194 - Playing with batteries with Xinyan Huang

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 penetrationModeling liquid immersion-cooling battery thermal management system and optimization via machine learningLaser-induced thermal runaway dynamics of cylindrical lithium-ion batteryEffect of thermal impact on the onset and propagation of thermal runaway over cylindrical Li-ion batteriesA Review of Battery Fires in Electric VehiclesAlleviation on battery thermal runaway propagation: Effects of oxygen level and dilution gas Cover image source: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.est.2024.111337 ---- The Fire Science Show is produced by the Fire Science Media in collaboration with OFR Consultants. Thank you to the podcast sponsor for their continuous support towards our mission.