MITIGATION OF THERMAL RUNAWAY PROPAGATION USING MULTIPLE BRANCH COOLANT SYSTEM

A thermal runaway propagation (TRP) mitigation system for a multi-cell rechargeable energy storage system (RESS) with battery cells arranged in individual battery modules includes a cooling subsystem. The cooling subsystem has a main coolant loop circulating coolant and multiple coolant branches arranged in parallel. Each coolant branch receives a portion of the coolant from the main coolant loop to adjust temperature of one battery module. The cooling subsystem also has flow-valve(s) regulating and distributing the coolant from the main loop across the branches. The TRP mitigation system also includes an electronic controller for detecting an onset of thermal runaway in the RESS and identifying a thermally affected battery module and an associated coolant branch. The controller also shuts off coolant flow into coolant branches not associated with the thermally affected battery module to exclusively cool the thermally affected battery module and thereby mitigate the TRP in the RESS.