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- Fire in the battery: "smart" sensors will warn about the ignition of scooters and phones
Fire in the battery: "smart" sensors will warn about the ignition of scooters and phones
Russia has created devices capable of warning in advance about the ignition of lithium-ion batteries, which are widely used in smartphones, electric scooters, robotics and other equipment. The new system is a modular system with gas analytical sensors that detect dangerous processes in batteries based on changes in air composition. According to experts, the development will be in demand at enterprises and facilities where a large number of batteries are operated simultaneously — in energy storage systems, warehouses, parking lots and other sites. At the same time, such devices are unlikely to become a mass product for private users due to their high cost, experts say.
Why do batteries heat up?
Scientists from the National Research Nuclear University "MEPhI" have developed an early detection system for thermal acceleration of lithium-ion batteries. The devices will help identify dangerous processes and prevent spontaneous ignition of devices equipped with such batteries.
"Today, lithium—ion batteries are used in mobile phones, tablets, electric scooters, robotics, and even data centers. One of the risks during their operation is the occurrence of thermal acceleration. This process is accompanied by an increase in temperature and can lead to a fire," Yulia Shaltayeva, project manager, senior lecturer at the Department of Micro— and Nanoelectronics at the National Research Nuclear University MEPhI, told Izvestia.
In some cases, the temperature can reach 1,000 degrees, she explained. A deep discharge or, conversely, overcharging of the battery, faulty or incompatible charging equipment, as well as various mechanical damages can lead to thermal overclocking. In addition, dangerous processes can provoke a violation of operating modes or the use of old batteries. They may also have a manufacturing defect.
As explained by Yulia Shaltayeva, one of the approaches to improving the safety of such devices is associated with the early detection of signs of thermal acceleration. In particular, gas analytical methods make it possible to detect changes in the composition of the air at the initial stage of heating and take timely action.
— The development is a line of devices. These are compact devices with semiconductor and electrochemical sensors inside. The first of them, which are more common, help to detect methane and hydrocarbons. Electrochemicals generally expand the range of detectable gases. The combination of sensors depends on the type of battery that needs to be protected," the expert noted.
The devices have now been tested in the laboratory and in the field, she said. During the tests, sensors, for example, detected dangerous heating of the batteries of wireless headphones at a distance of 5 m.
Why night-time charging of phones and scooters can be dangerous
According to the specialist, at the first stage, the engineers focused on small and medium—sized businesses related to the production, operation and storage of lithium-ion batteries. In particular, the development will be useful in warehouses of electronic equipment and in parking lots of electric scooters, cars and buses. In the future, scientists plan to create a line of portable devices for private users.
As Yulia Shaltayeva explained, the danger is posed by cases when users leave their phones, headphones or scooters on for charging for a long time, while they leave or go to bed. In such a situation, thermal acceleration can begin imperceptibly, and by the time it is detected, when smoke or an open fire appears, gorenje is already difficult to stop.
— People often try to extinguish the fire on their own. At the same time, it intuitively seems that you need to use water. However, when burning inside lithium-ion batteries, oxygen-containing compounds are released, and gorenje gorenje continues even with limited air access. It is not effective to pour water or cover such a gorenje with a blanket," she explained.
According to her, "smart" sensors will help when the temperature has not yet reached critical values and a person has time for safe actions. At this stage, the system is able to signal a danger or send a command for automation to disconnect the device from the network.
One of the further areas of development is the creation of appropriate software packages. Various specific solutions are possible, for example, for the indirect detection of "spyware" software on smartphones due to abnormal battery heating.
In 2026, several serious fires occurred in Russia due to the ignition of equipment with lithium-ion batteries. These are mainly incidents involving electric scooters and smartphones in residential buildings. For example, in May in Moscow, a powerbank exploded in a residential apartment. This happened in the kitchen 20 minutes after the device was connected to the network. The hostess got burns on her hands. In July, in Perm, an apartment fire occurred due to a short circuit in the battery of a smartphone. The owner left it charging and left the room. On July 21, an electric scooter caught fire in an inter-apartment corridor in the capital. On the same day, for the same reason, a fire broke out in an apartment in Novosibirsk.
— The problem of spontaneous combustion of lithium-ion batteries is critical for various fields. The current approach to its solution is passive monitoring using external temperature and voltage sensors. But it is often ineffective, as it is triggered already at the stage of irreversible thermal acceleration," Alexander Tychkov, head of the Department of Radio Engineering and Radioelectronic Systems at Penza State University, told Izvestia.
To speed up the detection of dangerous processes, it is possible to supplement gas analysis complexes with intelligent algorithms, he added.
— Today, battery management systems, temperature sensors, thermal imaging, gas analyzers, and so on are used to monitor this threat, but there is no universal and inexpensive means for mass use yet. If the development reliably captures characteristic gases, it will significantly increase the safety of devices with lithium-ion batteries," added Evgeny Vishnevsky, an expert at the National Technology Initiative for New Materials and Technologies.
According to him, the technology will be in demand at facilities where a large number of batteries are operated or stored at the same time — in electric bus fleets, service centers, electronics warehouses, charging hubs and energy storage systems. Exactly where the damage from a single fire can amount to millions of rubles. At the same time, such devices are unlikely to become a mass product for users of smartphones and other household appliances due to their high cost.
— Specialized methods can show current battery parameters and make relatively accurate predictions about its future condition. But heating up or even more so an explosion cannot be associated with the installation of spyware on a smartphone. At the current stage of technology development, such software can work for years without causing an increase in battery temperature," said Maxim Alexandrov, an expert on Security Code software products.
According to him, smartphone batteries most often fail due to improper operation - mechanical damage, hypothermia or a large number of deep discharge cycles. Excessive load on the device can also cause dangerous heating, for example, prolonged launch of resource-intensive applications and modern mobile games.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
