Battery module with thermal runaway and gas exhaust management system
Apparatus, methods and systems are provided for thermal runaway and gas exhaust management for high power batteries. A battery module has a plurality of cell-containing carriers stacked on top of one another to form a cell stack having a front end and a rear end. A duct extends through the cell stack between the front end and the rear end for collecting escaped gases from the battery cells. A self-closing one-way pressure relief valve is located in the duct toward the rear end of the cell stack. The pressure relief valve connects to a piping system for carrying the gases to a remote location where the gases can be safely released and dispersed.
1. A method of manufacturing a battery module with an integrated thermal runaway management system, comprising:
forming a cell stack and positioning a top plate over the cell stack;
forming a slot in the top plate, the slot extending between front and rear ends of the cell stack;
placing a duct within the slot for collecting escaped gases from the cell stack; and
placing a pressure relief valve in the duct toward the rear end of the cell stack.
2. The method of claim 1 comprising connecting the pressure relief valve to a piping system for carrying gases collected in the duct to a remote location.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein the pressure relief valve is a self-closing, one-way valve.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein the pressure relief valve has an operating pressure of 7 kPa.
5. The method of claim 1 comprising sealing the top plate to the cell stack using a gasket.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein forming the cell stack comprises stacking cell carriers one on top of the other, each carrier containing a battery cell.
7. The method of claim 6 comprising sealing each carrier to an adjacent carrier using an inter-carrier gasket.
8. The method of claim 1 comprising sealing the duct to the cell stack using a duct gasket.