A review of safety considerations for batteries in aircraft with electric propulsion

Modern aircraft designs for “more electric” and “fully electric” aircraft have large battery packs ranging from tens of kWh for urban aviation to hundreds or thousands of kWh for commercial aviation. Such large battery packs require careful consideration of the safety concerns unique to aviation. The most pertinent safety concerns related to batteries can be categorized into two broad areas: exothermic heat related events (thermal issues) and partial or complete loss of safety–critical power supply (functional issues). Degradation during operation of a battery can contribute to capacity fade, increased internal resistance, power fade, and internal short circuits, which lead to the loss of or decrease in propulsive power. When batteries are the primary source of onboard power and energy, it is crucial to be able to estimate their state-of-health in terms of capacity and power capability. Internal short circuits and other sources of excessive heat generation can lead to high temperatures within the cells of a battery pack leading to safety concerns and thermal events. One of the biggest risk factors for batteries used in aviation is the potential for thermal runaway where temperatures reach the flashpoint of one of the cell components, eventually cascading over multiple cells leading to system-wide battery pack failure and a fire hazard. This article reviews the current understanding of the safety concerns related to batteries in the context of urban and regional electric aviation.