Study on the Explosion and Fire Risks of Lithium Batteries Due to High Temperature and Short Circuit Current

Abstract

This study is to analyze the explosion and fire risks due to high temperature and short circuit current of Lithium batteries. This study selected the typical types of Li-polymer batteries and Li-ion batteries as the test samples. The result of explosion risk assessment due to the high temperature showed that, while a Li-polymer battery had 170 o C explosion on average, a Li-ion battery had 187 o C explosion. The measurement result of temperature increase due to short circuit current revealed that, in case that protection circuit module (PCM) was normally working, there was little of temperature increase due to over-current limitation. However, in case that PCM was out of order, the temperature of a Li-polymer battery increased up to an average of 115.7 o C and the temperature of a Li-ion battery increased up to an average of 80.5 o C, which showed the higher risks of fire and burn.

Safety Assessment for External Short Circuit of Li-Ion Battery in ESS Application Based on Operation and Environment Factors

“…The high temperature caused by the external short circuit results in the physical deformation of the separator of the battery cell located between the anode and the cathode platforms, and then it leads to an internal short circuit and a serious thermal reaction. Therefore, the battery cell is in thermal runaway, during which the temperature of the battery is rapidly raised, and there is a possibility that a fire or explosion may occur due to the thermal propagation phenomenon [12][13][14][15][16]. The level of risk in the battery in terms of an external short circuit is determined by operational and environmental factors such as SOC, short-circuit resistance, preprocessing temperature and protection devices.…”

Experimental Study on the Explosion and Fire Risks of Mobile Phone Batteries

“…휴대폰 배 터리를 이용한 위험성에 관한 기존 연구들은 물리적 충격 에 의한 연구 (8)(9)(10) 가 대부분이고, 휴대폰 배터리의 폭발 및 화재가 발생될 가능성에 대한 제 특성 및 세부적인 분석이 복합적으로 이루어지지 않았다. 또한, 리튬-이온 배터리를 대상으로 한 연구의 경우 용량이 작은 팩타입의 리튬-폴리 머 및 캔타입의 리튬-이온 배터리를 비교대상으로 외부단 락 및 고온노출 실험을 진행하였으나 (5,11) , 각형의 휴대폰 배터리와는 위험성의 차이가 나타날 수 있으며, 과충전 및 내부단락에 대한 위험성에 대한 연구는 배제되었다. …”

Experimental and Numerical Investigations on the Thermal Performance of Three Different Cold Plates Designed for the Electrical Vehicle Battery Module

“…However, due to the working principles of batteries, there is a tendency to heat up due to the discharge rate during operation from ohmic resistances and entropic heat changes [20]. The increase in the operating temperatures of the batteries, together with the increasing heat generation, reduce the efficiency of the battery, and may possibly damage the cells [21][22][23]. In addition, heat sources that may occur during operation and disrupt the homogeneous temperature distribution are also considered important; it is critical for an efficient BTMS design that the highest temperature difference between modules not exceed 5 • C [24].…”