Lead-acid battery thermal runaway curve

What is thermal runaway in SLA batteries?

SLA batteries taken to high DoD can experience accelerated sulfation rates which in rare cases can lead to thermal runaway through excessive heat build up due to higher demand on an underperforming battery. Now that we have covered thermal runaway in SLA, you may be wondering about thermal runaway in lithium batteries.

Do sealed lead acid batteries have a thermal runaway effect?

The thermal runaway effect observed in sealed lead acid batteries is reviewed and reassessed as a means for understanding the effect at a more fundamental level.

How do thermal events affect lead-acid batteries?

Thermal events in lead-acid batteries during their operation play an important role; they affect not only the reaction rate of ongoing electrochemical reactions, but also the rate of discharge and self-discharge, length of service life and, in critical cases, can even cause a fatal failure of the battery, known as “thermal runaway.”

What causes thermal runaway in lead-acid batteries?

For thermal runaway to occur in vented lead-acid batteries, very high extremes of charging current and the resultant high temperature must be present. While this document only considers thermal runaway in VRLA AGM products many of the causes are also applicable to GEL types.

What is thermal runaway in lithium batteries?

Now that we have covered thermal runaway in SLA, you may be wondering about thermal runaway in lithium batteries. With lithium, you can expect a higher heat event since the energy density of lithium is much higher than SLA. Look for the Lithium Thermal Runaway blog coming soon.

What causes thermal runaway in lithium ion batteries?

It is the fire and smoke production that appears as the primary investigative focus. Investigations have shown that the possible exothermic reactions that affect the thermal runaway in lithium ion batteries include: melting of the separator and consequent electrical short.