Back
Completed Projects

Our Research Findings

Our Research Findings

The Electrochemical Safety Research Institute has conducted numerous experiments and research studies to contribute to the future of battery safety and energy storage systems. Read more about our recently completed projects below.

Fire suppression studies on EV modules with Automotive Research Association of India

When exposed to off-nominal conditions, lithium-ion cells can go into thermal runaway, leading to smoke, fire, and high temperatures, that can propagate to other cells in a battery module or pack. Efficient fire protection and suppression methods are thus critical to minimize the hazards associated with Li-ion battery failure events. 

A research project was carried out in collaboration with the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) to understand the efficacy of three different suppressants on fires in lithium-ion battery modules manufactured by a leading automotive manufacturer. Wastewater from the suppression tests was analyzed to understand its toxicity. The study indicated that the efficacy of a fire suppressant depends not only on the nature of the suppressant but also on the timing and duration of its release. Moreover, its presence at a sufficient concentration in the vicinity of the heat source in the battery was found critical. 

The results from these studies are currently being extended to a research project with larger-scale residential energy storage batteries carried out in collaboration with Stress Engineering Services in Houston, Texas. 

Fire characterization research in Li-ion batteries with UL LLC fire research team

To characterize fires in li-ion batteries of various chemistries, formats and at different states of charge. Results from the studies show that combustible and toxic gases are evolved from the lithium-ion cells of different chemistries.

State-of-charge vs. safety with Stress Engineering Services

The International Cargo Aviation Organization (ICAO) has restrictions on transporting lithium-ion cells or batteries by limiting the state-of-charge (SOC) to not exceed 30%. However, several factors influence the safety of lithium-ion cells. Hence, one cannot conclude that all cell designs have benign outcomes at and below the same SOC under off-nominal conditions. Even at the same SOC, cells with different formats, manufacturers, and chemistry types may exhibit variable safety behavior. It is critical to study and understand the safety aspects and worst-case scenarios resulting from cell failures in order to establish proper storage, shipping, and handling guidelines. 

Safety of fresh and aged Li-ion cells and modules with Purdue University

Cycle aging refers to all the degradation processes associated with the charge and discharge processes in lithium-ion batteries. Every time a lithium-ion cell is cycled, its capacity reduces mostly in an imperceptible way. The aim of this work is to investigate the interplay between aging, operating voltage window, and abuse tests (overcharge and external short) in lithium-ion cells and their safety implications. This research focuses solely on the effects of aging in cylindrical commercial lithium-ion cells that underwent charge/discharge cycling under nominal conditions. The objective is to characterize the changes occurring to the cell’s electrochemical properties, its morphology and the safety implications. Read more in the series on degradation-safety analytics in lithium-ion cells:

Overcharge, overdischarge, and aging analytics of Li-ion cells with Purdue University

Another independent study was carried out to understand the failure modes related the overcharging of li-ion cells to various levels with continuous cycle life. Read more in the series on overcharge, overdischarge, and aging analytics of Li-ion cells:

Counterfeit cells and batteries with NASA Johnson Space Center

Cells from three different manufacturers were studied. Overcharge and external short tests and analysis of the cell components were performed to study counterfeit cells and compare them to cells from original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).