Research on Thermal Runaway Triggering Methods for Non-Rechargeable Lithium Battery in Civil Aircraft

In aviation industry, compared to traditional batteries (lead-acid and nickel-cadmium batteries), non-rechargeable lithium batteries are usually the primary choice as independent backup power sources for emergency equipment (such as Emergency Locator Transmitter and Underwater Locator Beacon) due to excellent performance, weight/volume advantages and relatively long inspection/maintenance intervals. However, considering higher energy density and more active chemical characteristics, lithium batteries unique failure modes require special consideration in safety analysis. Among these failure modes, thermal runaway is one of the most severe failure modes of non-rechargeable lithium batteries, potentially leading to serious impact such as flame, explosion, and release of toxic and harmful gases/liquid. Therefore, it is necessary to demonstrate the containment of thermal runaway of non-rechargeable lithium batteries through equipment-level testing, and do aircraft-level safety analysis to show that the impact of thermal runaway of non-rechargeable lithium batteries is acceptable. Equipment-level tests combined aircraft-level safety analysis finally show the non-rechargeable lithium battery compliance. This article presents recommended thermal runaway triggering test methods and setups of non-rechargeable lithium batteries.