Development of a Safer Lithium-ion (Li-ion) Battery for Naval Aircraft Applications Through Thermal Management Design

Rechargeable lithium ion battery systems can provide power throughout the aircraft, including engine or Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) starting, avionics, emergency, and other systems. Because of their high specific energy/power and potential thermal instability, they can present hazards if improperly designed, tested, handled, or stored. To address the thermal safety issue of Li-ion batteries, EIC Labs, in collaboration with National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), is working on the development of safe, large-format aircraft Li-ion batteries where thermal propagation of an overheated cell to neighboring cells or group of cells is prevented by novel thermal management technologies.