Dispersion of stored energy within a battery system at risk of failure

DWPI Title: Dispersing stored energy within battery system, involves isolating one or more sub-assemblies which have been sufficiently depleted until no further dispersion is possible in system
Abstract: A method and system for dispersing stored energy in an energy storage system to delay or arrest propagation of thermal runaway and thermally-induced cascading failures. The system includes a plurality of battery sub-assemblies and DC-DC converters connected to a shared DC bus through which energy may be exchanged. The system may be interfaced to an AC power grid or DC power system through an additional power converter. The method of dispersing stored energy uses this system to charge and discharge sub-assemblies such that the system is less susceptible to propagation of thermal runaway. The method determines, based on awareness of current system state, battery types, and electrical and thermal structure, the sequence of charging and discharging actions to best inhibit thermal runaway while preserving the system's ability to perform subsequent energy redistribution.
Use: Method for dispersion of stored energy within a battery system i.e. lithium-ion battery system, at risk of failure.
Advantage: The method enables determining the optimal strategy for redistributing energy within the energy storage system to minimize likelihood of propagation of thermally-induced failures when a failure is recognized. The method allows a battery controller to determine the optimal set of discharge current values to most effectively disperse stored energy from the thermal energy pathway, and to determine which sub-assemblies of the sub-assembly to receive dispersed energy for charging, thus determining a respective optimal charging current value for each subassembly and generating a command to disperse energy at the optimal value respectively.
Novelty: Dispersing stored energy within battery system involves computing an optimal set of discharge current values to disperse stored energy from a thermal energy pathway. A determination is made whether sub-assemblies receive dispersed energy for charging. A respective optimal charging current value is determined for each sub-assembly, and a command is generated to disperse energy at the optimal current value, respectively. The subassemblies are isolated until no further dispersion of energy is possible in a battery system, where the sub- assemblies are sufficiently depleted to mitigate propagation of thermal runaway event. The system is provided with a set of battery sub- assemblies.
Filed: 11/16/2023
Application Number: US18511380A
Tech ID: SD 15111.1
This invention was made with Government support under Contract No. DE-NA0003525 awarded by the United States Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration. The Government has certain rights in the invention.
Data from Derwent World Patents Index, provided by Clarivate
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