Events such as the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 and Boeing Dreamliner battery fires have exposed a need for safer lithium-ion battery packs. Battery cell manufacturers are increasing the energy in batteries to meet the needs of smartphones, tablets, UAV’s, and electric transportation. The downside is that more energy means less safety.
AllCell Technologies, a Chicago technology company founded by two Illinois Institute of Technology professors, recently published a paper in Journal of Power Sources describing successful experimental test results for preventing the spread of fire in a commercial battery pack when a single cell was forced into thermal runaway. The spread of fire is known in the battery industry as “Thermal Runaway Propagation.” The company utilizes a patented phase change composite (PCC) material to quench the fire before it can spread.
Safety issues in the lithium-ion industry have existed for years, but are only now becoming a significant concern for consumers. Increasing energy density and the adoption of electric cars, electric bikes, and energy storage systems for homes and commercial buildings have combined to increase the need for thermal runaway propagation solutions.
AllCell presented expanded experimental test results at the NASA Battery Workshop in mid-November 2016 and is continuing to develop advanced materials that can suppress thermal runaway in increasingly challenging environments.
The full paper can be found online at http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378775316315427. The hardcopy edition will be released in January 2017. About
AllCell Technologies
AllCell Technologies, www.allcelltech.com, designs and manufactures lithium-ion battery packs for transportation and renewable energy application. The company’s patented thermal management technology is based on the use of Phase Change Composite (PCC) material to surround each lithium-ion cell, absorbing and conducting heat away to dramatically extend the life of the cells and mitigate fire propagation in the battery and equipment.
AllCell has been an Evergreen Portfolio company since participating in the 2014 Evergreen Climate Innovations Challenge. Evergreen is constantly searching for the best cleantech startups in the Midwest. Applications for the 2017 Evergreen Climate Innovations Challenge open on December 2, 2016.
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