Catastrophe analysis of cylindrical lithium ion battery

The thermal runaway reactions in a lithium ion battery cause its temperature and pressure to increase sharply and even as a result explode in the worst conditions. This kind of explosion is thought of as a catastrophe phenomenon. The energy conservation equation for the discharging process of lithium ion battery was produced, to disclose the catastrophic mechanism of thermal runaway explosion. By the dimensionless method, the swallowtail catastrophe potential function of the lithium ion battery was obtained. The control variables of the potential function were discussed further and the thermal runaway zones and non-thermal runaway zones were obtained. The results indicate that the thermal runaway of lithium ion battery is a swallowtail catastrophe in essence, and thus the control methods of lithium ion battery thermal runaway can be designed from the view point of catastrophes in the future.