Exploration into the Flame-Retardant Effect of Flame Retardants on Paraffin–Stearic Acid Phase Change Materials Based on a Cone Calorimeter

Efficient battery thermal management technology is of great significance to the safe operation of lithium-ion batteries. In this study, the paraffin–stearic phase change material in the cooling of the phase change material in a lithium-ion battery thermal management system was taken as the study object. Then, the flame-retardant effects of Zn3B6O12·3.5H2O, aluminum hydroxide, and chlorinated paraffin with different mass percentages were experimentally studied via a cone calorimeter. The results revealed that after adding different flame retardants, the peak CO2 production rate of paraffin–stearic acid is reduced. After adding these three flame retardants, the material exhibited different flame-retardant effects in terms of carbon dioxide production rate, total heat release, and mass percentage remaining. Through the entropy weight method, it can be calculated that when 20% by mass of Zn3B6O12·3.5H2O, Al(OH)3, and chlorinated paraffin are added respectively, the comprehensive scores of the samples are 0.76, 0.71, and 0.23, respectively. Therefore, the priority order of flame-retardant effects on paraffin–stearic acid is Zn3B6O12·3.5H2O > Al(OH)3 > chlorinated paraffin.