scholarly journals Analysis of Fire Hazards Associated with the Operation of Electric Vehicles in Enclosed Structures

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 11
Author(s):  
Adam Dorsz ◽  
Mirosław Lewandowski

The article discusses the analysis of the possible development of hazards associated with the operation of vehicles equipped with an electric drive using the example of passenger cars. The authors review the problem of the safety of people and property resulting from the occurrence of a fire in an electric passenger car, in the context of fires that have occurred in recent years. Particular attention was paid to the analysis of the state of knowledge concerning the characteristics of the fire progression in an electric car, its heat release rate curve [HRR], total heat release [THR], heat of combustion and factors affecting the fire progression. In this paper, an attempt was made to compare the fire characteristics of an electric car and a passenger car equipped with an internal combustion engine together with an estimation, using CFD simulations, of the impact on the safety of people and property in closed structures such as underground garages or road tunnels. The need for further development of research on electric cars equipped with large lithium-ion batteries in the context of their fire safety is indicated. The authors pay attention to the insufficient amount of data available to understand the fire characteristics of modern electric cars, which would enable the appropriate design of fire safety systems in building structures.

Subject Indications that the global lithium market is adequately supplied. Significance Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries, which have a higher power density in a smaller package than other technologies, have become the default choice for most personal electronics and electric cars. Demand for them has taken on renewed fervour with Tesla founder Elon Musk's unveiling of Li-ion energy storage for rooftop solar energy and utility-scale electricity back-up. More recently, he announced plans to build an electric car that could break 1,000 kilometres on a single charge within one-to-two years. Impacts Despite delays in project execution and a tepid financing environment for junior producers, price volatility will be subdued. Falling oil prices may dent Li-ion batteries' price competitiveness in the transport sector. How technology advances will be decisive in determining future demand, making forecasting particularly difficult.


2018 ◽  
Vol 234 ◽  
pp. 02007 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivan Evtimov ◽  
Rosen Ivanov ◽  
Georgi Kadikyanov ◽  
Gergana Staneva

This paper presents an analysis concerning the effectiveness of electric traction in comparison with conventional cars. The Life Cycle Assessment method is used. It estimates the energy spent for the extraction of the raw materials/sources, manufacturing and transportation of the components and the vehicle, motion, maintenance and repair during exploitation period and the recycling process. The impact of the production technology of the electric energy, needed for charging the battery, is taken into account. The energy consumption and CO2 emissions for the life cycle of electric and conventional cars are presented on graphs. Examples for Bulgaria and EU countries are given. The exploitation conditions in which the electric car is more effective regarding CO2 equivalent emissions are shown. The main influence on the effectiveness of electric cars has the structure of the energy mix of the country where the electric car is produced and is used in exploitation.


2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (21) ◽  
pp. 24-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matjaž Knez ◽  
Matevž Obrecht

Abstract Electric cars represent a promising energy-and carbon-efficient alternative to internal combustion engine cars. However, as mobility behaviour is highly habitual, convincing people to switch from conventional cars to electric is challenging. In the following research, which was carried out in the past years in Slovenia, an attempt was made to determine what influences people’s buying habits and what would motivate them to buy an electric car. It appeared that the most relevant factor for not purchasing electric cars is, firstly, its overall too high price, and, secondly, short driving ranges. Different studies, as well as the results of the following research have revealed that there is no single measure which would dramatically increase the demand for electric cars. The solution is to combine different measures or strategies like Top – Down and Bottom – Up, where both the government and car industry should come across.


2021 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Soo-Gyeong Park ◽  
Sin-Woo Kim ◽  
Eui-Ju Lee

The lithium-ion battery is the most popular type of secondary battery because of its high energy density. It has been widely used in mobile power and energy storage systems. However, several accidents can occur in systems using lithium-ion batteries, and most of the reported losses have resulted from battery fires and explosions. In this study, a cone calorimeter experiment was performed to investigate the fire characteristics of lithium-ion batteries and assess their heat release rate (HRR), which is the most representative property for fire events. Fires involving cylindrical standard batteries consist of two combustion stages. The first burning stage is due to the package material and intercalated lithium of the battery, and the second stage is attributed to the thermal runaway reactions of the electrolyte. The second combustion stage has a greater peak HRR than the first stage and is accompanied by a violent explosion. In a comparison of the HRRs with the oxygen consumption rate, the HRRs measured on the basis of the mass loss rate show higher maximum values and extremely narrow heat release times.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 5726
Author(s):  
Aleksandra Wewer ◽  
Pinar Bilge ◽  
Franz Dietrich

Electromobility is a new approach to the reduction of CO2 emissions and the deceleration of global warming. Its environmental impacts are often compared to traditional mobility solutions based on gasoline or diesel engines. The comparison pertains mostly to the single life cycle of a battery. The impact of multiple life cycles remains an important, and yet unanswered, question. The aim of this paper is to demonstrate advances of 2nd life applications for lithium ion batteries from electric vehicles based on their energy demand. Therefore, it highlights the limitations of a conventional life cycle analysis (LCA) and presents a supplementary method of analysis by providing the design and results of a meta study on the environmental impact of lithium ion batteries. The study focuses on energy demand, and investigates its total impact for different cases considering 2nd life applications such as (C1) material recycling, (C2) repurposing and (C3) reuse. Required reprocessing methods such as remanufacturing of batteries lie at the basis of these 2nd life applications. Batteries are used in their 2nd lives for stationary energy storage (C2, repurpose) and electric vehicles (C3, reuse). The study results confirm that both of these 2nd life applications require less energy than the recycling of batteries at the end of their first life and the production of new batteries. The paper concludes by identifying future research areas in order to generate precise forecasts for 2nd life applications and their industrial dissemination.


Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 1046
Author(s):  
Maksymilian Mądziel ◽  
Tiziana Campisi ◽  
Artur Jaworski ◽  
Giovanni Tesoriere

Urban agglomerations close to road infrastructure are particularly exposed to harmful exhaust emissions from motor vehicles and this problem is exacerbated at road intersections. Roundabouts are one of the most popular intersection designs in recent years, making traffic flow smoother and safer, but especially at peak times they are subject to numerous stop-and-go operations by vehicles, which increase the dispersion of emissions with high particulate matter rates. The study focused on a specific area of the city of Rzeszow in Poland. This country is characterized by the current composition of vehicle fleets connected to combustion engine vehicles. The measurement of the concentration of particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) by means of a preliminary survey campaign in the vicinity of the intersection made it possible to assess the impact of vehicle traffic on the dispersion of pollutants in the air. The present report presents some strategies to be implemented in the examined area considering a comparison of current and project scenarios characterized both by a modification of the road geometry (through the introduction of a turbo roundabout) and the composition of the vehicular flow with the forthcoming diffusion of electric vehicles. The study presents an exemplified methodology for comparing scenarios aimed at optimizing strategic choices for the local administration and also shows the benefits of an increased electric fleet. By processing the data with specific tools and comparing the scenarios, it was found that a conversion of 25% of the motor vehicles to electric vehicles in the current fleet has reduced the concentration of PM10 by about 30% along the ring road, has led to a significant reduction in the length of particulate concentration of the motorway, and it has also led to a significant reduction in the length of the particulate concentration for the access roads to the intersection.


Polymers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 1971
Author(s):  
Lihua Ye ◽  
Muhammad Muzamal Ashfaq ◽  
Aiping Shi ◽  
Syyed Adnan Raheel Shah ◽  
Yefan Shi

In this research, the aim relates to the material characterization of high-energy lithium-ion pouch cells. The development of appropriate model cell behavior is intended to simulate two scenarios: the first is mechanical deformation during a crash and the second is an internal short circuit in lithium-ion cells during the actual effect scenarios. The punch test has been used as a benchmark to analyze the effects of different state of charge conditions on high-energy lithium-ion battery cells. This article explores the impact of three separate factors on the outcomes of mechanical punch indentation experiments. The first parameter analyzed was the degree of prediction brought about by experiments on high-energy cells with two different states of charge (greater and lesser), with four different sizes of indentation punch, from the cell’s reaction during the indentation effects on electrolyte. Second, the results of the loading position, middle versus side, are measured at quasi-static speeds. The third parameter was the effect on an electrolyte with a different state of charge. The repeatability of the experiments on punch loading was the last test function analyzed. The test results of a greater than 10% state of charge and less than 10% state of charge were compared to further refine and validate this modeling method. The different loading scenarios analyzed in this study also showed great predictability in the load-displacement reaction and the onset short circuit. A theoretical model of the cell was modified for use in comprehensive mechanical deformation. The overall conclusion found that the loading initiating the cell’s electrical short circuit is not instantaneously instigated and it is subsequently used to process the development of a precise and practical computational model that will reduce the chances of the internal short course during the crash.


Author(s):  
Sandro P. Nüesch ◽  
Anna G. Stefanopoulou ◽  
Li Jiang ◽  
Jeffrey Sterniak

Highly diluted, low temperature homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) combustion leads to ultra-low levels of engine-out NOx emissions. A standard drive cycle, however, would require switches between HCCI and spark-ignited (SI) combustion modes. In this paper a methodology is introduced, investigating the fuel economy of such a multimode combustion concept in combination with a three-way catalytic converter (TWC). The TWC needs to exhibit unoccupied oxygen storage sites in order to show acceptable performance. But the lean exhaust gas during HCCI operation fills the oxygen storage and leads to a drop in NOx conversion efficiency. Eventually the levels of NOx become unacceptable and a mode switch to a fuel rich combustion mode is necessary in order to deplete the oxygen storage. The resulting lean-rich cycling leads to a penalty in fuel economy. In order to evaluate the impact of those penalties on fuel economy, a finite state model for combustion mode switches is combined with a longitudinal vehicle model and a phenomenological TWC model, focused on oxygen storage. The aftertreatment model is calibrated using combustion mode switch experiments from lean HCCI to rich spark-assisted HCCI and back. Fuel and emissions maps acquired in steady state experiments are used. Two depletion strategies are compared in terms of their influence on drive cycle fuel economy and NOx emissions.


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