Experimental study on the cell-jet temperatures of abused prismatic Ni-rich automotive batteries under medium and high states of charge

Abstract The temperature of the battery jet is one of the key basic parameters for the design of battery thermal management system for vehicles, with sufficient results under combustion conditions in the presence of air. However, the original temperature distribution of battery jet in an inert atmosphere and its variation with the state of charge are not very clear for prismatic Ni-rich automotive batteries. This is closer to the real inside environment of the battery pack. In this work, a 50 Ah commercial prismatic cell with a Li(Ni0.6Mn0.2Co0.2)O2 cathode is triggered to a thermal runaway using external heating in a sealed chamber with a nitrogen atmosphere to avoid combustion caused by oxygen from the outside. The results show that the farther away from the safety valve, the lower the temperature of the jet. The jet temperature and its rise rate show an increasing trend with the maximum value of 701℃ and 173℃/s detected with increasing states of charge. Therefore, the BTMS design needs to take into account the high thermal load and high thermal shock caused by thermal runaway even in the absence of external air to participate in the combustion.