Fire extinguisher for LiIon batteries (Info)

HKJ

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[size=+3]Fire extinguisher for LiIon batteries (Info)[/size]

DSC_4546.jpg


My LiIon test are done in a ceramic container and that is my only defence against fire, this has been enough, because I have never seen a fire, even when batteries vents (There is no risk of sparks in my setup).
Then a Swedish guy asked me if I wanted a LiIon battery fire extinguisher, I could hardly say no.



To use it: Shake it, remove yellow lock, aim at fire, press.
It is not only for LiIon fires, it can also handle wood, paper, fabric, plastic and electric fires.



It can be used on live circuits with up to 1000 volts.



It must be keep at acceptable temperature, that is 5°C ~ 50°C, this means not in locations where it might freeze.
The bottle is about 31cm long including handle and 65mm in diameter excluding handle, it protrudes about 35mm to the side.



The bottle is one time use and cannot be refilled.



There is no maintenance on this, but there is a end date. With the date on the bottle it looks to be between 1 and 2 years lifetime. I asked about it and was told 3 years from manufacturer data, but that is because it has not been tested for more. They expect to increase the official lifetime soon.



The bracket to mount it.



It must be mounted vertically.



[size=+3]Notes[/size]

I got it from batteridoktorn.se in Sweden.
Approvals, brochure etc., can be found at www.firechampion.com
 

HKJ

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I am not going to test it, I do not want to play with LiIon fire in my lab and doing it outside would mean taking a big power supply outdoor to ignite a battery.

I do also like it and will keep it near my test bench.
 

alpg88

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AFAIK, standard ABC fire extinguishers are fine for lithium-ion fires. What makes this one different?

nope, not fine at all, you need class D. for metal fires, but in reality, lithium in a cell will burn out in seconds, what is left, residual fire, and whatever caught on fire from burning cell, will most likely not have any burning metal, so ABC will be fine,
 
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StarHalo

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Yeah, Class D with copper in it is as good as it gets for a lithium fire, but you still shouldn't expect it to douse a 2,000º jet. Plus it's a powder formula, which makes a huge mess..
 

HKJ

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I am no expert in fire extinguishers, but what I see as interesting is that it is rated for LiIon (I.e. I do not need to know if ABC or D is best) and that it can be used where electricity is present, i.e. it will not short the other batteries in a pack.
 

WalkIntoTheLight

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Yeah, Class D with copper in it is as good as it gets for a lithium fire, but you still shouldn't expect it to douse a 2,000º jet. Plus it's a powder formula, which makes a huge mess..

So... is this a D? Are there any classifications on it to say what it is? It looks like it has A and E on it, but does that make sense? Is there even an E class?
 
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StarHalo

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It's water-based vermiculite particles in a nitrogen propellant, says it'll cake-to-smother the same way powder does (which means it'll ruin electronics and make a mess the same way powder does,) but I don't understand why you'd need some completely new formula when Class D+Cu is the standard. Should also note that LiPo doesn't have lithium metal in it, so you'd need a different extinguisher for each battery type..
 

sbslider

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I worked on a project where we used a primary lithium battery. A big one, capable of 36V and 230W for 20+ minutes. We had a design problem that caused a lithium fire. We had a class D fire extinguisher available when the battery caught fire. We used the class D fire extinguisher, it did not put out the fire, and we ended up with fire extinguisher particles all over the lab. After the event, the manufacturer showed us what they keep for a fire extinguisher. A large bucket of sand.

Looks like StarHalo had a similar experience.
 
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