CASE STUDIES

Battery Energy Storage

Wind Turbines

   FIRES involving LITHIUM ION BATTERIES  



FirePro technology has successfully proven its efficiency and effectiveness in suppressing Li-Ion battery fires in more than 100 tests carried out over the past 7 years by accredited laboratories and prominent Li-Ion battery manufacturers. Technological advancements in the chemistry, configuration, materials, and management systems of Li-Ion batteries, have contributed towards increased efficiency and safety.

A specially designed spherical test chamber was built, aimed at analyzing the complex and diverse fire, explosion, and off-gassing behavior of Li-Ion batteries.

Despite these advancements, Li-Ion batteries still pose a significant fire hazard. A single defective cell, or one that has been subjected to mechanical, electrical, or thermal abuse, may lead to a thermal runaway. The resulting fire will develop within minutes and can propagate to neighbouring cells if not suppressed and controlled on time.

Tests have shown FirePro can suppress the fire and protect against reignition as long as the required agent density is maintained, allowing time for post-fire management.
Li-ion Battery Fire Suppression Challenges
Heat Output
Li-Ion batteries in advanced thermal propagation stage, will generate heat, making it difficult to cool.
Battery Pack
Li-Ion battery cells are densely packed making it hard for a fire suppression agent to reach the fire.
Oxygen Supply
Production of oxygen during electrolyte decomposition supports the chemical processes in a fire.
How it works
Chemical Chain Reaction FirePro Condensed Aerosol suppresses fire by interrupting the chemical chain reactions that occur in the flame, rather than by cooling and/or depleting oxygen in the enclosure.
Activation On activation, the aerosol transforms from a solid state into a rapidly expanding two-phased fire suppression agent; consisting of Potassium Carbonate particles K2CO3 (the active agent) suspended in a carrier gas. The aerosol reaches and reacts with the flame, the Potassium radicals (K*) are formed mainly from the dissociation of K2CO3. The K*s bind to other flame free radicals (hydroxyls OH-) forming stable products such as KOH. KOH then further reacts in the presence of CO2 and forms stable K2CO3.
Li-ion Battery fire With a Li-Ion battery fire, both the active agent K2CO3 and the intermediate product KOH react with the electrolyte’s decomposition products, such as Hydrogen Fluoride (HF), forming stable products such as Potassium Fluoride (KF) and Potassium Bifluoride (KHF2). This prevents the formation of flammable gases such as Hydrogen (H2). This neutralizing action ultimately controls the fire and allows the temperature in the enclosure to drop below the threshold necessary (~120°C) for thermal runaway to sustain itself.