In-situ short-circuit protection system and method for high-energy electrochemical cells
First Claim
1. A method of providing short-circuit protection for a plurality of parallel connected energy storing cells, comprising:
- maintaining the energy storing cells in thermal contact with one another;
generating current using the energy storing cells;
electrically isolating a short-circuited cell of the plurality of cells in response to a current spike produced by the short-circuited cell; and
conducting heat generated by the short-circuited cell to other ones of the plurality of energy storing cells so that a temperature of the short-circuited cell remains below a breakdown temperature.
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Abstract
An in-situ thermal management system for an energy storage device. The energy storage device includes a plurality of energy storage cells each being coupled in parallel to common positive and negative connections. Each of the energy storage cells, in accordance with the cell'"'"'s technology, dimensions, and thermal/electrical properties, is configured to have a ratio of energy content-to-contact surface area such that thermal energy produced by a short-circuit in a particular cell is conducted to a cell adjacent the particular cell so as to prevent the temperature of the particular cell from exceeding a breakdown temperature. In one embodiment, a fuse is coupled in series with each of a number of energy storage cells. The fuses are activated by a current spike capacitively produced by a cell upon occurrence of a short-circuit in the cell, thereby electrically isolating the short-circuited cell from the common positive and negative connections.
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Citations
11 Claims
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1. A method of providing short-circuit protection for a plurality of parallel connected energy storing cells, comprising:
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maintaining the energy storing cells in thermal contact with one another;
generating current using the energy storing cells;
electrically isolating a short-circuited cell of the plurality of cells in response to a current spike produced by the short-circuited cell; and
conducting heat generated by the short-circuited cell to other ones of the plurality of energy storing cells so that a temperature of the short-circuited cell remains below a breakdown temperature. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
11.The method of claim 1, wherein each of the energy storing cells has a surface area ranging between about 100 cm2 and 400 cm2. -
11. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the energy storing cells has a surface area ranging between about 100 cm2 and 400 cm2 and an energy content ranging between about 10 Wh and 40 Wh.
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Specification