Lithium-Ion Battery Thermal Runaway in a Methane-Air Environment

Details

• Personal Author:
  Brown C ; Dubaniewicz, Thomas H. Jr. ; Rayyan N ; Soles J ; Thomas R ; Yuan L
• Description:
  As lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) become more prevalent in the mining industry, new hazards of battery fire and explosion are emerging. Efforts must be taken to ensure that workers are safe from these new hazards, such as batteries undergoing thermal runaway in underground areas that may have explosive methane-air mixtures. Researchers at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) investigated overpressures generated within a sealed battery enclosure filled with an explosive methane-air mixture and a single cell lithium-ion battery driven into thermal runaway using an accelerating rate calorimeter (ARC). For both iron phosphate (LFP) and nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) lithium-ion cells, the explosion overpressures remained unchanged with varying percentages of methane concentration in the atmosphere surrounding the cell. It's likely that the gases released from the battery undergoing thermal runaway caused an inert atmosphere within the sealed canister. The results from this study will help mining equipment manufacturers develop proper measures to keep miners safe while working with lithium-ion batteries in underground gassy mines. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Accidents, Occupational Explosions Fires Methane Mining Mortality Occupational Health Safety Workplace
• Keywords:
  Accidents Batteries Coal Mines Fatalities Hazards Health Protection Injuries Lithium Longwall Mining Methanes Miners Mining Industry Underground Miners Underground Mines Underground Mining Work Environment Workers

  More +
• Series:
  Mining Publications
• ISBN:
  9781713845089
• Publisher:
  Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration (SME)
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Proceedings
• Place as Subject:
  Colorado ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 8 ; Pennsylvania ; Utah
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  PMRD - Pittsburgh Mining Research Division
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20065287
• Citation:
  MineXchange: 2022 SME Annual Conference and Expo, February 27-March 2, 2022, Salt Lake City, Utah, preprint 22-112. Englewood, CO: Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration, 2022 Feb; :601-605
• CAS Registry Number:
  Lithium (CAS RN 7439-93-2) ; Methane (CAS RN 74-82-8)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2022
• NORA Priority Area:
  Mining
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Source Full Name:
  MineXchange: 2022 SME Annual Conference and Expo, February 27-March 2, 2022, Salt Lake City, Utah, preprint 22-112
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:5514ef9ffd45ec4158755ae4541a1c486662ecbde9f90a355e98a7b9211ca0a29d138b5a2839af20c34f6ca0126d8d73b8ad6f9aabc425799727bdad80266b4a
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/215511/cdc_215511_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 543.57 KB ]