Monday, November 6
Registration and Morning Coffee7:30 am
Organizer's Opening Remarks
Craig Wohlers, Executive Director, Conferences, Cambridge EnerTech
Chairperson's Remarks
Gabriel Torres, Director of Product Management, Sionic Energy
Cell Safety for Commercial Vehicles
Dragoljub Vrankovic, PhD, Manager, Team Cell Technology, Daimler Truck
Battery Electric Trucks can be the future backbone of the transport industry — combining maximum energy efficiency with good flexibility. Daimler Truck AG has proven with a number of projects and products on a global scale how capable these electric trucks can be. This presentation will investigate the special needs of batteries and cells for commercial vehicles with a special focus on the safety aspects.
Impact & Learnings from the GM EV First Responder Training Program
Ryan Hickey, Advanced Battery Thermal Engineer, Global Product Group, General Motors
Over the past year and a half, General Motors, OnStar, and the Illinois Fire Service Institute have traveled across North America training thousands of first and second responders on electric vehicles. This program was hands-on training in order to get the key questions answered for our first and second responders to stay safe. In addition, learnings, impact, and next steps for the program will be presented.
Networking Coffee Break10:00 am
Safety First in Second-Life Battery Energy Storage Systems: A Wholistic Value-Chain Approach to Maximizing System Performance and Minimizing Operational Risk for Energy Storage Systems Utilizing First- and Second-Life Batteries
Jeremy Bedine, Product Head, Volvo Energy
A wholistic risk-management approach is needed to ensure the safe proliferation of battery energy storage systems (BESS). Every aspect of the product value chain needs to be considered in terms of how it intersects with over product safety. This talk will provide a high-level overview of the BESS product lifecycle, and it will lay out the total value chain from design and development, site engineering and deployment, digitization, remote monitoring, field service, and asset management. It will illustrate how safety and risk management are woven into each of these value chain components. The containerized BESS is only one element of the broader system. Operating the BESS and maximizing the value that they deliver requires an entire ecosystem.
The Fundamentals of Lithium Battery Safety
John Zhang, PhD, CTO/CSO, Polypore International LP
With huge amount effort on the lithium battery pack study and try to meet the need of the existing applications of lithium batteries, we are still not focused on the root causes of the lithium battery SAFETY, say the Fundamentals of Li-ion battery safety. In this study, we will present our recent investigation in the field incidents and thermal electrochemical mitigation (modeling) to address the intrinsic fundamentals of the Li-ion safety. From the fundamental understandings we developed various methods including Ceramic Coated Separator and tested various Li-ion batteries some of the them are 50Ah NMC Li-ion batteries.
Chavonne Yee, Director, Standards and Regulations, Electrification, Sensing & Safety Technologies, Honeywell
A Thermal Runaway event is a serious safety issue. Government around the globe such as China & India are enacting stringent regulations of a 5-minute thermal runaway event warning. Early detection of battery degradation indicative of pending thermal runaway provides additional time for battery system level countermeasures.
Enjoy Lunch on Your Own12:00 pm
Thermal Stability of Li-ion Batteries — An Electrolyte Perspective
Thermal runaway (TR) in Li-ion batteries refers to uncontrollable exothermic reactions triggered by elevated temperatures. As the temperature of the battery rises, the exothermic reactions further heat up the cell, creating a positive feedback cycle. Despite recent safety monitoring advances in battery management systems (BMS), the prevention of thermal runaway remains a challenge. The talk will provide insights into delaying/mitigating TR in large format Li-ion cells using advanced electrolyte designs.
Evaluating the Safety of Next-Generation Energy Storage Cells
Chuanbo Yang, PhD, Senior Engineer Energy Storage, Energy Conversion & Storage Systems Center, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
The safety of next-generation batteries is not yet understood. With the support of the ARPA-E EVs4ALL program, NREL and UT Austin are working to develop a quantitative understanding of the thermal runaway process and associated risks for next-generation cell materials. A principled, open-scientific methodology that leverages the team's leading characterization, diagnostics, and multiphysics modeling capabilities is applied to benchmark reaction pathways and risks associated with thermal runaway against conventional Li-ion cells.
Comparing Safety-Relevant Parameters of Failing Batteries with Different Cell Chemistry
Christiane Essl, Researcher, Battery Safety, VIRTUAL VEHICLE Research GmbH
Battery failing behavior is influenced by several factors. One factor is the cell chemistry. In this presentation, results of failing state-of-the-art automotive cells will be presented and discussed. The focus will be on the comparison of NMC and LFP cells. The results will be compared in the categories: thermal behavior, vent gas production, and vent gas composition before, during, and after thermal runaway.
Networking Refreshment Break2:30 pm
Eliminate Thermal Runaway Risk Using Ultrasound BMS
Nemanya Sedoglavich, PhD, Head, Product Development, BAQA, Titan Advanced Energy Solutions
Titan’s technology fundamentally changes how the industry manages batteries. Instead of estimating state-of-battery based on external parameters, ultrasound BMS prognoses thermal runaway events based on morphological changes in battery cells. In addition to safer battery management, more accurate state-of-charge and state-of-health leads to better battery utilization.
BEV Safety Solutions with Composite Battery Enclosures and Underbody Battery Protection
Gero Mimberg, Manager Thermal Systems, Kautex Textron GMBH
Our Pentatonic battery system is our latest innovation for the electric vehicle market. Constructed of thermo-composites or composite-metal hybrid. The system offers numerous benefits over its steel and metal counterparts including reduced weight, a simplified bill of material and thus improved competitiveness. We capitalize on our decades of testing expertise in areas such as fire, leak tests and crash when designing and producing composite battery systems.
Fast Charging of Lithium-ion Batteries with Monitoring and Controlling the Internal Physical States
Weihan Li, Research Group Leader, RWTH Aachen University
In this program, we will present our work in fast charging algorithm design based on monitoring and controlling the internal physical states, using electrochemical models, control algorithms, and machine learning.
TUT2: Li-ion Battery Safety and Thermal Runaway*
Instructor: Ahmad A. Pesaran, PhD, Chief Energy Storage Engineer, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
*Separate registration required. See tutorial page for more information.
Tuesday, November 7
Judy Jeevarajan, PhD, Vice President and Executive Director, Electrochemical Safety Research Institute, UL Research Institutes
Fire, Smoke, and Emissions Characteristics for Lithium-ion during Thermal Runaway
The components and fire and smoke during thermal runaway of lithium-ion cells and modules have been characterized at different SOC, and for different cell formats, sizes and chemistries. In addition, large cell formats have been studied at various SOC for characterization of particulate emissions. The results of the research studies will be presented.
Progress and Limits with Plastic Current Collectors
Eric Darcy, PhD, Battery Technical Discipline Lead, Power Systems, NASA Johnson Space Center
Cathode metallized polyester current collectors (PCC) show very consistent tolerance to nail penetration in 18650 and 21700 cell designs from one manufacturer. These designs achieve 233 Wh/kg (622 Wh/L) and 251 Wh/kg (684 Wh/L), respectively. In contrast, a 21700 achieving 272 Wh/kg and 724 Wh/L is consistently driven into TR with the same nail penetration test. Have we reached a specific energy limit for the PCCs? Or is there another root cause?
Navigating a Battery Recall: Managing Risk and Protecting Your Brand Name
Troy Hayes, PhD, Principal Engineer, Materials & Corrosion Engineering, Exponent
Lithium-ion batteries fail on rare occasions, and can cause potential risk for users and peripheral systems. In a battery recall assessment, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) should act to minimize the risk to consumers, while providing sound technical solutions to potentially recover and replace batteries. This talk will discuss the recall process and important aspects OEMs should consider when managing a recall, including: CPSC interactions, root cause analysis, future failure predictions, risk analysis to determine whether a recall is warranted, recall scope limitation through traceability, and ensuring that replacement products resolve the issue at hand, and also minimize future risk.
Networking Coffee Break in the Exhibit Hall with Poster Viewing10:30 am
Science of Lithium-ion Battery Safety: Diagnostics and Modeling
Ahmad A. Pesaran, PhD, Chief Energy Storage Engineer, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
To design safer lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles, a combination of experiments, diagnostic techniques, and multiphysics modeling tools are needed to understand how various abuses, such as mechanical crush, lead to electrical and thermal failures. NREL’s Battery Abuse Diagnostics Laboratory can test and diagnose batteries under various abuse conditions, such as dynamic impact, providing data as input to safety models to provide guidance on designing safer cells and modules. We will discuss capabilities of this laboratory, our multiphysics models, and how these tools can shed light on how various incidents may lead to thermal runaway, and how to prevent them.
Predicting Thermal Runaway in Electric Vehicle Car Crash Simulations
Vidyu Challa, PhD, Reliability Manager, ANSYS, Inc.
Kevin Kong, PhD, Senior Applications Engineer, ANSYS, Inc.
Battery Thermal runaway testing is expensive and destructive and is generally done in a limited manner. Simulation tools can be used to complement and reduce physical testing. This talk will present a workflow from single cell experiments to full crash modeling. In order to capture the onset of internal shorting, and subsequent appearance of thermal runaway, mechanical and thermal abuse experiments on pouch cells were performed. LS-DYNA models were calibrated and subsequently validated against cell experimental data. The cells were then used in simulation of full electric vehicle crash.
Battery Forensic Characterization
Tanveer Pathan, PhD, Research Fellow, WMG, University of Warwick
Thermal Propagation Analysis of the Breakdown Voltage Using a Test Bench with Simplified Multi-Cell Setup
Bjoern Mulder, Researcher, University of Stuttgart; Researcher, Mercedes Benz AG
This study investigates the impact of the thermal propagation reaction on the breakdown voltage inside a battery. Single thermal runaway cell tests in an autoclave yielded a gas composition, which was recreated omitting particles. The specific Paschen’s law equation for this gas was obtained. Using venting gas from a battery module, the breakdown voltage with and without particles was compared.
Application of Calorimetry and Computed Tomography to Failure Behaviors of Lithium-ion Batteries under Different States of Charge
Sophie Lee, Senior Associate Consultant, Exponent
Understanding the failure behaviors of lithium-ion batteries can help to improve the battery safety by providing guidelines for the design in battery management system, regulations for transportation of batteries and battery-containing devices, as well as the root-cause investigation in battery-involved accidents. Accelerating Rate Calorimetry (ARC) was used to study the influence of lithium-ion battery energy and state of charge (SOC) on the thermal behavior and failure mode. Characteristic events were found to occur at much lower temperatures and faster rates with increased cell SOC. X-ray Computed Tomography (CT) was then applied to understand to reveal the fingerprints of cells failure.
Networking Refreshment Break in the Exhibit Hall with Poster Viewing3:00 pm
Right to Repair: A Summary of Current Initiatives and Their Impact on the Battery Industry
John Copeland, Principal Engineer—Cell & Battery Testing, Element Materials Technology
"Right to Repair" initiatives were born out of consumer and independent repair shop frustration with devices that were either not feasible to repair due to their design or the required tools and spare parts were not available from the manufacturer. On balance, some manufacturers have concerns that safety might be compromised by improper repairs. This presentation will sample current federal, state, and local legislative efforts and focus on the overall pros and cons of implementation specific to the battery industry.
Battery Safety: The Promise versus Reality
Brian Barnett, PhD, President, Battery Perspectives
The roadmap to 2030 offers many opportunities, but not without major safety challenges. A panel of experts will discuss forecasts for 2030, providing insights about opportunities, challenges, barriers, and key factors shaping the 2030 roadmap to safer batteries.
Thomas Barth, PhD, Senior Accident Investigator & Biomechanics Engineer, Office of Highway Safety, National Transportation Safety Board
Close of Conference5:00 pm
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