The risks associated with lithium-ion fires are becoming increasingly well-known. Several companies now offer battery storage cabinets, claiming that these can withstand the intensity of a battery fire and potential explosions. However, in the absence of specific European regulations and available test results, it is unclear whether all these cabinets are genuinely safe.

Safe battery storage is crucial. To address this, we commissioned the testing institute MPA Dresden to evaluate the Safe-ion 16/20 lithium-ion battery safe. The test results confirmed that fires and explosions are contained within the safe! This is a significant step towards proven safe storage of lithium-ion batteries. Read below to understand what this means.

Safe-ion Explains:

Risks of Storing Lithium-Ion Batteries

Lithium-ion batteries require careful handling. Even minor damage can cause a battery to ignite, with the risk increasing during charging.

If a battery is damaged due to a defect or mishandling, a chain reaction can occur during charging, leading to combustion and, in the worst case, an explosion. The issue is that such damage is not always visible from the outside of the battery.

How Does a Lithium-Ion Battery Ignite?

Lithium-ion batteries consist of multiple cells. If one of these cells becomes defective, it can catch fire. The fire then accelerates through a chemical chain reaction known as thermal runaway. This results in an uncontrollable fire, which can lead to an explosion with severe consequences.

Test Setup

For this test, a Safe 16 lithium-ion safe was set up in a test chamber and equipped with temperature and pressure sensors at all critical points. The safe was then filled with 20 fully charged lithium-ion batteries (20x400Wh).

One of the batteries was deliberately induced into thermal runaway in the center of the safe, causing a malfunction in which the defective battery spontaneously ignited.

Test Results: Minimal External Impact

Despite the intense fire and explosions inside the safe, minimal smoke was visible on the outside. The smoke was naturally vented through the smoke gas channel.

Result:

• Fires and explosions remain contained within the safe.
• Smoke is vented through the smoke gas channel.
• Doors remain securely closed.
• No hazardous situation for personnel.
• Sufficient time to alert the fire department.

The test demonstrated that the Safe-ion safe prevents damage and provides valuable time to alert emergency services. With this test report, Seefion has made significant progress towards achieving proven safe storage for lithium-ion batteries.

Tested by MPA Dresden

As there is still no European regulation for the safe storage of lithium-ion batteries, we took the initiative to conduct a fire test on the Safe 16/20 lithium-ion battery safe.

The test protocol was developed by the safe industry in collaboration with insurers. The renowned testing institute MPA Dresden (part of Kiwa) then carried out and documented the test.

Current EN 14470-1 Standard: Is It Insufficient?

The current EN 14470-1 standard does not account for the explosions that can occur with lithium-ion fires. While an EN 14470-1 cabinet protects its contents from external fires, lithium-ion batteries present a risk of internal fires within the cabinet. Most battery cabinets that comply solely with EN 14470-1 are fire-resistant but feature basic locking mechanisms. These mechanisms do not withstand the intense fires and explosions resulting from thermal runaway in lithium-ion batteries.