Dynamical Modeling of Temperature and Smoke Evolution in a Thermal-Runaway Event of a Large-Format Lithium-ion Battery in a Mine Tunnel

TL;DR

This paper develops reduced-order dynamic models to simulate temperature and smoke evolution during thermal runaway events in large lithium-ion batteries used in underground mines, providing a safer and more practical alternative to costly experiments.

Contribution

The paper introduces reduced-order models that accurately replicate the transient temperature and smoke dynamics of lithium-ion battery thermal runaway events in mining environments.

Findings

ROMs closely match ground-truth temperature data

Models effectively simulate smoke evolution during TR events

Reduced models are less resource-intensive than high-fidelity simulations

Abstract

Large-format lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) provide effective energy storage solutions for high-power equipment used in underground mining operations. They have high Columbic efficiency and minimal heat and emission footprints. However, improper use of LIBs, accidents, or other factors may increase the probability of thermal runaway (TR), a rapid combustion reaction that discharges toxic and flammable substances. Several such incidents have been documented in mines. Since repeatable TR experiments to uncover the transient-state propagation of TR are expensive and hazardous, high-fidelity models are usually developed to mimic the impact of these events. They are resource-intensive and are impractical to develop for many scenarios that could be observed in a mine. Therefore, dynamic models within a reduced-order framework were constructed to represent the transient-state combustion event. Reduced order models (ROMs) reasonably replicate trends in temperature and smoke, showing strong alignment with the ground-truth dataset.