As the use of lithium batteries continues to proliferate, the need to contain a possible runaway fire event becomes a serious consideration for people who use electric vehicles, energy storage systems, aircraft systems, or micro electronics, which is just about everybody. What is beyond the “ordinary use of lithium batteries” is the application of high energy density packs in space.
NASA
Lithium Prevent was recently evaluated by NASA and determined to be effective at containing cascading lithium battery fires.
It was shown that Lithium Prevent “can prevent the probable propagation of thermal runaway in modules constructed with prismatic cells. The radiant barrier proved to sufficiently protect cells that were fully covered by the material. This barrier did not provide much rigidity to the cell module, however, as it allowed for the trigger cell to expel its contents in the 100% SOC case. Since the radiant barrier was not consumed during the thermal event, it provided protection during the sustained fire event. The relatively low density of the barrier also makes it desirable in applications where weight is critical. The intumescent material provided more protection in the prismatic cell modules during thermal runaway. The material’s rapid change in volume due to the intumescent reaction should be taken into account during battery design and assembly. (Journal of The Electrochemical Society, 162 (9) A1905-A1915 (2015) A1905 Experimental Analysis of Thermal Runaway and Propagation in Lithium-Ion Battery Modules Carlos F. Lopez,a Judith A. Jeevarajan,b,∗,c,z and Partha P. Mukherjeea,∗,z))
Human Interest – International Space Station. Robotics.
If a runaway lithium battery fire occurs aboard the ISS, there is no place to escape to so the event must be contained and extinguished as quickly as possible to protect the astronaut’s lives and preserve the station’s fire resistance integrity.
Extreme or unrivaled – In comparison, as fire suppression systems attempt to control a runaway event and are considered effective at knocking down a rechargeable lithium battery runaway cell, these types of systems are not considered capable to contain a non-rechargeable, primary cell pack. Lithium Prevent not only extinguishes both types of cell runaway events, it is unrivaled in stopping the cascading event by providing properly designed thermal separation and flame control. In the event of a runaway cell, a battery pack made with the Lithium Prevent phase change material, transitions from a solid, fire resistant, polymer to a high-density char that is thermally nonconductive and provides separation between adjacent cells. If the pack’s un-effected cells are stable and undamaged, the Lithium Prevent thermal separation and control of ejected battery molten materials and super heated electrolyte, is very effective in protecting the rest of the cells throughout the pack.
Bizarre or out of ordinary
The injection moulded characteristics of the Lithium Prevent fire resistant polymer compound makes it ideal for space flight because it is able to resist the vibration and the extremes of the environment. It is also much lighter than materials in use today such as steel or aluminum cases, which helps conserve fuel economy.
PyroPhobic Systems Ltd. is a material science company with unique, proprietary intumescent, fire resistant, polymer compound technologies that are injection moulded to form fire resistant battery pack components that contain the spread of runaway lithium batteries. PyroPhobic is located in Barrie, ON, Canada. PyroPhobic Systems is ready to discuss how Lithium Prevent can be integrated as a lithium battery runaway containment component for your lithium battery powered system. Thank you.
