Anticipating Thermal Runaway and Battery Failure

Electrolyte release, physical degradation of a battery enclosure and/or increasing heat are indications of the early stages of thermal runaway. Your last chance to intervene before thermal runaway is during initial low-volume vapor production.

Like removing heated water from a stove before it boils, you can intervene in the initial stages of battery failure by electrically isolating the battery and cooling it. Once the process of thermal runaway begins, it becomes self-perpetuating and must be contained.