms
of energy has increased, amongst them lithium ion batteries (LIBs); however, when these are exposed to abuse conditions, thermal runway takes place, during this process the battery emits toxic and flammable gases as a result of the decomposition reactions of the solid electrolyte interface (SEI) caused by high temperatures or stress to which the battery is exposed. If ignited these gases be the cause of an explosion. The composition of these gases can vary depending of the chemical structure of the electrolyte. In this study, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations were performed in order to analyze premixed explosions with different gas compositions ejected by lithium batteries in a 1 m rectangular channel.