A Numerical Case Study on the Thermal Runaway of a Lithium-Ion EV Battery Module

Lithium-ion batteries are nowadays the main energy source for electric vehicles. Although the general principle of their operation remains unchanged for dozen of years, manufacturers try to achieve as much as possible energy density, hence many improvements have been introduced. On the other side, lithium-ion batteries are prone to failures, which may lead to a chain reaction in the whole battery module. Since the energetic outcome of such event can pose a serious threat to people, the data on the rate of the chain reaction development is important due to safety issues. Hence, the paper presents a detailed numerical study on thermal runaway in battery modules. Reactions in a single cell were modeled in accordance to up to date knowledge and then the propagation of the failure through a battery module was analyzed. The results showed the reaction might develop in a latent manner and culminate violently after a long time period.