BATTERY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS WITH THERMALLY INTEGRATED FIRE SUPPRESSION

• US 20130316198A1
• Filed: 03/05/2013
• Published: 11/28/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lawrence Livermore National Security LLC (Government of the United States of America)
• Original Assignee: Lawrence Livermore National Security LLC (Government of the United States of America)
• Inventors: Bandhauer, Todd M., Farmer, Joseph C.
• Granted Patent: US 9,704,384 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 429/50
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/052 Li-accumulators
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/486 for measuring temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/613 Cooling or keeping cold
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6551 Surfaces specially adapted for heat dissipation or radiation, e.g. fins or coatings
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6556 Solid parts with flow channel passages or pipes for heat exchange closed pipes H01M10/6552
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6568 characterised by flow circuits, e.g. loops, located externally to the cells or cell casings
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2200/00 Safety devices for primary or secondary batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A thermal management system is integral to a battery pack and/or individual cells. It relies on passive liquid-vapor phase change heat removal to provide enhanced thermal protection via rapid expulsion of inert high pressure refrigerant during abnormal abuse events and can be integrated with a cooling system that operates during normal operation. When a thermal runaway event occurs and sensed by either active or passive sensors, the high pressure refrigerant is preferentially ejected through strategically placed passages within the pack to rapidly quench the battery.

Claims

1. A battery management system with thermally integrated fire suppression, comprising:

two or more individual battery cells in stacked arrangement;

two or more cooling passages within or between said individual battery cells;

at least one container operatively connected to one or more of said cooling passages;

an inert high pressure refrigerant in said at least one container;

at least one sensor operably connected to said individual battery cells, said sensor adapted to detect a thermal runaway event related to one or more of said individual battery cells; and

an injector system adapted to inject said refrigerant from said at least one container into at least one of said two or more cooling passages upon the detection of said thermal runaway event by said at least one sensor, so that said thermal runaway event is rapidly quenched.

2. The battery management system with thermally integrated fire suppression of claim 1,

wherein said two or more cooling passages within or between said individual battery cells comprises at least two subsets of cooling passages within or between said individual battery cells,

wherein said injector system adapted to inject said refrigerant from said at least one container into at least one of said two or more cooling passages upon the detection of said thermal runaway event by said at least one sensor comprises an injector system adapted to inject said refrigerant from said at least one container into at least one of said at least two subsets of cooling passages upon the detection of said thermal runaway event by said at least one sensor.

3. The battery management system with thermally integrated fire suppression of claim 1,

wherein said two or more cooling passages within or between said individual battery cells comprises at least two subsets of cooling passages within or between said individual battery cells,

wherein said injector system adapted to inject said refrigerant from said at least one container into at least one of said two or more cooling passages upon the detection of said thermal runaway event by said at least one sensor comprises an injector system adapted to inject said refrigerant from said at least one container into all of said subsets of cooling passages upon the detection of said thermal runaway event by said at least one sensor.

4. The battery management system with thermally integrated fire suppression of claim 1,

wherein said two or more cooling passages within or between said individual battery cells comprises at least a first subset and a second subset of cooling passages within or between said individual battery cells,

wherein said at least one container operatively connected to one or more of said cooling passages comprises at least a first container and a second container containing inert high pressure refrigerant, and

wherein said injector system adapted to inject said refrigerant from said at least one container into at least one of said two or more cooling passages upon the detection of said thermal runaway event by said at least one sensor comprises an injector system adapted to inject said refrigerant from said first container into said first subset of cooling passages and to inject said refrigerant from said second container into said second subset of cooling passages.

5. The battery management system with thermally integrated fire suppression of claim 1,

wherein said two or more cooling passages within or between said individual battery cells comprises at least a first subset and a second subset of cooling passages within or between said individual battery cells,

wherein said at least one container operatively connected to one or more of said cooling passages comprises at least a first container and a second container containing inert high pressure refrigerant with said first container and said second container connected together, and

wherein said injector system adapted to inject said refrigerant from said at least one container into at least one of said two or more cooling passages upon the detection of said thermal runaway event by said at least one sensor comprises an injector system adapted to inject said refrigerant from said first container and said second container into said first subset of cooling passages.

6. The battery management system with thermally integrated fire suppression of claim 1, wherein said at least one container operatively connected to one or more of said cooling passages is a cylindrical container operatively connected to one or more of said cooling passages.

7. The battery management system with thermally integrated fire suppression of claim 1,

wherein said two or more individual battery cells can produce combustible mixtures, and

wherein said injector system adapted to inject said refrigerant from said at least one container into at least one of said two or more cooling passages upon the detection of said thermal runaway event by said at least one sensor is adapted to inject said refrigerant from said at least one container into at least one of said two or more cooling passages upon the detection of said thermal runaway event by said at least one sensor to dilute said combustible mixtures so that said thermal runaway event is rapidly quenched.

8. The battery management system with thermally integrated fire suppression of claim 1 wherein said injector system is adapted to inject said refrigerant from said at least one container into one of said two or more individual battery cells.

9. The battery management system with thermally integrated fire suppression of claim 8 further comprising a pressure relief device operatively connected to said individual battery cell, wherein said an injector system increases the internal pressure inside said individual battery cell, thereby opening said pressure relief device.

10. The battery management system with thermally integrated fire suppression of claim 9 further comprising a containment vessel and wherein said pressure relief device is operatively connected to said containment vessel.

11. The battery management system with thermally integrated fire suppression of claim 9 wherein said pressure relief device is a burst disc.

12. The battery management system with thermally integrated fire suppression of claim 9 further comprising a safe environment outside the battery management system and wherein said pressure relief device is operatively connected to said safe environment.

13. The battery management system with thermally integrated fire suppression of claim 9,

further comprising a at least one internal cooling structure operatively connected to said battery cells, said cooling passages, and said refrigerant;

and

wherein at least one internal cooling structure passively removes heat by liquid-vapor phase change during normal operation and said refrigerant from said container is connected to the internal cooling structure and refrigerant is injected into said cell from the internal cooling structure.

14. The battery management system with thermally integrated fire suppression of claim 1,

wherein said at least one container operatively connected to one or more of said cooling passages comprises a multiplicity of containers connected together, and

wherein said injector system is adapted to inject said refrigerant from said multiplicity of containers into a single battery cell upon the detection of said thermal runaway event by said at least one sensor.

15. A battery management system with thermally integrated fire suppression, comprising:

two or more individual battery cells in stacked arrangement;

two or more cooling passages within or between said individual battery cells;

at least one container operatively connected to one or more of said cooling passages;

a fire suppressant in said at least one container;

at least one sensor operably connected to said individual battery cells, said sensor adapted to detect a thermal runaway event related to one or more of said individual battery cells; and

an injector system adapted to inject said fire suppressant from said at least one container into at least one of said two or more cooling passages upon the detection of said thermal runaway event by said at least one sensor, so that said thermal runaway event is rapidly suppressed.

16. The battery management system with thermally integrated fire suppression of claim 15, wherein said fire suppressant in said at least one container is a fire suppressant chemical that reacts endothermically with constituents within said individual battery cells in said thermal runaway.

17. The battery management system with thermally integrated fire suppression of claim 15, wherein said fire suppressant in said at least one container is a dry fire suppressant.

18. A method of thermally managing a battery pack having one or more individual battery cells from thermal runaway events, comprising,

providing a plurality of cooling passages within or between said individual battery cells;

providing at least one container an inert high pressure refrigerant operatively connected to one or more of said cooling passages;

providing at least one sensor operably connected to said individual battery cells, said sensor adapted to detect a thermal runaway event related to one or more of said individual battery cells; and

injecting said refrigerant from said at least one container into at least one of said two or more cooling passages upon the detection of said thermal runaway event by said at least one sensor, so that said thermal runaway event is rapidly quenched.

19. The method of thermally managing a battery pack having one or more individual battery cells from thermal runaway events of claim 18 wherein said step of providing at least one sensor operably connected to said individual battery cells comprises providing at least one radio frequency identification sensor operably connected to said individual battery cells that is adapted to detect a thermal runaway event related to one or more of said individual battery cells.

20. An apparatus for electrochemical cell management and thermally integrated fire suppression, comprising:

multiple electrochemical cells,

cooling passages between said electrochemical cells,

a fire suppression system operatively connected to said electrochemical cells and said cooling passages,

radio frequency identification sensors operatively connected to said electrochemical cells, and

a management system operatively connected to said radio frequency identification sensors and said fire suppression system, wherein said radio frequency identification sensors can trigger said fire suppression system when said electrochemical cells exhibit thermal runaway.

21. The apparatus for electrochemical cell management and thermally integrated fire suppression of claim 20 wherein said fire suppression system includes refrigerant and wherein said management system can trigger said fire suppression system to inject said refrigerant into said cooling passages between said electrochemical cells when said electrochemical cells exhibit thermal runaway.

22. The apparatus for electrochemical cell management and thermally integrated fire suppression of claim 21 wherein said fire suppression system includes cylinders containing said refrigerant and wherein said cylinders are linked together.

23. The apparatus for electrochemical cell management and thermally integrated fire suppression of claim 20 further comprising passages between said electrochemical cells and an internal cooling system operatively connected to said passages.

24. The apparatus for electrochemical cell management and thermally integrated fire suppression of claim 20 further comprising an internal cooling structure integrated into said electrochemical cells.

25. The apparatus for electrochemical cell management and thermally integrated fire suppression of claim 20 wherein said fire suppression system includes a dry fire suppressing agent and wherein said management system can trigger said fire suppression system to inject said dry fire suppressing agent into said cooling passages between said electrochemical cells when said electrochemical cells exhibit thermal runaway.