Experimental Data Analysis and Modeling of Mass and Energy Release during Battery Cell Thermal Runaway

IFP Energies nouvelles (IFPEN) est un acteur majeur de la recherche et de la formation dans les domaines de l’énergie, du transport et de l’environnement. De la recherche à l’industrie, l’innovation technologique est au cœur de son action, articulée autour de quatre priorités stratégiques : CLIMAT, ENVIRONNEMENT ET ÉCONOMIE CIRCULAIRE, ÉNERGIES RENOUVELABLES, MOBILITÉ DURABLE et HYDROCARBURES RESPONSABLES.

L’engagement d’IFPEN en faveur d’un mix énergétique durable se traduit par des actions visant :

• à gagner en efficacité énergétique ;
• à réduire les émissions de CO2 et de polluants ;
• à améliorer l’empreinte environnementale de l’industrie et des transports ;

tout en répondant à la demande mondiale en mobilité, en énergie et en produits pour la chimie.

Dans cet objectif, IFPEN développe des solutions permettant, d’une part, d’utiliser des sources d’énergie alternatives et, d’autre part, d’améliorer les technologies existantes liées à l’exploitation des énergies fossiles.

Experimental Data Analysis and Modeling of Mass and Energy Release during Battery Cell Thermal Runaway

Thermal runaway of lithium-ion batteries is a major safety concern for energy storage systems. During this phenomenon, the cell rapidly releases a significant amount of gas, mass and energy. Quantifying these releases is essential to improve the understanding of thermal runaway and to provide relevant input data for propagation models at module or battery-pack scale.

Objectives

The objective of this internship is to refine a methodology for determining the time-resolved mass flow rate and power released during the thermal runaway of an isolated lithium-ion cell, either cylindrical or pouch-type. The methodology will mainly rely on pressure and temperature measurements obtained in a high-pressure, high-temperature experimental vessel developed at IFPEN. Based on these data, a thermodynamic model for reconstructing the mass and energy release will be developed or improved.

The work will include:

• analysis of experimental data obtained from thermal runaway tests;
• identification and modeling of the main physical phenomena affecting the pressure and temperature evolution inside the vessel, as well as familiarization with the existing tools;
• improvement of the inverse methods used to estimate the time-resolved mass flow rate and power released by the cell;
• assessment of the uncertainties associated with the measurements and model assumptions;
• validation of the methodology using different tests and, where possible, different cell technologies or geometries.

Depending on the progress of the work, the developed model may also be implemented in Simcenter Amesim to facilitate its use in battery-system-level simulations.

Profile

Master’s degree or final year of engineering school (Bac +5).

• Strong background in thermodynamics, heat transfer and fluid mechanics
•  Skills in data analysis, physical modeling and scientific programming using MATLAB or Python
• Interest in lithium-ion batteries and transient multiphysics phenomena
• Proactive mindset and ability to work both independently and collaboratively

Keywords : lithium-ion batteries, thermal runaway, mass and energy release, thermodynamics.

Duration and period of the internship : 6 months, from February/March to August/September 2027.
Location : Rueil-Malmaison