SABIC highlight BLUEHERO electrification initiative at The Battery Show Europe 2022

The BLUEHERO initiative underscores SABIC’s commitment to help support the shift to electric power, with the delivery of automotive polymer materials and capabilities for the enhancement of EV battery systems as its first area of focus.

“The global transition toward clean energy and decarbonisation is driving innovation in batteries at an ever faster pace and the battery industry needs new materials with the right property profiles to implement more sustainable, safer and efficient energy storage concepts,” said Bob Maughon, executive vice president, Sustainability, Technology & Innovation and chief technology and sustainability officer at SABIC. “We are firmly committed to support manufacturers with dedicated R&D, focused application engineering, regulatory expertise, and one of the most comprehensive portfolios of high-performance thermoplastics available today so they can make the advances needed to help the world accelerate the shift to clean electricity.”

SABIC’s exhibit at The Battery Show Europe 2022 addresses the need for new battery designs with enhanced features across all levels, from structural integrity to operating safety. Applications, test samples and key visuals on display have been prepared to illustrate and demonstrate the potential overall cost and performance benefits of plastic-intensive solutions in terms of energy density, flame retardancy, electrical safety, thermal insulation, chemical resistance, lightweighting, functional integration, impact resistance and dimensional stability. The company’s offering is targeted at all types of battery components for electric vehicles (EV), E-bikes, marine and industrial vehicles (forklifts, caterpillars) as well as EV charging infrastructure and energy storage systems (ESS).

Close-up on fire safety

SABIC has done extensive research on the performance of EV batteries exposed to external fires and internal runaway situations. At this year’s Battery Show Europe, SABIC’s team will feature its work in this space and share test results that demonstrate the potential of thermoplastic to meet high temperature and pressure loads.

As an example, SABIC will highlight results from a test based on the new UL standard 2596. It combines pressure, ablative force, heat, and fire into one repeated test, in which 25 battery cells (type 18650) are packed into a steel box and then two cells are heated to the point of thermal runaway. The pressure from the explosion can be higher than the requirements of several OEMs. A 4mm sheet of STAMAX flame retardant resin, a long glass fibre polypropylene material, passed this test six times without any perforation.

One of the highlights at SABIC’s booth is an installation that brings fire testing to the trade show floor using high-tech visual special effects. The Virtual Flame Test Lab allows visitors to execute a simulated flame test on material samples of aluminium and structural thermoplastics. Each step of the test is analysed and explained while the fire virtually burns the samples.

Highest CTI Performance Level Category for Higher-voltage Batteries

To help meet the EV manufacturers’ demands of higher-voltage batteries, SABIC’s Specialties business will introduce its NORYL NHP8000VT3 resin at the show. This polyphenylene ether (PPO)-based resin achieves comparative tracking index performance level category (CTI PLC0), provides ultra-thin-wall extrusion and thermoforming capability, and meets the UL94 V0 standard at 0.25mm with non-brominated, non-chlorinated flame retardance. NORYL NHP8000VT3 resin is suited for insulation film used in EV battery modules to help improve protection against short circuits and fire propagation.

Delivering additional value

Beyond fire safety, SABIC’s non-halogenated FR resins provide greater design flexibility, significant weight savings and recyclability to help support the circularity of battery materials.

In addition, the company offers materials with low temperature ductility to deliver enhanced performance of batteries operated in extremely cold climates, and is also developing hybrid solutions to address additional stringent requirements, such as impact strength and stiffness, over a broad range of temperatures from -30°C to +80°C.

See, experience and discuss

SABIC’s Petrochemicals and Specialties businesses will exhibit side-by-side at The Battery Show Europe, demonstrating how their complementing material portfolios and application development support can help manufacturers reduce system cost and speed the time-to-market of safer and more energy-efficient batteries.