Large Format Li-Ion Calorimeter

Innovators at NASA Johnson Space Center have developed a method to measure the total and fractional heat response of large format Li-ion cells (cells with capacities greater than 100Ah) when driven into thermal runaway conditions. The new hardware can handle up to 40 times the energy yield of a small format iteration. By understanding the thermal runaway behavior of larger Li-ion cells, engineers can gain insight to improve the design of both the cell and battery level. This in turn helps prevent cell-to-cell propagation during a cell explosion, reducing both consequence of failure as well as the likelihood of loss of hardware or mission.