Current practices and advances in thermal runaway modelling: A detailed review

Electric vehicles (EVs) have emerged as the future of automotive industry. Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) have become the predominant energy storage solution for this purpose. Given the wide array of chemistries and geometries, thermal modelling of batteries have become critically important for addressing various abuse scenarios. Consequently, it leads researchers to undertake investigations and develops models to simulate thermal runaway phenomena in LIBs subjected to thermal and mechanical stresses. The paper provides an overview of thermal runaway of LIBs, starting with a brief introduction about the current state of LIBs, electrochemistry and fire accidents. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of thermal runaway, focusing on abuse conditions and experimental setups. It examines models dealing with thermal abuse and some addressing mechanical abuse. The review spans from early electrochemical models to the latest versions, highlighting key updates and distinctive features. It discusses major results and differences between thermal runaway models, categorizes and compares these models, and briefly addresses the importance and implementation of calibration. The review concludes by evaluating which models are best suited for specific needs, based on computational effort and accuracy. • A Review contains a brief explanations on Electrochemistry, Fire accidents, Thermal runaway and its testing. • Detailed review and comparison of thermal runaway models. • A modular approach is proposed, enabling real-time monitoring with up to five exothermic reactions, which reduces computational load and enhances adaptability.