DFMEA — Thermal Management System
(Containerised Battery Pack)
Instruction: this DFMEA document lists only potential failure
modes for the thermal management system (TMS). No causes,
effects, severity ratings, detection, or mitigations are included —
these will be handled later. I have avoided specifying proprietary or
invented part numbers; entries are generic, process-level failure
modes relevant to containerised Li-ion battery TMS.
Legend
Item / Function: the sub-system or component function within the
thermal management system.
Potential Failure Modes: succinct descriptions of ways that function
can fail.
Item / Function Potential Failure Modes
1. Coolant circulation (pump(s)) • Pump does not start / fails to run
• Loss of pump speed / reduced flow • Intermittent pump operation • Pump
cavitation / vapor lock preventing flow • Pump seizure / mechanical failure •
Bearing failure leading to reduced performance | | 2. Fans / air movers
(air-cooling) | • Fan(s) fail to start • Reduced fan speed / staged fans fail to
reach rpm • Intermittent or oscillating fan speed • Fan blade damage
causing imbalance or stoppage • Fan motor overheating / electrical failure | |
3. Heat exchangers / radiators | • Heat exchanger blockage / reduced air
passage • Internal fouling or scaling reducing thermal transfer • Physical
damage or deformation reducing surface area • Leaks between coolant and
air paths (cross-contamination) • Heat exchanger fins bent/crushed reducing
effectiveness | | 4. Valves (flow control) | • Valve stuck closed (no flow) •
Valve stuck open (unable to isolate circuit) • Valve partially open causing
inadequate flow • Valve seals failed causing internal/external leakage | | 5.
Piping / hoses / flexible lines | • Coolant external leak (puncture, abrasion,
joint failure) • Internal restriction (collapse, kinking) • Hose detachment at
fittings • Permeation / slow leak through materials | | 6. Coolant quality &
level (reservoir) | • Coolant contamination (particulates, oil, microbiological)
• Coolant degradation (loss of properties) • Low coolant level (insufficient
charge) • Overpressure/overflow of reservoir | | 7. Thermal interface to
modules (plates, cold plates) | • Poor thermal contact (gap, loose fasteners)
• Thermal interface material (TIM) degradation or disbond • Uneven contact
across modules causing hot spots • Cold plate cracking or leakage | | 8.
Temperature sensors / thermistors / RTDs | • Sensor open circuit / no reading
• Sensor short / constant erroneous reading • Sensor drift / inaccurate
calibration • Intermittent sensor output / noisy signal • Sensors displaced
from intended location | | 9. TMS controller & control electronics | •
Controller fails to boot or crashes • Control firmware lockup or unexpected
reset • Loss of control communication with BMS/SCADA • Incorrect control
outputs (stuck command) | 10. Instrumentation & telemetry | • Data logging
failure / loss of historical data • Telemetry link drop / intermittent
communications • Time-sync or timestamping errors | | 11. Redundancy &
switching logic | • Automatic switchover fails to engage • Redundant
component does not energise when primary fails • Manual override
unavailable or non-responsive | | 12. Power supply to TMS | • AC / DC power
loss to TMS subsystems • Voltage supply sag causing degraded operation •
Power supply relay/fuse failure | | 13. Control valves / proportional valves /
actuators | • Actuator fails to respond to command • Actuator sticks at
intermediate position • Mechanical linkage failure between actuator and
valve | | 14. Filters & strainers | • Filter clogging causing reduced flow • Filter
bypass (seal failure) allowing contaminants through • Missing or improperly
installed filter elements | | 15. Thermal insulation & enclosure sealing | •
Insulation displacement or compression reducing effectiveness • Gaps in
sealing causing ingress of external air/humidity • Moisture ingress leading to
condensation within TMS | | 16. Freeze / low-temperature protection | •
Freeze protection inactive / fails to engage • Coolant freezing / crystallisation
blocking flow | | 17. Overpressure / relief devices | • Pressure relief device
fails to open when required • Relief device stuck open causing loss of coolant
• Burst or rupture of pressurised component | | 18. Control algorithms
(setpoints & logic) | • Incorrect setpoint loaded into controller • Logic state
corruption leading to inappropriate actions • Mode selection stuck (e.g.,
always in emergency cooling) | | 19. Heat load prediction / balancing | • Load
balancing algorithm fails to distribute cooling • Thermal stratification not
detected / unmanaged | | 20. Interfaces with BMS & safety systems | • Loss
of fault signal from BMS to TMS • Erroneous inhibit or permissive signal from
external systems • Interlock not acknowledged or latched incorrectly | | 21.
Mechanical supports, mounts & vibration isolation | • Mount failure causing
misalignment or flow kinks • Vibration loosening connections causing leaks
or failures | | 22. Fire or thermal-runaway containment features | •
Containment venting blocked or inoperative • Isolation dampers fail to
operate | | 23. Maintenance access & human factors | • Access panel
mis-latched preventing service • Incorrect maintenance position left in
system (e.g., valves left closed) | | 24. Software & cybersecurity
(TMS-related) | • Unauthorized configuration change disabling functions •
Malware causing control disruption | | 25. Sensors for humidity /
condensation detection | • Humidity sensor fail to report high moisture •
Condensation detection system offline |
Notes: - The table above intentionally omits causes, effects,
severity, detection methods, and mitigations as requested. Those
items are commonly filled in later DFMEA columns during risk
assessment. - If you want I can next: (A) map these failure modes to
specific components in your BOM, (B) add effects & severity scores,
or (C) start the “causes” column. Tell me which you prefer.
