Thermal Runaway Characteristics of 18650 NCM Lithium-ion Batteries under the Different Initial Pressures

Abstract

To better understand the thermal runaway characteristics of lithium-ion batteries in civil aviation transportation environments, an experimental platform for the fire and explosion of lithium-ion batteries was designed and built. The 18650 NCM lithium-ion battery was selected as the test sample to study the influence of different initial pressures on the thermal runaway characteristics of the lithium-ion battery pack in a confined space. The results showed that, under 61 kPa, the initial thermal runaway triggering time is longer, the initial thermal runaway temperature is higher, and the explosion pressure and TNT equivalent are lower than that under 96 kPa. The mass loss increased with the increase of pressure and the number of batteries. In addition, the initial thermal runaway triggering time and temperature are affected by the number of batteries. These results could provide some support for civil aviation transportation safety.