Battery safety: Expertise for the safe integration of batteries

Test of all common designs (prismatic, cylindrical, pouch) against intrusion with different stamp geometries. Determination of critical forces and intrusions leading to internal short circuit. In addition, even at high test speeds with high precisely limited intrusion depths, even on charged cells.

Using in-house developed high-speed X-ray technology, the cell-internal dynamic during thermal runaway can be recorded. Until now, these processes have remained hidden. Thanks to X-ray technology, manufacturers can now develop cells and batteries with greater safety.

The institute carries out propagation tests on battery modules and systems in a fire and explosion-proofed bunker. For example, the resistance of new housing concepts to internal battery fires and the effectiveness of propagation mitigation strategies can be evaluated.

The institute has a battery crash accelerator to evaluate the crash safety of charged modules and HV storage systems. In conjunction with simulations, battery systems can be comprehensively described and researched.

Detailed structural-mechanical models realistically depict mechanical deformations of batteries as they occur in crashes. This ranges from individual cells to battery modules and housings.

Flow simulations enable the simulation of gas propagation and chemical reactions during thermal runaway. The basis for this is careful testing and knowledge of the existing cell chemistry. Well-founded modeling of thermal runaway also includes consideration of the released particles, as these transport a considerable proportion of the heat.

To contain thermal runaway, it is important that adjacent components maintain their structural integrity. A comprehensive assessment of safety therefore requires not only the simulation of the fire, but also a sound modeling of the thermomechanical material behavior of the surrounding structures.