Hydrogen releasing law and in situ computed tomography investigation of structural damage of waded lithium-ion batteries

Wading event of new energy electric vehicles occurs frequently, and wading safety of lithium-ion batteries has been increasingly paid great attention. Here, hydrogen releasing kinetics of waded lithium-ion battery packs are systematically studied. Structural damage of waded lithium-ion batteries are carefully investigated in real time by in-situ computed tomography, and its thermal runaway and explosion limit is further analyzed. The results demonstrate that wading corrosion leads to a significant releasing of hydrogen gas, and hydrogen producing rate is positively correlated with total dissolved solids and the terminal voltage of the battery pack in different water bodies, such as tap water, river water and lake water. Wading corrosion can cause issues such as falling off and displacement of connection nickel plate, thinning of anode metal cap, perforation and failure of the safety valve. Thermal runaway characteristics of Li-ion batteries are obviously affected by wading events, and excessive wading corrosion of anode metal cap causes the battery to lose its explosive characteristic. This research has important theoretical and practical value in solving the wading safety problem of lithium-ion battery and electric vehicle design.