Effect of Initial Confined-Space Oxygen Concentration on Vent-Gas Combustion During Thermal Runaway of NCM811 Lithium-Ion Cells

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This study investigates how the initial oxygen fraction in a confined space affects post-vent combustion, gas composition, and pressure hazards during thermal runaway (TR) of 58 Ah prismatic Li(Ni0.8Co0.1Mn0.1)O2 lithium-ion cells. Thermal abuse experiments were conducted in a 250 L sealed chamber under five initial oxygen fractions (20%, 15%, 10%, 5%, and 0% O2), with synchronized measurements of cell temperature, vent-jet temperature, chamber pressure, voltage, and post-event gas composition. A first-vent event occurred reproducibly at a cell surface temperature of approximately 155 °C, followed by TR onset at about 170 °C. Although the onset temperatures were only weakly affected by ambient oxygen concentration, the post-vent hazard escalation depended strongly on oxygen availability. As the initial oxygen fraction increased from 0% to 20%, the peak vent-jet temperature increased from 353 °C to 1172 °C, and the peak chamber pressure rose from 90.7 kPa to 523.1 kPa. Gas chromatography showed that H2, CO2, CO, CH4, and C2H4 were the dominant gaseous products. Lower oxygen fractions promoted retention of combustible species, whereas higher oxygen fractions enhanced oxidation and increased the CO2/CO ratio. An oxygen-participation parameter, η, was introduced to quantify the fraction of initially available chamber oxygen consumed during post-vent oxidation. The increase in η was positively associated with oxygen-involved heat release and chamber overpressure. When the accessible oxygen fraction was limited to 10% or below, secondary combustion and pressure buildup were markedly suppressed, although a localized near-field thermal hazard remained significant around 10% O2. These results provide quantitative guidance for enclosure inerting, vent management, and post-vent hazard mitigation in high-energy lithium-ion battery systems.

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