Venting particle-induced arc of lithium-ion batteries during the thermal runaway

Thermal runaway of lithium-ion batteries will release a large amount of particles with elevated temperature and high velocity, probably resulting in arc failures. In this study, we adopted an 117Ah fully-charged prismatic battery with Li(Ni0.8Co0.1Mn0.1)O2 cathode to collect the vented particles in an inert atmosphere after thermal runaway. All settled particles were classified into six groups to investigate the influence of electrode spacing, particle size and load resistance on the critical breakdown voltage as well as arc characteristics. As a result, a novel breakdown arc failure called venting particle-induced arc was firstly revealed and verified in the battery system. These settled particles significantly decrease the critical breakdown voltage for arc failure. The critical breakdown voltage exhibits a positively quadratic correlation with electrode spacing within 1–8 mm, while it is negatively correlated with particle sizes. Furthermore, a critical voltage map for breakdown arc under various particle sizes and electrode spacing was proposed. The results provide guidance to electrical hazards prevention in the battery system.