Consolidated fill port plug and safety vent for battery applications
A plug for a fill port of a battery cell includes a body defining a channel. The plug includes a cover coupled to the body and covering the channel. The cover is configured to open in response to predetermined conditions to vent the battery cell.
1. A battery cell comprising:
a header defining an opening for filling the battery cell with electrolyte; and
a plug, inserted in the opening, defining a channel between an interior of the battery cell and an exterior of the battery cell and including a thin-film cover adhesively applied across the channel and configured to open in response to a pressure in the interior of the battery cell exceeding a predetermined pressure to vent the battery cell.
2. The battery cell of claim 1 wherein the thin-film cover is further configured to open in response to a temperature of the plug exceeding a predetermined temperature.
3. The battery cell of claim 1 wherein the thin-film cover is further configured to open in response to contact over a predetermined duration with a byproduct of electrolyte degradation in the battery cell that corrodes the thin-film cover.
4. The battery cell of claim 1 wherein the thin-film cover is a metal foil.
5. The battery cell of claim 1 wherein the thin-film cover is a plastic layer.
6. The battery cell of claim 1 wherein the thin-film cover is disposed across the channel on a surface of the plug that is adjacent the exterior of the battery cell.
7. The battery cell of claim 1 wherein the thin-film cover is disposed across the channel on a surface of the plug that is adjacent the interior of the battery cell.
8. The battery cell of claim 1 wherein the plug includes a head coupled to a shaft.
9. The battery cell of claim 8 wherein the shaft is threaded.
10. The battery cell of claim 8 wherein a cross sectional area of the head is greater than a cross sectional area of the shaft.
11. The battery cell of claim 8 wherein the shaft is barbed for one-time insertion.
12. The battery cell of claim 8 wherein the thin-film cover is disposed on the head.
13. The battery cell of claim 1 wherein the plug includes a body configured to be inserted and removed from an opening.
14. The battery cell of claim 1 wherein the plug includes a body configured for one-time insertion into an opening.