Airbus selects KULR solutions for lithium-ion battery safety

KULR's solutions combine HYDRA Thermal Runaway Shield, LYRA internal short circuit, and NASA's Fractional Thermal Runaway Calorimeter cell analysis technologies to provide an integrated package for battery safety.

KULR Technology Group has been selected by Airbus Defense and Space to provide its passive propagation resistant (PPR) battery design solutions for ongoing research into lithium-ion battery testing and safety for flight applications.

These solutions combine HYDRA Thermal Runaway Shield (TRS), LYRA internal short circuit, and NASA's Fractional Thermal Runaway Calorimeter cell analysis technologies to provide an integrated total package for battery testing and safety.

HYDRA TRS is a sleeve-like shield that surrounds and separates individual cells in multi-cell packs and contains carbon fibre core and liquid coolant. The configuration of the shield passively draws intense heat of cell failures away from nearby cells while dousing the failed area in a cooling and fire-prevention liquid.

Though weight and volume of thermal management solutions are the most critical constraints in flight applications, KULR's carbon fibre architecture offers superior mass and weight advantages.

KULR's HYDRA TRS is proven by various government testing authorities to stop or mitigate the impacts of dangerous lithium-ion battery failures known as thermal runaway propagation. Last year, Leidos (LDOS) and NASA used KULR's HYDRA TRS technology to safely ship to and store batteries aboard the International Space Station. In addition, NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) recently awarded KULR a dual-use technology development agreement to build 3D printed battery systems for manned and robotic space applications.

"We are excited to work with Airbus to refine and enhance its battery safety research, an agreement that further demonstrates our commitment to battery safety in consumer and commercial applications," says Michael Mo, CEO of KULR. "We believe our TRS technology can provide a lightweight and effective solution to mitigate thermal runaway propagation risk for Airbus' high-performance batteries."