Date of Award
5-2025
Degree Type
Report
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Committee Chair(s)
Nicholas Roberts (Committee Chair)
Committee
Nicholas Roberts
Committee
Barton Smith
Committee
Haoran Wang
Abstract
Transportation is becoming increasingly electrified, with the main energy storage system being lithium-ion (li-ion) batteries. Despite the widespread adoption of li-ion batteries, unique design abuse tolerance concerns need to be addressed, specifically regarding the catastrophic exothermic release of energy, called thermal runaway (TR). While TR is a major design consideration in all li-ion applications, it presents unique difficulties in the electric aviation industry. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) considers thermal runaway inevitable in a battery pack and requires containment of the event per DO311-A for certified aircraft. Due to the wide variability of TR, designing for this phenomenon can be incredibly difficult and there is relatively little analysis that can be done to inform the design, leaving expensive, iterative testing as the main design method. Additionally, there is little literature on pouch cells which have an optimal space claim and form factor for aircraft. This work aims to create a proof of concept for a low-cost calorimeter to enable pouch cell TR characterizations. The calorimeter will be analyzed for the extreme event of TR and then simulated experiments will be run using a heater in place of li-ion cells.
Recommended Citation
Johnson, Mykell, "Bomb Calorimeter as Proof of Concept for Low-Cost Calorimeter to Measure Thermal Runaway in Pouch Cells to Facilitate Statistical Characterization" (2025). All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present. 88.
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/gradreports2023/88
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