Influences of multi factors on thermal runaway induced by overcharging of lithium-ion battery

Thermal runaway caused by overcharging results in catastrophic disasters. The influences of charging rate, ambient temperature and aging on thermal runaway caused by overcharging are studied qualitatively and quantitatively in this manuscript. The results of overcharging tests indicate that high charging rate and ambient temperature increase thermal runaway risk. Aging in 40 °C decreases thermal runaway risk. The risk increase of battery with high overcharging rate and in high ambient temperature is due to fast lithium plating reaction and accelerated SEI decomposition, respectively. The risk decrease of aged battery is due to the occurrence of SEI before overcharging tests. SEI suppresses the side reactions between lithium plating and electrolyte. The results of orthogonal tests indicate that the rank of effect is: discharging rate > ambient temperature > aging. The heat generation is calculated based on the results of overcharging tests. The calculation results indicate that heat generated by side reactions contributes more to the total heat generation. Although thermal runaway does not occur during overcharging with low current, the heat dissipation of the lithium-ion battery is the most and deserves focus. The results are important to the design of battery management system and thermal management system to prevent thermal runaway induced by overcharging in total lifespan of battery.