US 12,255,296 B2
Dispersion of stored energy within a battery system at risk of failure
Jacob Mueller, Albuquerque, NM (US); Yuliya Preger, Albuquerque, NM (US); John C. Hewson, Albuquerque, NM (US); and Andrew Kurzawski, Austin, TX (US)
Assigned to National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC, Albuquerque, NM (US)
Filed by National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC, Albuquerque, NM (US)
Filed on Nov. 16, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/511,380.
Application 18/511,380 is a division of application No. 17/144,681, filed on Jan. 8, 2021, granted, now 11,855,264.
Prior Publication US 2024/0088461 A1, Mar. 14, 2024
Int. Cl. H01M 10/44 (2006.01); H01M 10/42 (2006.01); H01M 10/48 (2006.01); H02J 7/00 (2006.01)
CPC H01M 10/443 (2013.01) [H01M 10/425 (2013.01); H01M 10/441 (2013.01); H01M 10/482 (2013.01); H02J 7/007 (2013.01); H01M 2010/4271 (2013.01); H02J 2207/20 (2020.01)] 9 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for dispersion of stored energy within a battery system comprising:
providing an energy storage system comprising a plurality of battery sub-assemblies connected through DC-DC converters to a shared DC bus;
detecting a thermal runaway event associated with one of the battery sub-assemblies;
isolating the sub-assembly associated with the thermal runaway event;
identifying pathways taken by a thermal energy released by the thermal runaway event;
determining a likelihood of successfully mitigating propagation of thermally-induced failures proximate to the inactivated sub-assembly based on system structure and current conditions;
computing an optimal set of discharge current values to most effectively disperse stored energy from the thermal energy pathway;
determining which sub-assemblies of the plurality of sub-assemblies may receive dispersed energy for charging;
determining a respective optimal charging current value for each sub-assembly of the plurality of sub-assemblies and generating a command to dispersed energy at the optimal charging current value respectively;
determining whether one or more of the sub-assemblies has been sufficiently depleted to mitigate the propagation of thermal runaway; and
isolating one or more sub-assemblies which have been sufficiently depleted until no further dispersion of energy is possible in the system.