A researcher at Waterloo Engineering is working to better understand how fires can start and spread when lithium-ion batteries fail, a critical problem as the artificial intelligence (AI) revolution drives the proliferation of power-hungry data centres.
Dr. Vinny Gupta, a professor of mechanical and mechatronics engineering, works in conjunction with fellow engineering professors including Dr. Michael Pope and Dr. Kyle Daun at the Fire Research Facility on campus.
His focus there is on intentionally triggering, in controlled conditions, a phenomenon known as thermal runaway in which a chain reaction causes batteries to rapidly overheat, release flammable gases and ignite.
“If we can determine the precise conditions that lead to failure, manufacturers can build in safeguards that prevent those conditions from ever occurring,” Gupta said.
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