194 - Playing with batteries with Xinyan Huang

Fire Science Show

Professor Xinyan Huang from Hong Kong Polytechnic University shares his expertise on battery fires and the various experimental methods researchers use to trigger thermal runaway events under controlled conditions.
• Terminology matters - "thermal runaway" more accurately describes battery failure than "ignition" as the critical reactions occur inside the cell
• Nail penetration testing is widely used but contains surprising complexities, including nail material, penetration depth, velocity and battery orientation
• Mechanical abuse tests (crushing, dropping, squeezing) simulate real-world accidents but often lack repeatability
• Thermal abuse via heating typically targets 200°C surface temperature using methods including flame exposure, electrical coils, and laser heating
• Electrical abuse through overcharging (150-200% SOC) significantly increases risk, while poor-quality charging equipment creates additional hazards
• State of charge plays a crucial role in how batteries respond to abuse tests
• New research aims to bridge the gap between micro-scale material testing and cell-level testing
Professor Huang is organising the 4th International Symposium on Lithium Battery Fire Safety (ISLBFS 2025) in Hong Kong from October 30th to November 2nd - the largest battery fire safety conference in the world.
I intended to link Xinyan's papers on batteries, but there is 19 of them!?! Let me link the most recent ones:

• Dynamic thermal runaway evolution of Li-ion battery during nail penetration
• Modeling liquid immersion-cooling battery thermal management system and optimization via machine learning
• Laser-induced thermal runaway dynamics of cylindrical lithium-ion battery
• Effect of thermal impact on the onset and propagation of thermal runaway over cylindrical Li-ion batteries
• A Review of Battery Fires in Electric Vehicles
• Alleviation on battery thermal runaway propagation: Effects of oxygen level and dilution gas

Cover image source: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.est.2024.111337

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Chapters

1. Introduction to Battery Research (00:00:00)

2. Understanding Battery Ignition vs. Thermal Runaway (00:03:34)

3. Nail Penetration Testing Methods (00:09:01)

4. Mechanical Abuse Beyond Nail Testing (00:18:14)

5. Thermal Abuse: Heating Methods Explained (00:26:02)

6. Cooling Effects and Thermal Management (00:35:02)

7. Electrical Abuse and Short Circuits (00:41:44)

8. Real-world Applications and Future Research (00:45:24)

9. Conference Announcement and Closing (00:48:39)