Batteries, battery components, and related methods and apparatus for mitigating a thermal runaway event of a battery

Abstract

Batteries, battery components, and related methods and apparatus for mitigating a thermal runaway event of a battery are disclosed. Examples disclosed herein include a battery including an enclosure defining a cavity, the enclosure including a first end wall and a second end wall opposite the first end wall, a battery cell disposed in the cavity of the enclosure, a load spreader disposed in the cavity of the enclosure, the load spreader spaced from the first end wall, the battery cell disposed between the load spreader and the second end wall of the enclosure, the load spreader at least partially compressing the battery cell between the load spreader and the second end wall.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A battery comprising:
 an enclosure defining a cavity, the enclosure including a first end wall and a second end wall opposite the first end wall;   a battery cell disposed in the cavity of the enclosure; and   a load spreader disposed in the cavity of the enclosure, the load spreader spaced from the first end wall, the battery cell disposed between the load spreader and the second end wall of the enclosure, the load spreader at least partially compressing the battery cell between the load spreader and the second end wall.   
     
     
         2 . The battery of  claim 1 , further including an adjuster tie rod disposed between the first end wall of the enclosure and the load spreader, the adjuster tie rod to adjust a position of the load spreader in the cavity. 
     
     
         3 . The battery of  claim 2 , wherein the adjuster tie rod includes a nut and a foot that is movable relative to the nut when the nut is rotated. 
     
     
         4 . The battery of  claim 1 , wherein the enclosure includes a first sidewall between the first and second end walls and a second sidewall between the first and second end wall opposite the first sidewall, the battery further including:
 a first rib coupled to the first sidewall; and   a second rib coupled to the second sidewall opposite the first rib, the load spreader engaged with the first and second ribs, the first and second ribs to maintain the load spreader in a location to at least partially compress the battery cell.   
     
     
         5 . The battery of  claim 4 , wherein the first rib is welded to the first sidewall and the second rib is welded to the second sidewall. 
     
     
         6 . The battery of  claim 1 , further including a plurality of battery cells between the load spreader and the second end wall. 
     
     
         7 . A system comprising:
 a battery including:
 a sealed enclosure defining a cavity; and 
 a battery cell disposed in the cavity of the enclosure; and 
   a cooling plate having a fluid channel between an inlet port and an outlet port, the cooling plate to reduce a temperature of the battery.   
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 7 , further including multiple batteries and multiple cooling plates, the batteries arranged in a stack, respective ones of the cooling plates disposed between respective ones of the batteries. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein the battery includes an energy absorption material in the cavity of the enclosure. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the energy absorption material is a microencapsulated phase change material. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the energy absorption material is a dielectric fluid. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein the cooling plate is at least partially disposed in the cavity of the enclosure. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein the inlet port and the outlet port of the cooling plate extend through respective openings formed in an end wall of the enclosure. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein the battery includes a plurality of battery cells disposed in the cavity of the enclosure, the battery cells arranged in a first row and a second row adjacent the first row, and wherein the cooling plate is disposed between the first and second rows. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein the battery includes a plurality of battery cells disposed in the cavity of the enclosure, and wherein the cooling plate has a first linear portion and a second linear portion, the first and second linear portions connected by a third arcuate portion, the first linear portion parallel to the second linear portion, the cooling plate at least partially surrounding the battery cells. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 15 , further including a flexible graphite sheet disposed between two of the battery cells, the flexible graphite sheet engaged with the cooling plate, the flexible graphite sheet to transfer heat from the two of the battery cells to the cooling plate. 
     
     
         17 . A battery system comprising:
 a battery including:
 a sealed enclosure defining a cavity, the enclosure including a end wall with an opening formed in the end wall; 
 a battery cell disposed in the cavity of the enclosure; and 
 a diaphragm coupled to the end wall and covering the opening; and 
   a puncture pin disposed outside of the enclosure and adjacent the diaphragm such that when pressure increases in the cavity, the diaphragm flexes outward and is punctured by the puncture pin.   
     
     
         18 . The battery system of  claim 17 , further including an exhaust duct extending from the enclosure at the opening, the exhaust duct to direct pressurized fluid from the cavity to a downstream location when the diaphragm is punctured. 
     
     
         19 . The battery system of  claim 18 , wherein the puncture pin is disposed inside of the exhaust duct. 
     
     
         20 . The battery system of  claim 18 , wherein the battery is a first battery, the enclosure is a first enclosure, the opening is a first opening, and the exhaust duct is a first exhaust duct, the battery system further including:
 a second battery;   a second exhaust duct extending from a second enclosure of the second battery at a second opening in the second enclosure; and   a manifold coupling the first exhaust duct and the second exhaust duct.