Comparative study of thermal runaway and cell failure of lab-scale Li-ion batteries using accelerating rate calorimetry

In this study, we evaluated the thermal runaway of pouch-type LIB cells with cell capacities of 33–3300 mA h by using accelerated rate calorimetry (ARC) and lab-made hotbox ramping measurements. The large-capacity cells (1000 and 3300 mA h) exhibited distinct stage behaviors of the self-heating rate in the ARC profiles and large exothermic reactions accompanied by an abrupt open-circuit voltage drop (internal short circuit) in the ramping test. The small-capacity cell (33 mA h) showed an incomplete thermal runaway feature. These findings were attributed to the large proportion of inactive components relative to the active components, which is discussed in terms of the heat capacity. The data sensitivity factor is also suggested as a reliable measure of thermal runaway evaluation of LIB cells.Graphical abstract

Source: Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry - January 27, 2020 Category: Chemistry Source Type: research