Energy Storage Science and Technology ›› 2023, Vol. 12 ›› Issue (11): 3379-3386.doi: 10.19799/j.cnki.2095-4239.2023.0520

• Energy Storage System and Engineering • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Thermal runaway and water spray of full-size electric vehicle under the underground garage scene: An experimental study

Jie WANG1(), Chenxi ZHAO1, Changzheng LI1,2, Xuehui WANG1(), Qinpei CHEN3, Wenzhong MI2, Guo XU4, Jian WANG1   

  1. 1.State Key Laboratory of Fire Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, Anhui, China
    2.Hefei Institute for Public Safety Research, Tsinghua University, Hefei 230601, Anhui, China
    3.Tianjin Fire Protection Research Institute of Emergency Management Department, Tianjin 300381, China
    4.Shanghai Jiading Fire and Rescue Division, Shanghai 201800, China
  • Received:2023-08-02 Revised:2023-08-18 Online:2023-11-05 Published:2023-11-16
  • Contact: Xuehui WANG E-mail:wj17346863559@mail.ustc.edu.cn;wxuehui@ustc.edu.cn

Abstract:

This study investigates the thermal runaway fire characteristics of electric vehicles (EVs) in an underground garage scenario and the suppression effect of water spray. Different characteristics of the thermal runaway development process of EVs are derived from the temperature changes at different locations inside the vehicle and the roof temperature outside the vehicle before and after the water spray. We scrutinized the temperature evolution of the battery pack, body, and roof during the development of EV thermal runaway. Our results showed that the battery thermal runaway process in the battery pack was proximal and distal, and the primary mode of heat transfer was heat conduction, with the highest temperature exceeding 600 ℃. When water could not directly act on the battery, the cooling effect was limited and only played a mitigating role, failing to reduce the temperature to a safe level. Compared with the change in the battery pack, the temperature change in the cabin had a certain lag, leading to the illusion of safety for the people in the car. We also found that when the scene was filled with a lot of black smoke, the highest temperature on the roof was only 46.1 ℃. The smoke sensor was more suitable for an underground garage than temperature sensor. The results of this study contributed to an in-depth understanding of the thermal hazard of EVs in confined spaces and provided basic data support and reference for the fire safety design of underground garages.

Key words: full-size, underground garage, electric vehicle, thermal runaway, water sprinkler

CLC Number: