Sprinkler Protection for Lithium-Ion in Racks?

4/18/2022

We have a project with Lithium-Ion Batteries stored in racks, not to be confused with Energy Storage Systems (ESS).

This will be for an electric vehicle assembly facility. NFPA 13 to my knowledge is silent, despite some joint testing/assessment by FM Global and NFPA. The storage height of the test array was only 15-ft if memory serves which could be a significant limiting factor (link below)

https://www.nfpa.org/News-and-Research/Data-research-and-tools/Hazardous-Materials/Lithium-ion-batteries-hazard-and-use-assessment

My initial thought is to have a risk assessment completed by an Engineer, and have them set some design considerations based on the applicable storage parameters. I believe we're looking at single and double-row racks in excess of 15-ft in height.

Has anybody else protected a similar storage array with sprinklers?

Would you have any suggestions on how best to approach this hazard?

Thanks in advance.

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15 Comments

Dan Wilder

4/18/2022 08:42:18 am

Last I knew, there wasn't a conclusive protection criteria available due to limited testing thus far. Using a FPE for a risk assessment will be the best route forward because it provides you direction as an installing contractor and the AHJ has already been involved (hopefully).

Not knowing the type of batteries/configurations, states of charge, storage configuration, heights/areas of storage/building, and a slew of other needed info, providing any direction would be difficult at best beyond what little info has been actually tested within the NFPA reports.

I would love a follow up as to what was determined and installed.

4/19/2022 07:26:06 am

Yes the testing data is still quite limited, due from my understanding to the significant cost of the batteries. Also my role here is the AHJ, though I am an ex-fitter and still operate as a designer (in other municipalities only) to keep my skills up-to-date - I often forget which perspective to write from, so I apologize if that was misleading.

The project is currently in the pre-consultation/site plan stage (pre-building permit) so there are still several unknowns here - again, apologies for the lack of info. One of the items being asked for is a building code report, which will detail major occupancies/uses, as well point out other significant risks/hazards. Since I know this is in the pipeline, I'm just trying to do some due diligence and see what others have done historically, and conduct some research on my own as well.

This could be over a year before completion - but I will certainly make an effort to follow-up and give more information as it becomes available

Alex

4/18/2022 09:27:18 am

I attended a seminar on Lithium Ion Storage. They stated the following:

"Idle battery storage is not typically subject to internal ignition. Large scale testing has shown that lithium-ion batteries behave similarly to unexpanded plastic commodities in a fire. Therefore, sprinkler protection should be provided as detailed in NFPA 13, Standard for the Installation of Sprinkler Systems, for cartooned unexpanded plastic commodities (if the batteries are in carboard cartons) and for exposed unexpanded plastics (if there is no cardboard packing material)."

The quote above is from the White Paper from the seminar. You should be able to find it by Googling "Lithium-Ion Battery Storage and Handling Global Risk Consultants"

Thanks,
Alex

Ken

6/4/2024 11:37:01 am

I believe the testing your are referring to is not applicable to: "large format" batteries with are an additional fire and flammable gas animal beyond the scope of the testing by the Fire Protection Research Foundation and Factory Mutual. The flammable gas volume increases as the flame is reduced by artificial means, a combustible mixture is almost alway present in some concentration and the gas plume can vary depending upon conditions.

Summary: if you douse the flame, you must deal with the evacuation of the off gassing (Flammable and toxic) produced by thermal runaway of which most cases continues for hours. Otherwise you may trade a flame for an explosion.

Franck

4/18/2022 10:32:42 am

I concur with Alex, when stored and not connected as "batteries", they are to be considered as unexpanded Group A plastic (like any battery, in fact), as the thermal runaway is normally not present.

You only need to make sure that :
Lithium-ion batteries kept in storage area are not charged at more than 50% of their full capacity. Fully charged lithium-ion batteries have a higher energy density and are at greater risk of generating significant heat from short circuiting related to internal defects.

The storage area is kept at a temperature between 4 and 27°C (40-80°F) to limit the risk of thermal runaway from manufacturing defects or internal failures.

An interesting video for battery storage and sprinkler protection, made by FM Global, can be seen at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeaK9V69Xks
On this video, you can see that the fire behaviour is similar to any plastic storage fire and there is no explosion or thermal runaway.

Joshua Freedman

4/18/2022 11:33:30 am

There is only one place where you can find the requirements for lithium ion battery storage. FM Global Data sheets. Go to FM-Global and download FM 8-01. Go to section 2.4.2 and it basically has a single page with the design requirements. Though it is more complicated, here is the excerpt.

I just required this upgrade to an existing ESFR system with K17 heads for a solar panel distributor with over 10,000 sq ft of lithium ion batteries in storage.

2.4.2.1 Protect batteries meeting the criteria in Table 3 with 12 (twelve) K22.4 or K25.2 (K320 or K360)
sprinklers, operating at 35 psi (2.4 bar). Limit storage to three tiers high (maximum 15 ft (4.5 m) high in racks
or palletized). No storage is permitted above the batteries. Ceiling height is limited to 40 ft (12 m).
For storage of batteries that falls outside the criteria given in Table 3, Scheme A protection per Data Sheet
7-29, Ignitable Liquid Storage in Portable Containers, is recommended.

Martin Lilja Estlund

8/20/2024 03:40:15 am

Is the FMDS 7-29 still applicable, since the updated version of FMDS 8-1 from January 2023, where FM Global clarified and expanded lithium-ion battery storage guidance in Section 2.4.2?

Mike

4/18/2022 03:29:25 pm

If you get an FPE, require specific spacing, k-factors, density etc. or else you'll get a report full of gobbly goop. FPE's love to copy and paste reports.

Corey Kinsman link

4/18/2022 04:20:28 pm

FPE here. I'd be happy to copy/paste some gobbly goop for you. Ha!
I'm currently supporting the construction of 7 li-ion cell manufacturing facilities and have consulted on several li-ion storage facilities as well.
Use caution classifying li-ion cells as "unexpanded plastic". The FM tests showed that if you can control the fire BEFORE THE CELLS ARE INVOLVED that the commodity can be classified based on the packaging. DS 8-1 has very limiting wording about state of charge, cell capacity, type of packaging, etc. If it doesn't fit their specific test variables in Section 2.4.2, FM says to protect the rack storage per Scheme A in DS 8-9 and 7-29.
One other caution, not all battery types should be classified the same; for instance lead-acid batteries present a much different (lower) hazard. Check out the NFPA Research Foundation report from July 2020 titled "Fire Hazard Assessment of Lead-Acid Batteries".

David Andersen

5/2/2023 09:39:02 am

Hi Corey, reaching out to you since you apparently have experience with 7+ Li plants. We are in the process of building a LI battery plant (LFP) and Fire department is wanting a design of our fire suppression system for battery cell storage. They believe it may have to be in our Rack storage. I'm not convinced since they will be Cells (not batteries) and will not exceed 30% SOC. I have worked at two previous Li battery manufacturing plants and never had anything more than high volume sprinkler systems.

Have not looked into it but should I follow Scheme A in DS 8-9 and 7-29.

5/2/2023 11:16:31 am

Hey David. A battery manufacturing plant has different levels of hazards and various rack configurations compared to a storage warehouse. I'm not sure which you have in mind. FM updated DS8-1 in January this year with revised guidance, it may apply to your situation. Happy to discuss further with you [email protected]

glenn semanisin

4/20/2022 06:30:35 pm

We had a battery fire started by faulty AGM battery in a rack within a comm tower building. Wiped out all the radio and 911 servers even after the gas fire suppression system were triggered.

Since then, we design the battery backup rack and switchgear in a separate block building; totally separate from the comm building and the emer generator. When a large battery rack starts a melt down, you cannot stop it

4/25/2022 08:01:01 am

So, turns out the batteries in question will be of the Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) chemistry. The batteries are to be stored at less than 10% state of charge. Anybody know of any special concerns or characteristics regarding this battery chemistry?

The more information I get, I'm beginning to feel more and more like the packaging is going to be the driving factor for fire protection measures here. As many of you have mentioned earlier, the plastic case the batteries are in and the cartons in which they are packaged are shaping up to be the main fuel loading.

Ralse

6/30/2022 09:35:45 am

No one is concerned that all the other batteries would short-circuit and cause problems when they are drowned by the sprinklers because one battery caught fire?
I must be thinking too simple but I have always been taught that water and batteries should never be mixed. Even dumping a lithium bat that's on fire in a tub of water doesn't put it out because it's too hot and there is oxygen in water

6/4/2024 02:10:38 pm

luckily the use of the gas fire suppression system did not cause the compartment to explode, as the flammable gases will continue to build much more rapidly when the flames were knocked down. may people are strictly forced on the flames only when they need to look at thermal runaway from a wholistic approach and also deal whith the flammable gases produced from thermal runaway.

Sprinkler Protection for Lithium-Ion in Racks?

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