Calorimetry is a critical technique for studying thermal runaway in lithium-ion cells by precisely measuring the heat generation, temperature rise, and energy release during failure events. Using specialized calorimeters, researchers can subject cells to controlled conditions to assess their thermal stability and failure mechanisms. Understanding the thermal behavior of lithium-ion cells through calorimetry is essential for enhancing battery safety in high-risk applications, including aerospace, defense, and electric vehicles.
The Large-Format Fractional Thermal Runaway Calorimeter (L-FTRC) measures thermal response during cell-level thermal runaway (TR) events. Like with the S-FTRC, calorimetric techniques involved in L-FTRC testing aid in the characterization of lithium-ion cells based on total energy yield estimates and the fractional distribution of energy released from TR. This characterization allows direct comparison of TR events across a multitude of cell chemistries and formats to inform Li-ion battery design and techniques for passive propagation resistance (PPR).
capabilities
- Compatible with cylindrical, pouch, and prismatic cells (10Ah to 200Ah) of all known li-ion chemistries.
- TR gas capture for gas chromatography and mass spectroscopy (GCMS) analysis or in-situ gas analysis available upon request.
- More than 100 TCs capturing thermal data in every test.
- Trigger TR via heater ramp rate, constant heater power, nail penetration, or overcharge.
- Four cartridge heaters in every cell chamber provide uniform heating to the cell with a combined 1000W of total input power.
- Open-circuit voltage (OCV) measurement for cell monitoring during testing available upon request.
- NI DAQ system capable of 95 Hz sampling of thermal and voltage data.
- Gas expansion chamber allows for total gaseous volume estimates from TR events.
William Walker
