Fire and Explosion Protection Design for Thermal Runaway in Energy Storage Systems: Key Measures to Ensure Safety

Energy Storage System Thermal Runaway Fire and Explosion Protection Design: Key Measures to Ensure Safety

Energy storage systems have a risk of thermal runaway during operation due to battery failure or external factors, thereby causing fires and even explosions in 2023. Recent news reports indicate that, month, California’s Gateway energy storage station experienced a serious fire that lasted six days and caused multiple rekindlings.

The cause of the incident was related to the ternary lithium batteries used; these batteries are prone to thermal runaway under certain conditions, releasing large amounts of flammable gases and creating significant safety hazards. In addition, in 2021, the Dahongmen energy storage station in Beijing also experienced an explosion accident, causing many casualties, further highlighting the severity of energy storage system safety issues. To ensure the safety and reliability of energy storage systems, fire and explosion protection design is crucial. This article introduces fire and explosion protection design for thermal runaway in energy storage systems, including venting design and firewall design.

• Venting design

Venting design is achieved by installing pressure relief devices to promptly release the high-temperature, high-pressure gases generated inside when thermal runaway occurs in the energy storage system, preventing the storage enclosure from exploding due to excessive pressure. The key to venting design is accurately calculating the required vent area and selecting appropriate pressure relief devices.

1. Venting determination and vent area calculation According to NFPA 855 standard, it is first necessary to determine whether the energy storage system requires vent calculation. The determination is based on whether the concentration of combustible gas, calculated from battery gas generation and the storage enclosure volume, reaches the lower flammable limit (LFL). If vent calculation is required, the required vent area and the arrangement plan for pressure relief devices must be calculated in accordance with NFPA 68.

2. Pressure relief devices UL Our company’s rupture panel is a pressure relief device specifically designed for protection against thermal runaway in energy storage systems. It complies with 9540A NFPA 68 NFPA 855 ATEX and other international standards, and can automatically and rapidly release pressure and flame when internal equipment pressure rises abnormally, ensuring system safety.

This product has the following features:

• Meets international standards, safety
• Easy to install and maintain
• Customizable insulation layer thickness
• Operating temperature range
• Fire- and explosion-proof wall design

Fire- and explosion-proof wall design involves setting up fire isolation measures around and within compartments of the energy storage system to prevent the fire from spreading to other areas.

• Excellent fire performance, tested by firewall fire-resistance duration tests
• Lightweight, small footprint, fast construction
• Flexible application to walls, ceilings and floors
• Relatively low cost
• Conclusion

Before carrying out fire and explosion protection design for energy storage systems, a risk assessment is required to evaluate the energy released by thermal runaway, gas composition, emission measures, fire prevention measures, fire detection and automatic extinguishing methods, etc. In short, fire and explosion protection design for thermal runaway in energy storage systems is an important link in ensuring system safety. Through reasonable venting design and fire- and explosion-proof wall design, the risks brought by thermal runaway can be effectively reduced, ensuring the safe operation of energy storage systems.