Thermal runaway and fire behavior investigation of lithium ion batteries using modified cone calorimeter

The lithium ion battery has been widely used, but it has high fire risk due to its flammable materials. In this study, a series of combustion tests are conducted on the 18650-type lithium ion batteries using the modified cone calorimeter. The temperature and voltage variation of the battery, heat release rate and gas generation during combustion are measured in this study. The battery is heated evenly by the self-made heater, and the reliable trigger temperatures of thermal runaway are obtained for different states of charge (SOCs) batteries in this study. The fire behavior of the 100% SOC batteries is shown in this paper. The net heat absorption by the battery before thermal runaway is calculated based on the heat transfer theory. It ranges from 56.81 to 64.05 kJ for 0 to 100% SOC batteries, which shows a decreasing trend as SOC increases. The peak combustion heat release rate of 100% SOC batteries is 3.747?±?0.858 kW. CH₄ and CO gases are detected before and after thermal runaway. The generation of CO shows an increasing trend as SOC increases. Some suggestions on the early warning system of battery thermal runaway are proposed based on this study.

     

Ni/MH电池过充电过程热效应分析

论文采用二维热模型分析了圆柱型Ni/MH电池在过充电过程中的热效应.实验提供了更为精准的数据以建立精确的热模型.利用石英频率微量热仪对电池的热容量以及电池在不同电流过充电时的发热量和散热速率进行了测量,继而将散热速率曲线拟合成线性函数和三段不同的指数函数.线性阶段之后的散热过程符合数学微分表达式,这些表达式有助于理解过渡阶段和过充电阶段散热速率的变化规律.热传导方程中产热速率采用理论计算值.最后使用FEM模拟了电池在1C,3C,5C充电过程每一阶段末时刻的电池内部温度场分布,结果相对准确.     

The influence of compression conditions on the peculiarities of self-propagating exothermal reaction in Al–Ni powder reactive materials

The paper deals with the effect of the compression conditions on the propagation front velocity of exothermal reaction and the specific heat release in Al–Ni powder reactive materials with mean particle sizes of 70–110 nm. It was shown that the velocity increases from 2.7 to 8 cm s^?1 and comes to saturation with the lowering of the porosity (η) from 0.91 to 0.34, while the dependence of the specific heat release has its maximum for η?=?0.5. The results of the X-ray diffraction analysis obtained in situ during the sample heating suggest that the sequence of phase transformations in the system does not depend on the porosity. In all cases, first in the temperature range of ~?500–540 °C the NiAl compound is formed. With the further heating up to ~?640 °C, the Ni₃Al, Ni₂Al₃ and NiAl₃ compounds are additionally formed. The calculation of kinetic parameters was performed using the obtained curves of the differential scanning calorimetry: activation energy, pre-exponential factor and reaction model. The comparison of the calculated results and the scanning electron microscopy data has shown that such behavior of the Al–Ni system with the porosity lowering occurs due to the growth of the transformation degree and is associated with the presence in the final powder mixture of mutually non-contacting Al and Ni agglomerates with the dimensions of over 10 μm.     

Thermal behavior analysis of nickel/metal hydride battery during overcharging

To analyze the thermal behavior of the cylinder Ni/MH battery during overcharging,a two-dimensional thermal model is provided in this work.More reliable data is provided to create the precise thermal model.The amount of heat of the battery during overcharging at different currents was measured using quartz frequency microcalorimeter.To obtain the heat transfer coefficient of the battery during overcharging,the heat dissipation rate was fitted into linear functions and three different exponential functions f...     

Thermal study of organic electrolytes with fully charged cathodic materials of lithium-ion batteries

We systematically investigated thermal effects of organic electrolytes/organic solvents with fully charged cathodic materials (Li_0.5CoO₂) of Li-ion battery under rupture conditions by using oxygen bomb calorimeter. In the six studied systems, both the amount of combustion heat and heat release rates showed a pronounced increase with the increase in mass ratios of cathodic materials to electrolytes/solvents. More importantly, synergistic effects not simply physical mixtures have firstly been observed between cathodic materials and electrolytes/solvents in the complete combustion reactions. The results have been further analyzed by X-ray diffraction spectra, which revealed that Co₃O₄, CoO, and LiCoO₂ were the main solid products for the combustion reactions of studied systems. And there are more CoO and less LiCoO₂ products for the higher ratio of cathodic materials system and more amount of heat generated. It means that the combustion reaction, which produced CoO, generated more amount of heat than LiCoO₂. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

A study of the combustion and fire-retardance behaviour of unsaturated polyester/phenolic resin blends

The thermal degradation and combustion behaviour of an interpenetrating network (IPN) structure of unsaturated polyester UP resin and a resole type of phenolic resin was studied. Thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) was used to monitor the degree of thermal decomposition for the UP/phenol IPN structure and the change of the oxygen index (OI) was used to describe the variation of the combustion behaviour. The smoke density was measured via a non-flaming process to detect the amount of smoke generated during the combustion. A homemade cone calorimetric dynamic flammability evaluation system was assembled to analyse the gas evolved and to measure the heat release rate (HRR) during the combustion. Under simulated conditions of a burning field at the temperature of 757°C, the variation of the concentration of carbon monoxide (CO) and the HRR of the UP/phenol IPN structure were studied. The results show that modification of the essentially flammable UP resin by the phenol structure to form an IPN system cannot only remarkably improve the heat resistance but also help to suppress the smoke, toxic gas and heat release during the combustion.     

Combustion synthesis as a novel method for production of 1-D SiC nanostructures

1-D nanostructures of cubic phase silicon carbide (beta-SiC) were efficiently produced by combustion synthesis of mixtures containing Si-containing compounds and halocarbons in a calorimetric bomb. The influence of the operating parameters on 1-D SiC formation yield was studied. The heat release, the heating rate, and the chamber pressure increase were monitored during the process. The composition and structural features of the products were characterized by elemental analysis, X-ray diffraction, differential thermal analysis/ thermogravimetric technique, Raman spectroscopy, scanning and transmission electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry. This self-induced growth process can produce SiC nanofibers and nanotubes ca. 20-100 nm in diameter with the aspect ratio higher than 1000. Bulk scale Raman studies showed the product to be comprised of mostly cubic polytype of SiC and that finite size effects are present. We believe that the nucleation mechanism involving radical gaseous species is responsible for 1-D nanostructures growth. The present study has enlarged the family of nanofibers and nanotubes available and offers a possible, new general route to 1-D crystalline materials.     

Effect of chemical structure on combustion and thermal behaviour of polyurethane elastomer layered silicate nanocomposites

The effect of polyol molecular weight and functionality on nanodispersion of clay in PU/clay nanocomposites and the investigation of their thermal and combustion properties are reported and discussed. Lamellar elastomer polyurethane nanocomposites were synthesized using polyols with different molecular weight and functionality and according to these parameters they show several degrees of dispersion which affect their thermal and combustion behaviour. A barrier effect of clay layer is shown in TGA experiments by a delay of thermal degradation products release in nanocomposite materials compared to the virgin polymer; this barrier effect also leads to formation of char during combustion which lowers the peak of rate of heat release in cone calorimeter tests and eliminates fire-induced dripping of the nanocomposite sample during UL 94 test. However, in order to achieve non-burning behaviour nanocomposite technology must be combined with conventional flame retardant technology.     

Influence of additives on the thermal behavior of nickel/metal hydride battery

This study discusses the thermal behavior of the 6.5 Ah cylinder Ni/MH hydride battery with 0.5 wt% ytterbium oxide (Yb₂O₃) in nickel electrode and 1.0 wt% super absorbent polymer (SAP) in hydrogen-storage alloy (MH) electrode during charging to 150% of its rating capacity. Quantity of heat and heat generation rate of the battery during charging are studied by quartz frequency microcalorimeter. Heat generation curve is fitted into a function, and heat transport equation is solved. Using measured data, the internal temperature profiles at the terminal moment of charging at 1C, 3C, and 5C are simulated by FEM. Influence of Yb₂O₃ and SAP on the thermal behavior of Ni/MH battery is examined by the two-dimensional thermal model. Results show that addition of Yb₂O₃ and SAP can achieve substantial improvement for thermal behavior of Ni/MH battery at 1C,3C, and 5C charging.     

Large‐scale Experimental Study on the Effects of Flooring Materials on Combustion Behavior of Thermoplastics

The effects of flooring materials on the combustion behavior of thermoplastics is investigated. Based on the ISO 9705 fire test setup, an experimental rig was designed. Full‐scale experiments of PP combustion were carried out using five flooring boards, namely gypsum, steel, wood, ceramic tile and PVC. The experimental results indicate that the flooring boards play an important role in the heat release rates of typical thermoplastics combustion. Specifically, the time for the sharp increase of heat release rate is generally later for the flooring boards with larger thermal conductivity, except for the case of PVC. Preliminary analyses suggest that the reason for the exception of PVC is the expansion and carbonization of PVC at high temperature. In addition, experimental results also show that the corresponding peak heat release rate of thermoplastics combustion would be generally smaller for the flooring board with a larger thermal mass, except for the case of gypsum. The primary cause for the exception of gypsum may be the heat absorption by the crystal water released from the gypsum during the burning of hot pool oil.     

THERMAL DEGRADATION AND FLAME RETARDANCY OF CALCIUM ALGINATE FIBERS

Calcium alginate fibers were prepared by wet spinning of sodium alginate into a coagulating bath containing calcium chloride.The thermal degradation and flame retardancy of calcium alginate fibers were investigated with thermal gravimetry(TG),X-ray diffraction(XRD),limiting oxygen index(LOI) and cone calorimeter(CONE).The results show that calcium alginate fibers are inherently flame retardant with a LOI value of 34,and the heat release rate(HRR),total heat release(THR),CO and CO_2 concentrations during ...     

超级铝热剂Al/CuO前驱体的制备、表征、热分解机理及非等温分解反应动力学

以硝酸铜、无水乙醇、1,2-环氧丙烷和纳米铝粉为原料, 在超声振荡条件下, 采用溶胶-凝胶法制备了纳米复合含能材料——超级铝热剂Al/CuO的前驱体. 利用热重-差示扫描量热-傅里叶变换红外-质谱(TG- DSC-FTIR-MS)联用技术, 研究了纳米Al/CuO溶胶-凝胶前驱体的热行为和分解过程及机理. 利用不同升温速率下的TG-DTG分析, 研究了纳米超级铝热剂Al/CuO的溶胶-凝胶前驱体的热分解反应机理, 采用了6种动力学分析方法进行动力学参数计算, 得到前驱体分解反应的表观活化能、反应级数、频率因子等动力学参数, 纳米Al/CuO前驱体分解反应的动力学方程为: dα/dt=10^14.0×4α^3/4exp(-2.0×10⁴/T).     

The potential of ferric pyrophosphate for influencing the thermal degradation of cotton fabrics

Ferric pyrophosphate (FePP) was used as additive to study its synergistic effect of thermal degradation on cotton fabrics. The microscale combustion calorimetry (MCC), thermogravimetric analysis (TG), Raman spectroscopy and Real Time Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (RT-FTIR) were utilized to evaluate the synergistic effects of FePP on cotton/DIA. The MCC results revealed that cotton/DIA/FePP generated less combustion heat during heating than that of cotton/DIA. TG results showed that presence of FePP improved the thermal stability of materials. The Raman spectroscopy test showed that FePP can ameliorate the structural organization level of the carbon and the graphitization degree of the char. RT-FTIR data revealed the mechanism of the influence of FePP, which can catalyze the break of the flame retardant as well as promote the char forming.     

Influence of thermophysical properties on burning behavior of intumescent fire-retardant materials

Thermophysical properties of intumescent fire-retardant (IFR) materials are important parameters as input data in modeling the combustion process of IFR materials in a fire. In this paper, the influences of several thermophysical properties on burning behavior of IFR materials are simulated based on a combustion model of IFR materials. Thermophysical properties selected here are thermal conductivity of virgin material and char layer, specific heat capacity of virgin material, density of virgin material, surface emissivity of virgin material and char layer, heat of decomposition, heat of combustion, and intumescent temperature. Predicted heat release rates curves for the IFR material at an incident heat flux of 50 kW m^?2 are shown for the varied thermophysical parameters’ values. The results show that these varied parameter values can affect the burning behavior of materials remarkably. A comparison with experimental results demonstrates that the predictions of heat release rates are in reasonably good agreement with the experiment.     

Fire behaviors study on 18650 batteries pack using a cone-calorimeter

To investigate the effects of different state of charges (SOCs), external heating powers and charging/discharging treatment on the fire behaviors of 18650 batteries pack, three groups of abuse experiments were conducted with the help of a cone-calorimeter. The fire hazards of batteries pack were characterized by measuring the flame photographs, battery surface temperature, ignition time, thermal runaway time, heat release rate and radiative heat flux. According to the results, it is found that the fire behaviors of batteries pack will appear in advance and behave more violent with the increase in SOC. Additionally, the higher heating power will exacerbate the fire hazards of batteries pack by increasing the surface temperature rise rate, the total heat released and the total heat flux of pack leading to an earlier thermal runaway and more rigorous consequence. Finally, the pack with discharging/charging treatment has a much lower heat released compared to the pack without any treatment due to the incomplete burning and incomplete release of energy. Besides, their fire behaviors also exhibit earlier and severer.

     

Effect of microencapsulation on thermal properties and flammability performance of epoxy composite

The influence of microencapsulated ammonium polyphosphate (MFAPP) on flame retardancy, thermal properties and water resistance of epoxy (EP) composite were investigated by LOI, UL-94, DSC, TG, microscale combustion calorimeter (MCC) and TG-FTIR. The results of DSC show that the shell outside MFAPP can increase its compatibility in EP. EP/MFAPP containing only 9 wt% MFAPP can pass V-0 in the UL-94 test, while neat EP cannot pass any rating. Due to the presence of shell, water treatment show few effects on the flame retardancy of EP/MFAPP, while LIO values of EP/APP decrease remarkably after treatment. The presence of MFAPP can reduce the heat release rate and total heat release of EP significantly in MCC test. The reason is that MFAPP can stimulate the dehydration of EP at low temperature and retard the release of pyrolysis gas at high temperature. Moreover, a char formed via the reaction of EP and MFAPP has excellent thermal stability and can prevent underlying materials from further combustion during a fire.     

Reactive characterization of nanothermites

Conventional thermal analysis techniques (TG and DSC) give valuable information on the activation energy and the reactivity of energetic materials such as organic explosives. Here, we discuss the use of these methods for characterizing nanothermites, energetic compositions made of metallic oxides and a fuel (often a reducing metal). The experimental limitations of these analysis techniques are identified. It is difficult to ignite nanothermites with slow heating rates as those used in DSC. This is due to the inorganic nature of the thermite components and because the reaction involves interparticular heat and matter transfers. In addition, during the progressive decomposition of nanothermites, there is no change in mass, so it cannot be observed by thermogravimetric analysis. The use of laser ignition to prime the abrupt combustion of nanothermite pellets allows determining the ignition energy and analyzing the propagation of the combustion front. It also provides qualitative data that can be used to understand the combustion mechanism and to correlate it to the microstructure of the nanothermites. By analyzing several examples, we will show that the coupling of high speed video to existing thermal analysis techniques could significantly extend their utilization range for the characterization of new energetic materials.     

The effect of OCoAl‐LDH and OCoFe‐LDH on the combustion behaviors of polyvinyl chloride

The effects of the modified layered double hydroxide (LDH) of Co/Al (OCoAl‐LDH) and the modified LDH of Co/Fe (OCoFe‐LDH) on the combustion behaviors of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) during pyrolysis processes were compared and investigated. The thermal degradation and combustion behavior of the PVC composites were investigated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), microscale combustion calorimetry (MCC), and cone calorimetry (CONE). The results indicate that the incorporation of LDHs brought about the improved thermal stability and reduced heat release of PVC composites at a high temperature. The smoke‐suppression properties of the composites are investigated by steady‐state tube furnace (SSTF), and the results indicated that the toxic gases such as CH₄, CO, and N_xO were inhibited by both of the two LDHs, but the OCoFe‐LDH has a better effect on the smoke suppression. Subsequently, the char layer was investigated by scanning electron microscopy–energy‐dispersive spectrometry (SEM‐EDS) and Raman analysis. The results indicate that the LDHs can promote the dechlorination of PVC during the thermal oxidation process and can inhibit the production of HCl in inert gas. Generally, OCoAl‐LDH and OCoFe‐LDH can be potential catalysts for waste disposal and can improve the fire safety of PVC.     

Experimental study on the thermal behaviors of lithium-ion batteries under discharge and overcharge conditions

Iron oxide modified montmorillonite (MMT) as flame retardant was used to polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and the flame retardant and smoke-suppressant properties of the PVC were investigated by the smoke density rating and cone calorimeter tests (CONE), and the thermal degradation behaviors of PVC were studied by thermogravimetric analysis (TG) in air atmosphere. The activation energies for the first stage of thermal degradation were obtained following the equation of Kissinger. The mechanical properties testing resultant data showed that iron oxide modified MMT had little effect on the tensile strength of the sample. The CONE result indicated that iron oxide modified MMT could reduce the heat release rate in flame retardant PVC: a more compact char residue formed on the surface of the sample including iron oxide modified MMT during the combustion process. The TG result showed that the sample with modified iron oxide MMT had higher thermal stability than the pure PVC. Besides, the PVC treated with modified MMT showed high activation energy.     

聚磷酸铵-苯并噁嗪微胶囊的制备及其对环氧树脂燃烧性能影响

以多聚甲醛、丙烯胺、苯酚为原料,通过Mannich反应合成烯丙基型苯并噁嗪单体(Bala),并通过核磁共振氢谱(~1H-NMR)确定了其化学结构.将Bala在聚磷酸铵(APP)原位开环聚合后,制备APP微胶囊(BMAPP).傅里叶变换红外(FTIR)和静态接触角测试表明,Bala在APP表面成功聚合,并有效提高APP的疏水性,与纯APP相比,BMAPP的接触角从10.8°提高到了71.3°.将BMAPP添加到环氧树脂(EP)中,制备EP/BMAPP复合材料.通过热重分析仪(TGA)、垂直燃烧(UL-94)、极限氧指数(LOI)、锥型量热仪(CONE)和动态热机械分析仪(DMA)对EP和EP/BMAPP的热性能以及燃烧性能进行对比分析.结果显示,10%的BMAPP的成炭效果最佳,有良好的阻燃性能,可使EP的LOI值从22.6%提高到33.6%,并通过UL-94 V-0级,600°C下残炭率达26.3%.同时,BMAPP可大幅度降低EP燃烧过程中烟密度和热释放速率,提高EP的玻璃化转变温度(T_g).BMAPP/EP-10%中,PBala和APP协同后使EP热释放速率峰值(PHRR)由1247 kW·m~(-2)降低到434 kW·m~(-2),生烟速率(SPR)降低67%左右,T_g从169°C提高到了173°C.