Ubiquitous lithium battery safety-

critical
Today, lithium-ion battery not only all kinds of consumer electronics products as the
main power source, is also widely used in power tools, electric bicycles, electric
vehicles, energy storage and other fields. After 20 years of development, the
performance of lithium-ion batteries significantly improved:
As a long-term commitment to China and the U.S. generic lithium battery research
and development of three production companies, it is clearly understood, and
constantly improve the battery capacity than the energy, all the way to growth cycles,
prices continued to decline. But the number one problem plagued its development -
Security has been unable to be effectively addressed. Once the lithium-ion battery
safety accidents, not only for property damage, and may result in personal injury or
even death. Security issues have become one of the key factors affecting the lithium-
ion battery development in emerging markets.
Single battery safety issues can not be ignored
Lithium ion batteries are mainly used monomer mobile phones, digital cameras and
other small consumer electronics products. Prior to 2006, due to the immaturity of
automation technology, product standards and testing technology, however
imperfect customs, and other factors, the cells will occur occasionally overheat and
catch fire, explosions and other accidents, and sometimes even cause a fire accident
wounding. As technology advances, the probability of these accidents occur gradually
reduced, but in 2013, it was because Apple charging the phone when a call is lethal
shock caused by leakage, as well as one of Apple's mobile phone battery
spontaneous combustion. Single battery safety issues once again cause for concern.
Security issues are generally due to the single cell batteries such as the use of non-
normal overcharging, overheating or short circuit caused by thermal runaway, the
performance of battery deformation, leakage, fire, explosion, etc. The reason why
lithium-ion battery safety problems occur, inseparable from its intrinsic structure.
Lithium-ion batteries are mainly cathode material, anode material, electrolyte,
separator components. During normal charging, the lithium ions in the electrolyte
into the positive electrode material, a negative electrode side of the electrolyte
lithium ions through the membrane into the cathode side of the electrolyte solution,
the metal lithium on the negative electrode material of lithium ions into the
electrolyte becomes. But in the non-normal use, once somewhat less stable cathode
material, it can easily release oxygen, react with carbonate electrolyte, emit a lot of
heat and gases, and there is strong activity in the anode material of metal lithium,
immediately in contact with the oxygen burner and ignite the electrolyte membrane
and the like. Especially aluminum lithium-ion battery, the housing having a certain
strength, such a large amount of internal heat and gas sharply, causing an explosion.
Previously most people think, polymer lithium-ion battery is more secure than a
liquid electrolyte lithium-ion batteries, because the polymer electrolyte battery is gel,
semi-solid, the ignition point higher, while polymer battery can be used flexible
packaging, You can break the case earlier, to avoid excessive accumulation of gas
and heat. But this year since polymer battery subvert security incidents caused by
this understanding. Polymer batteries use the same anode material, separator and
organic electrolyte, and the electrolyte is a gel, not easy to leak, it will happen more
violent combustion. Combustion is also the largest polymer battery safety problems.
Visible, security is an essential attribute of lithium-ion batteries, such as the use of
only safer battery materials through technical means, explosion-proof valve,
protection circuits and other means to improve the growth process and the level of
quality control, to minimize the probability of accidents. In particular, the protection
circuit, it can in overcharge, overheating or short circuit quickly cut off the current, to
protect the battery safety is extremely important.
Focus battery safety issues
For lithium ion batteries, the current security issues more prominent or that the
battery pack in the battery. On the one hand is that the frequency of battery safety
accidents is much higher than single cells, only took place in 2013 from more than
ten electric vehicle accidents caused by the battery pack, including fire, operational
failure, etc., and caused by the battery pack electric bicycle accidents reported on
more than hundreds. More important reason is the influence of hazards and
accidents caused by the battery pack is much more than single cells. Such as the
Boeing lithium ion battery pack caught fire only affected the credibility of the Boeing
Company, has almost led to exit the aircraft applications lithium-ion battery market.
The electric car market as expected, battery safety issue is one very important factor.
Structure of lithium-ion battery pack similar, all using the power management system
will plurality of cells connected by series-parallel modes to achieve a stable voltage
and energy output / input. Safety of the lithium ion battery in addition to causing the
cells themselves, but also the battery capacity and the size of the group. High
calorific capacity of the battery is high, a large volume of relatively difficult battery
heat, heat is more likely to be accumulated, resulting in thermal runaway. 6-cell
lithium-ion battery laptop weighs about 400g, electric bicycles used by weight
lithium-ion battery pack is about 4kg, electric cars will have to use a larger battery,
such as the Tesla ModelS prototype vehicles using lithium-ion batteries groups of up
to 400kg or more, more easily lead to accidents.
If the cells do not consider safety factors, safety of lithium-ion battery pack can be
avoided, as long as the heat well and each battery protection circuit timely and
effective. But in fact this is difficult to achieve, mainly because the battery pack will
plurality of cells are placed in a small space, it is difficult to ensure that each battery
can heat well. At the same time due to the different environment in which each
battery, the fever situation is somewhat different. This greatly increases the difficulty
of battery management, battery management system to bring great uncertainty.
Once the power management system is not working properly, the possibility of
battery safety accidents is very high.
For the purposes of laptop batteries, because of its small number of individual cells,
each cell is relatively small environmental changes, lower management more difficult,
especially with single battery and battery management to improve the safety of
technical progress, has been basically no safety occurrence accident. But for electric
bicycles and electric car batteries, its single cell number ranging from tens to
thousands, each cell is relatively small environmental changes, management very
difficult, no highly advanced battery management system, it is difficult to ensure no
accidents. Facts have proved this point, battery caused accidents abound. China's
electric bicycle frequent fire events, including almost all brands GM, Karma, Nissan,
BYD has occurred caused by the battery pack security incidents, the only exception is
the Tesla. Tesla's battery pack using more than 6000 single cells, far more than
other electric car manufacturers, but by virtue of its powerful battery management
system, Tesla battery pack has not occurred has caused accidents together.
Thus, the safety issues of lithium-ion battery pack can be solved using the higher
security single cells, cell structure and reasonable arrangement means powerful
battery management system is able to minimize the probability of accidents. Tesla
just to prove this point, its performance is worth every power battery manufacturers
and electric car manufacturers to learn.
Security alarm bells ringing
Lithium-ion battery safety issues particularly prominent. Currently some companies,
the public's lack of a comprehensive, clear understanding: either blinders that
lithium-ion battery safety issues can not be completely cured, the overall
development of the industry holds over pessimism; either turn a blind eye to the
problems in dealing with the problem not actively cooperate with the process.
Emphasis on face security is a prerequisite for solving the problem of lithium-ion
battery safety.
Since lithium-ion battery caused the majority of accidents occur during transportation,
use phase, the parties tend to secure cause of the accident was due to external
factors and more, ignoring factors lithium-ion battery itself, resulting in a hope to
discover and prevent external test lithium-ion batteries safety factors. But this is not
only a temporary cure. Because the safety of lithium-ion battery is designed and
manufactured not detect out. Detection can prevent unqualified products into the
market, thus avoiding its caused accidents, but for the detection of qualified products
caused by accidents to no avail. The current security incidents lithium-ion batteries
are basically qualified products. Therefore, in order to reach the root of the problem
purpose, we need to start their own factors lithium-ion battery, the battery in the key
aspects of the design, material selection, production process and technology group
efforts.
First, the selection of battery materials is very important, such as where the presence
of impurities or poor manufacturing precision control will likely lead to accidents, for
all the raw materials into the plant should be tested, and to control the consistency
of its production process.
Secondly, the structural design of the battery to fully consider the security
requirements of the lithium-ion battery, the focus electrode capacity balance,
electrode design, very ear design aspects of device leakage, short circuit protection
circuit.
Third, the single cell production processes each process as well as the presence of
risk factors affecting battery safety same batch consistency of the battery must be
prevention and control. This is also affecting the security of the most important
aspects of battery, China's battery production enterprises, especially to improve the
quality control point of production processes.
Finally, group technology battery pack needs to consider the impact of the overall
design and packaging process for security. To highlight the overall design safety
considerations retardant, insulation, thermal short circuit, internal wiring, etc.;
encapsulation process is to ensure consistency and reliability.
US Universal Battery has been done by safety first, quality-oriented philosophy to
treat lithium battery production, not safety issues can not be resolved, the parties
need to fully understand and be highly concerned, production enterprises to
strengthen quality control in the production process, regulatory authorities to
strengthen production safety supervision and control, testing aspects to improve the
level of detection. Only in this way, the security issues can be resolved, the lithium-
ion battery will usher in a period of rapid development.
General Electronics Battery Co. Ltd.
http://www.gebattery.com.cn
http://www.powbat.com.cn
http://www.gebattery.co