Riassunto analitico
The rapid transition towards electric and hybrid vehicles has intensified research into battery technologies, safety concerns, and fire suppression methodologies. This thesis explores the current state of automotive batteries, focusing on lithium-ion, solid-state, and sodium-ion technologies, analysing their advantages, limitations, and future developments. A key issue addressed is the risk of thermal runaway of lithium-ion batteries, a critical failure mode that can lead to fires and hazardous emissions. Experimental abuse tests at cell, cluster, and module levels provide insights into thermal propagation and gas release, emphasizing the role of battery modularity in fire hazards.
The study further examines real-world cases of electric and hybrid vehicle fires, including incidents involving high-profile car manufacturers, cargo ships, and parking lots, highlighting the challenges posed by lithium-ion battery combustion, due to the big difference between a normal fire and a battery one. Moreover, the study describes existing fire suppression systems, comparing active and passive fire detection methods, chemical suppression agents, and the effectiveness of water-based cooling. Different fire suppression strategies, cool, burn, and submerge are analysed in the context of lithium-ion battery fires, discussing their practicality and limitations.
Finally, the thesis delves into the design of a flame-containment system that mitigates heat transfer during battery fires, resulting in a deep study of radiant barriers, that exploit heat exchange principles in order not to allow fire spread from a vehicle to another. The findings contribute to the development of improved fire suppression techniques and regulatory frameworks, aiming to enhance the safety and sustainability of electric/hybrid vehicles in our society, integrate it with existing structures and everyday life safety. Due to the fact that this is a frontier topic, further studies and considerations are required, mainly to integrate possible solutions within legislations and regulations, but also to explore other possible ideas that can lead to the same, or better, results.
|
