Are lithium ion batteries safe?

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are considered to be one of the most important energy storage technologies. As the energy density of batteries increases, battery safety becomes even more critical if the energy is released unintentionally. Accidents related to fires and explosions of LIBs occur frequently worldwide.

What happens if a lithium ion battery goes bad?

Lithium-ion batteries are electro-chemical energy storage devices with a relatively high energy density. Under a variety of scenarios that cause a short circuit, batteries can undergo thermal-runaway where the stored chemical energy is converted to thermal energy. The typical consequence is cell rupture and the release of flammable and toxic gases.

Why are lithium-ion batteries important?

Efficient and reliable energy storage systems are crucial for our modern society. Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) with excellent performance are widely used in portable electronics and electric vehicles (EVs), but frequent fires and explosions limit their further and more widespread applications.

Are Lib batteries safe?

Stable LIB operation under normal conditions significantly limits battery damage in the event of an accident. As a result of all these measures, current LIBs are much safer than previous generations, though additional developments are still needed to improve battery safety even further.

What causes a lithium ion battery to explode?

Thermal runaway of lithium-ion battery cells is essentially the primary cause of lithium-ion BESS fires or explosions. Under a variety of scenarios that cause a short circuit, batteries can undergo thermal runaway where the stored chemical energy is converted to thermal energy.

Why does failure propagation cause problems in lithium-ion battery packs?

At the pack level, the failure propagation causes problems because it may be necessary to deal with fires caused by several cells. Preventing failure propagation is important for the safety design of lithium-ion battery packs.