Alleviation of thermal runaway propagation in thermal management modules using aerogel felt coupled with flame-retarded phase change material

In view of the flammability of phase change materials (PCMs), a safer structure design for thermal insulation protection is crucial in a PCM-based battery thermal management system. In this work, a series of experiments is performed on battery modules with and without PCM and/or aerogel to investigate their heat dissipation capability and thermal insulation capability in both thermal runaway tests and cycling tests. The results demonstrate that the PCM added with expandable graphite considerably inhibits the combustion flame and lowers the peak temperature of battery modules; however, it accelerates the thermal runaway propagation speed. In comparison, the aerogel felt exhibits excellent performance in delaying battery thermal runaway. Based on the foregoing, an optimized dual-functional battery module is proposed. The module combines the strengths of the PCM and aerogel, and its thermal behaviors are explored via proper analysis with experimental verification.