A Simplified Mathematical Model for Heating-Induced Thermal Runaway of Lithium-Ion Batteries

Abstract

The present study aims to develop a simplified mathematical model for the evolution of heating-induced thermal runaway (TR) of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). This model only requires a minimum number of input parameters, and some of these unknown parameters can be obtained from accelerating rate calorimeter (ARC) tests and previous studies, removing the need for detailed measurements of heat flow of cell components by differential scanning calorimetry. The model was firstly verified by ARC tests for a commercial cylindrical 21700 cell for the prediction of the cell surface temperature evolution with time. It was further validated by uniform heating tests of 21700 cells conducted with flexible and nichrome-wire heaters, respectively. The validated model was finally used to investigate the critical ambient temperature that triggers battery TR. The predicted critical ambient temperature is between 127 °C and 128 °C. The model has been formulated as lumped 0D, axisymmetric 2D and full 3D to suit different heating and geometric arrangements and can be easily extended to predict the TR evolution of other LIBs with different geometric configurations and cathode materials. It can also be easily implemented into other computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code.

3D Thermal Simulation of Lithium-Ion Battery Thermal Runaway in Autoclave Calorimetry: Development and Comparison of Modeling Approaches

“…For example, Chen et al proposed a "simplified mathematical model for heating-induced thermal runaway" with 12 input parameters. 14 Yeow et al were one of the first to propose an empirical approach for the heat release during TR. 15 They simply approximated the data from accelerating rate calorimetry (ARC) measurements by a Gaussian distribution and implemented a uniform heating inside of the cell depending on its average temperature.…”

“…Most of the previous studies do not account for this effect and assume the cell to maintain its full mass. [12][13][14][15][16][18][19][20][21][22][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35] Coman et al were one of the first to consider a loss of mass in their model by adapting the jelly roll density ρ JR depending on the amount of vented electrolyte. 36 The outcome was, that the consideration of venting and hence mass loss improves the simulation results compared to experiments.…”

“…Previous studies do not account for a temperature dependent specific heat capacity of the jelly roll. 13,14,[17][18][19][20][21]23,24,[27][28][29][30][31][32][34][35][36][37][38] Although there are some measurements of temperature dependent values as summarized in Ref. 39, a major issue with these is the limited temperature range (usually T < 60 °C).…”

“…39 This is also in accordance with other publications. 13,14,21,24,34,35 In order to evaluate the influence of lower and higher values, this baseline value will be halved and doubled (Table V, No. 7-8).…”

A Study of Thermal Runaway Mechanisms in Lithium-Ion Batteries and Predictive Numerical Modeling Techniques

“…To ensure the safe and rapid development of lithium-ion batteries, the failure mechanisms and modes must be characterized and predicted. Zhao et al [6], Chen et al [7], and Liu et al [8] studied the mechanisms of thermal runaway (TR) during a failure event. They showed that TR has two mechanistic critical temperatures, as shown in Figure 1.…”