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Experimental Study on Suppression of Thermal Runaway Propagation of Lithium-Ion Battery with Parallel Connection by Compressed Air Foams

  • Ping Ping 1,2,3,   
  • Can Yang 4,   
  • Depeng Kong 2,3,4,*,   
  • Wei Gao 5,   
  • Xiantong Ren 4,   
  • Xinzeng Gao 4,   
  • Xinyu Li 4,   
  • Dongsheng Wang 4

Received: 24 Apr 2026 | Revised: 07 Jun 2026 | Accepted: 12 Jun 2026 | Published: 29 Jun 2026

Abstract

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) have garnered significant attention due to safety concerns associated with thermal runaway propagation (TRP), which may lead to catastrophic fires and explosions. Consequently, preventing and suppressing TRP in LIBs has emerged as an urgent problem demanding immediate solutions. This study systematically evaluates the inhibitory effect of compressed air foams (CAF) on the TRP of LIBs configured in parallel connections. It compares the cooling capabilities of CAF under different gas-liquid ratios and explores the impact of varying application durations and intermittent application strategies on TRP suppression. The results reveal that CAF with a gas-liquid ratio of 6 can effectively suppress the exothermic reactions of the battery. Increasing the application duration significantly enhances the cooling effect of CAF; specifically, an application duration of 180 s effectively suppresses TRP, with an average cooling power increase of 22% compared to a 60 s application. Intermittent application further boosts cooling performance and efficiency, achieving a maximum average cooling power of −123.36 W at a duty cycle (DC) of 0.25, representing a 71% increase compared to continuous application. The combined strategy-first applying intermittent mode (DC = 0.75) to suppress battery thermal reactions, followed by intermittent mode (DC = 0.25) for sustained cooling-maximizes cooling efficiency.

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Ping, P.; Yang, C.; Kong, D.; Gao, W.; Ren, X.; Gao, X.; Li, X.; Wang, D. Experimental Study on Suppression of Thermal Runaway Propagation of Lithium-Ion Battery with Parallel Connection by Compressed Air Foams. Energy Safety Science and Technology 2026, 1 (1), 3.
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