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Author:
James G. Quintiere, Sean B. Crowley, Richard N. Walters, Richard E. Lyon, and David Blake
Abstract:

The fire hazard of lithium batteries carried on airplanes in passenger electronics and shipped as cargo includes the energy generated by individual cell failure, subsequent self-heating (thermal runaway), and the energy released by burning or explosion of the volatile cell components. In this study, a variety of non-rechargeable lithium metal (primary) cells and rechargeable lithium-ion (secondary) cells were heated to failure using radiant energy in a fire (cone) calorimeter and electrical resistance heating in a thermal capacitance (slug) calorimeter. In the fire calorimeter, hazard parameters were measured for several different cell chemistries over a range of electrical charge (states of charge [SOC]) and radiant heat flux, including the loss of cell mass at failure, the maximum rate of heat released in flaming combustion, the total heat released by combustion of the volatiles, and the specific heat of combustion of the cell contents. In the thermal capacitance calorimeter, the chemical energy released as heat and the cell temperature were measured as a function of the SOC and the heating rate. This report documents the results of these tests; namely, combustion energy measured for several lithium primary and secondary cells and the chemical energy released as heat during failure of a lithium-ion secondary cell. The results can be used to quantify the thermal hazard and the combustion hazard of individual electrochemical cells and cell assemblies (batteries).

Report:
Pages:
50
Size:
4.23 MB
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