Aircraft battery cooling and fire suppression

A battery thermal management system for a plurality of battery modules within an aircraft, the battery thermal management system including:

• a storage vessel containing a cooling propellant;
• a conduit fluidly coupling the storage vessel to the plurality of battery modules;
• a vessel valve controlling a flow rate of the cooling propellant from the storage vessel to the plurality of battery modules through the conduit;
• a sensor configured to monitor a condition of one or more of the plurality of battery modules;
• a venting system configured to selectively permit fluid communication between the plurality of battery modules and an exterior of the aircraft;
• and
• a controller communicatively coupled to the vessel valve and the sensor, the controller configured to control the vessel valve based on the condition of the one or more of the plurality of battery modules.

A method of managing a plurality of battery modules aboard an aircraft, the method comprising:

• actuating, with a controller, a first vessel valve to an open position, the first vessel valve in fluid communication with a first storage vessel containing a cooling propellant and the plurality of battery modules through a conduit;
• monitoring, with the controller, a temperature corresponding to one or more of the plurality of battery modules;
• actuating, with the controller in response to the temperature of a first battery module of the plurality of battery modules exceeding a predetermined temperature, a first module valve associated with the first battery module and in fluid communication with the first vessel valve to a first position, the first module valve independently controllable from a second module valve associated with a second battery module of the plurality of battery modules;
• detecting, with the controller, a fire in the second battery module of the plurality of battery modules;
• and
• in response to detecting the fire:
• actuating, with the controller, the first module valve to a closed position,
• actuating, with the controller, a second vessel valve to an open position, the second vessel valve in fluid communication with a second storage vessel containing a fire suppressant and the plurality of battery modules through the conduit.