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Thermal runaway in Lithium-ion batteries

A thermal runaway is a rare event where Lithium-ion batteries overheat excessively, so much so that a runaway event can result in serious damage and potentially serious injury or fatality. So the question is, are Lithium-ion batteries safe? The answer is yes, so why then does a thermal runaway event happen?

With the rising use of EVs, more people are asking about thermal runaway. As with all things battery-related, care needs to be taken when running and charging, for example, is the charging equipment being used adequate, are the leads and connectors in good condition, and is the charging process monitored?

In this Ask the Expert extra with Brian Engle from Amphenol we learn more about thermal runaway, what happens within the cells, and how a BMS can monitor and stop events from becoming extremely volatile.  

Click here to see the original interview.

For more details about thermal runaway take a closer look by clicking the excerpt below from Amphenol.

Thermal runaway Lithium-ion battery

Discover more as Amphenol explain their Robust Early Detection of Thermal Runaway sensor (REDTR) and how this sensor technology can identify initial cell vent within seconds, allowing for rapid countermeasures to be taken.

For more on Amphenol and EV/HEV sensors check out their sensor resource hub.

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