Safety Considerations for Battery Manufacture...Lithium Ion Batteries Thermal Run-away • Stage 1...

#LCV2019 @LCV_Event

Safety Considerations for Battery

ManufactureTony Richardson

Environment, Health and Safety Manager – UKBIC

Session Sponsor:

Status v1.1UKBIC 28 Aug 2019 of 22

UKBICcommercial in confidence

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UK Battery Industrialisation CentreAn independent open access national facility

CENEX ConferenceHealth, Safety & Environment in Manufacturing



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UK Industrial StrategyGovernment Investment: Faraday Battery Challenge

£78m ‘Application-inspired’ research programme co-ordinated at national scale

Creation of the Faraday Institution –responsible for coordination of research and training programmes

Four ‘fast-start’ projects announced Jan 2018 (£42m) – Battery Degradation, Multi-scale Modelling, Recycling, Solid State Batteries

£88m for innovation programme to support business-led collaborative R&D with co-investment from industry

Address technical challenges for battery development and build UK supply chain

£38 million committed in Round 1 (2017) to Collaborative R&D and Feasibility Study projects – projects addressing range of areas from cell materials to pack integration and BMS to recycling

£22 million committed in Round 2 to 12 CR&D and Feasibility Study projects

£108m for UK Battery Industrialisation Centre

Scale up programme to allow companies of all sizes to rapidly move new battery technologies to market

Develop manufacturing tools and processes for mass production

Demonstrate production-rate reliability and quality

Supporting UK skills development for a growing battery industry

Research ScaleInnovate

i£274 million Government Investment (2017-2021)

‘Enabling design, development and manufacture of batteries for EVs’

ISCF Faraday Battery Challenge



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Schematic layout – prototype plantUKBIC Overview Process Schematic in UKBIC

©2018



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UKBICCustomer Journey

A joint focus group created to better understand the gaps of knowledge within the environment of the

battery manufacturing industry

Importantly, to take the journey to understand the implications of a Giga-Factory



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UKBICLegislative Gaps

Electricity @ Work Act▪ Does the regulation go far enough?▪ Reliance on PPE, procedural, training?▪ Competency – What does Competency look like?▪ Training – Limited suitable training providers.

ADR – What are the requirements for the transportation of EV Packs?▪ What about damaged vehicles?▪ How do the dismantlers transport damaged packs?

DGSA – Does the guidance cover the aspects of the Lithium ion vehicle batteries sufficiently?▪ Class 9 goes as far as <30kgs for a EV Pack ?

BSI Standards – Currently no standards in place for the manufacturing process of lithium Ion Batteries.▪ Faraday Institute are pursuing a P.A.S. document for this subject



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Lithium Ion BatteriesThermal Run-away

• Stage 1 – Onset of thermal runaway

• SEI layer breakdown, electrolyte degradation

• Temperature is controllable

• Stage 2 – Acceleration

• Venting, accelerated heating, positive electrode degradation

• Temperature will require intervention to control

• Stage 3 – Thermal Runaway

• Exponential temperature rise, cell venting, uncontrolled flame and explosion

• Exotherm difficult to control

Thermal runaway occurs when a cell has reached the temperature at which the internal temperature will continue to increase on its own and it becomes self-sustaining as it can generate its own Oxygen.

Contributory Factors of Thermal Runaway▪ Chemistry Type▪ State of Charge▪ Capacity of the Cell▪ Cell Design



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Thermal RunawayLow State of Charge

Note: The tests indicate that Thermal Runaway above 50% SoC is significantly

greater than those at <25%

NCA

Similar evidence seen in other chemistries i.e. LFP, NMC

? It is this area of the cell testing that I wanted to investigate.

Commissioned a low State of Charge feasibility abuse study with WMG looking at cylindrical cells @ 5%, 10%, 15% & 30% SoC



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Areas of note:1. Venting occurs at the same temperature with the NMC8112. The obvious decrease in temperature rise the lower the SoC3. At 5%, difficult to get the cell into a TR situation

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NMC811 - Average Surface Temperature Comparison

SoC 5%

SoC 10%

SoC 15%

SoC 30%



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Areas of note:1. The NCA venting at slightly differing times2. Similar pattern as the NMC as the charge decreased 3. The 5% cell did get to TR – unexplained temperature increase

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NCA - Average Surface Temperature Comparison

SoC 5%

SoC 10%

SoC 15%

SoC 30%



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Areas of note:1. LFP a known safer chemistry2. Difficult to get into TR condition at all SoCs3. Did not ignite.



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Areas of note:1. Venting occurred at differing temperatures (design?)2. The 5% cell did get to TR (due to a low energy flame when ignited effecting the temp resistors)3. Similar patterns of temperature rise

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NCA / Gr + Si - Average Surface Temperature

SoC 5%

SoC 10%

SoC 15%

SoC 30%



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All Chemistries @ 5%1. Interestingly the difference between the NCA/Gr+Si and that of NMC811

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Comparison at 5% SoC

NMC811

NCA

NCA / Gr + Si

LFP



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All Chemistries @ 30%1. Experience a similar pattern and temperature increase at TR2. Energy is exhausted rapidly in comparison to that of the 5% SoC

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Comparison at 30% SoC

NMC811

NCA

NCA / Gr + Si

LFP



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Summary of the testing

The principle for the abuse testing was primarily to gain a greater understanding of the cell behaviour at low states of charge

Intended to be carried out as a feasibility study for further testing

Next steps▪ Test commercially available NMC622 cells for comparison ▪ Determine SoC of interest for repeat testing ▪ Review into issues regarding storage of Packs at low SoC



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High VoltageTraining & Competency

Simple question – What are the Safe Protocols for the UK to adopt ?

From a safety perspective – We currently have no guidance on what the training competencies looks like in the manufacturing arena.- Working within the LV & HV environment as manual process.

- Low State of Charge during the Module and Pack Assembly process ?

- Training operative to a higher standard - time/commitment/cost

Note▪ Limited suitable training providers▪ Guidance required to define appropriate training to ensure

safe practices within the manufacturing arena



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Waste and RecyclingOpportunities for the future

▪ No UK Waste recycling infrastructure.▪ Currently UK send to Europe for recycling▪ Limited investment in the Waste industry▪ Appropriate recycling technology is

available▪ Recovery of the battery materials verses

cost for virgin material▪ To achieve the 2035 goals of numerous

Giga-factories requires the circular economy principles

▪ Difficulties with Secondary Life and the associated liabilities

▪ Faraday projects like VALUABLE making steps toward driving improvements forward

EV Batteries – POM, EOL, Recycling (tonnes globally)



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Electrode ManufacturingUse of Methyl 2 Pyrrolidone (NMP)

Methyl 2 Pyrrolidone - NMP solvent

NMP is the liquid component of the Cathode slurry that dissolves the PvDF binding material.

Listed within REACH and placed on the Candidate list as a SVHC ‘H360D’ - Can cause damage to the unborn child’

Significant recognised health effects and therefore associate restrictions on it’s use.

Safety – WELs set and adopted by the industry voluntarily

Environmentally – Restrictive ELVs where new and/or expensive technologies are required



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UKBICInsurers

UKBIC engagement with a reputable insurance Underwriter

▪ 9 months of communication

▪ Thorough in areas as would be expected i.e. Sprinklers / Building fabric

▪ An apparent lack of knowledge and understanding of the Battery industry

▪ Extinguishing methods: Effectiveness of Water & Nitrogen

▪ Very Risk Adverse

▪ Do Underwriters need more comprehensive research data ?



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UKBICInsurers

2.30 mins

2 mins

A Global FM test Study in 2016Represents a large-scale fire test to assess the effectiveness of a standard sprinkler to extinguish a Lithium Ion battery fire (24 pallet loads) within an open framed double row steel racking.

(7.3m long, 2.3m wide & 4.6m high)

The sprinkler operated 1min 30sec after ignition, and was brought under control within 6 mins

6 mins

Safety Considerations for Battery Manufacture...Lithium Ion Batteries Thermal Run-away • Stage 1...

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