Safety Risk Assessment of Lithium-Ion Batteries Through Fuzzy Multi-Criteria Decision Making Methods

Abstract

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) can help support sustainability through electric vehicles. LIBS are now widely used and there are concerns about obtaining LIB metals such as cobalt and lithium. LIB end-of-life (EOL) management is essential to the sustainability of the LIB metal supply chain. Safety risks in EOL LIBs are potential malfunctions. The paper addresses the assessment of safety risks in the management of end-of-life lithium-ion batteries. It employs a combination of the Fuzzy Simplified Best-Worst Method (FSBWM) and a hybrid Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Method (MCDM) to both quantify and rank the sources of safety risks and their impact on activities. This paper introduces the Simplified Best-Worst Method (SBWM), a pairwise comparison-based technique. SBWM is developed using triangular fuzzy numbers (TFNs) to create a fuzzy extension known as the Fuzzy Simplified Best-Worst Method (F-SBWM). The study also introduces an approach based on fuzzy multi-criteria decision-making (F-MCDM) to assess scenarios and initial failure hazards effectively. Ultimately, the paper utilizes two fuzzy MCDM methods, in addition to the proposed FSBWM and hybrid MCDM approach. The objective is to identify and rank failure modes comprehensively, offering a robust framework for evaluating safety risks in EOL LIB management, considering various criteria and perspectives. This method blends risk analysis with fuzzy MCDM to provide initial visions into relative safety risk resource improvements.