New TRP Products: Next-Level Solutions for EV Battery Thermal Insulation & Fire Mitigation
Within Saint-Gobain® Tape Solutions, our team’s primary goals center around supporting our customer needs — whether this entails customization, testing or simulation. Often, thermal insulation as well as fire mitigation for the pack, module and cell of the electric vehicle (EV) battery are the challenges our teams are asked to help mitigate.
The ability to leverage our global teams, our material expertise, as well as our strong simulation and proxy testing capabilities, play a key role in ensuring we can support specific customer requirements and create products that fit the needs of diverse battery configurations. Our product offerings can ensure different tiers of high-temperature integrity and thermal insulation.
Let’s explore a few new and innovative products (coming soon) that our R&D teams have worked on to provide next-level solutions for all the various components within your EV, including the pack itself and the battery management system of busbars.
Both Saint-Gobain Norseal TRP5X Series and Norseal TRP-TT are our mica-free composite materials. These EV battery materials are silicone-based and UL 94 V0 equivalent. They are flexible at room temperature and turn into ceramic at elevated temperatures.
With excellent fire-resistant properties, good EV battery insulation and elasticity they are reliable solutions for helping to protect from thermal runaway events. These products are mostly applied on top of the module within the battery pack (the module cover or blanket). They are suitable for thermal insulation as well as fire prevention between battery packs, modules and cells.
Let’s explore each product in more depth.
The key benefits of Norseal TRP5X Series are that it is flexible (mica-free), easy to assemble, and has high temperature fire resistance. It is important also to note it is lightweight, about 35% lighter than its mica alternative, making it the perfect solution to building lighter weight EVs!
Evaluations of Norseal TRP5X Series boast impressive results. After a flame exposure for over 30 mins, Norseal TRP5X Series retained its structural integrity, with no cracks or flaking observed on the samples, as shown below.
Norseal TRP-TT is a thinner gauge product, with performance similar to Norseal TRP5X Series. The thin gauge makes it suitable for winding busbars or high-voltage cables. Also, it is suitable to use as a tape on challenging profiles. Norseal TRP-TT is ideal for busbar protection as it can be wound on busbars to provide both insulation and voltage resistance.
Norseal TRP-TT is another effective solution for reducing the harm caused by thermal runaway of pack level battery cells. When the battery goes into thermal runaway, the silicone composite maintains its structural strength and the ability to thermally insulate from temperatures up to 1000ᵒ C (depending on the thickness gage). This helps to mitigate the spread of fire, giving passengers more time to exit their vehicles safely.
Perhaps the biggest differences lie in their density, thickness range and TRP performance.
When it comes to thermal and fire resistance, Norseal TRP5X Series could be considered best in class. On the other hand, when weight and space constraints are critical to a specific battery pack design, Norseal TRP-TT is the material of choice.
Norseal TRP5X Series and Norseal TRP-TT are two of our newest products tested for their ability to withstand the challenging requirements that are necessary for effective EV solutions. Common tests our teams perform include the above-mentioned 1000–1500°C torch test or UL94 test. The addition of abrasive particulate options, simulations or various electrical insulation and mechanical tests are made available per customer requirements.
Thermal management continues to be the most vital component for safety, performance and longevity of the battery, but most importantly for the safety of the EV passengers.
Automotive engineers will not stop making progress with battery technology advancements and neither will our teams. Through collaboration and discussions with our customers, keeping our pulse on trends within the market as well as continued research and development efforts, we are driving towards that balance of both innovation and safety.
Connect with our teams today to learn about the different options for securing thermal protection that can be made available to you.