Thermal Runaway Propagation Characteristics of Lithium-Ion Batteries with Different Cathode Materials: A Comparative Study

Lithium-ion batteries(LIBs) can cause serious thermal hazards when triggered to thermal runaway, as well as releasing toxic gases that are hazardous to human health. Studying the thermal runaway propagation, jet fire characteristics, and the hazards of the released gases of Li(Ni_xCo_yMn_z)O₂ (NCM) battery can provide guarantees for the safety assessment of batteries. This paper analyzes the thermal runaway propagation behavior of lithium-ion batteries with different cathode materials. The results show that for different battery modules, the maximum temperature during thermal runaway is NCM622>NCM523>NCM111;The thermal runaway propagation time is similar, and the internal propagation time of the battery is between 6 and 9 s; Energy flow analysis shows that about 90% of the total energy released by thermal runaway is used for self-heating and eruption losses, and about 10% of the total energy is enough to trigger the thermal runaway propagation; The smoke jet height and jet spark height of NCM111 module exceed 200 cm, and the jet fire flame height of NCM523 and NCM622 modules is between 90 and 110 cm; Due to the absence of flames, the NCM111 module has the highest CO production and greater toxicity. The research results of this paper can provide reference for the design of safety control of NCM battery modules, the formulation of strategies for suppressing thermal runaway propagation, and the assessment of toxic gas hazards.