How Do You Extinguish a Lithium Battery Fire?
Today, lithium-ion batteries are found in many electronics, from smartphones to medical devices to cars. They provide reliable power with recharging capabilities.
However, the popularity of this type of battery requires knowledge of what to do in the event of a lithium battery fire.
Specializing in flame-retardant materials and fabrics, Tex Tech is an industry expert in handling this type of hazard.
Learn the risks related to lithium batteries, how to prevent a fire, and what to do to put out a lithium battery fire.
Why Do Lithium Batteries Catch Fire?
If a lithium battery overheats, it can burst into flames. This thermal instability, referred to as thermal runaway, happens when flaming gases are vented from the lithium-ion cells in the battery.
The overheating of one failing cell causes a chain reaction in the other cells. The reaction can happen within milliseconds to hours, depending on how quickly each cell fails. The exothermic heat given off during the reaction may be sufficient to start a fire.
Triggers for lithium battery fires include:
- Short circuits. Improper storage, damage, and metal dust left over from manufacturing can cause circuits to short, leading to combustion.
- Overheating. Extreme temperatures on loading docks, cargo holds, or tarmacs can lead to overheating or fire during transit or storage.
- Rough handling. Dropping a battery or jostling it excessively during transport or use can set off thermal runaway.
- Physical damage. Damage from shredding or dismantling a battery during recycling operations can result in an explosion.
- Wet/humid conditions. Rainwater, salty air, and humidity might cause short circuits and trigger thermal runaway even without prior damage to the battery.
How to Put Out a Lithium Battery Fire
In the case of a lithium battery fire, there are several ways to extinguish it based on the size and type of battery.
Class D fire extinguishers are effective against lithium-metal battery fires. Lithium-ion battery fires are Class B fires, indicating the presence of flammable liquids, so a standard dry chemical or ABC extinguisher can put them out. Lithium battery fire extinguishers counteract the liquid electrolytes in the battery that create conductive pathways.
Small lithium batteries contain very little lithium, so they can be doused with water. To put out large lithium-ion battery fires, use a foam extinguisher containing CO2, powder graphite, ABC dry chemical, or sodium carbonate.
In battery pack fires, each cell may burn on a different timeline. Place the battery pack in a protected outdoor space to allow it to completely burn out.
If a fire cannot be extinguished, let the battery burn out in a controlled way. Prevent the fire from spreading by soaking the surrounding area with water.
How to Prevent a Lithium Battery Fire
Recognizing the warning signs of a failing lithium battery is paramount to preventing a fire. Unusual heat, noise, smoke, odor, or swelling are all indications that the battery is failing.
Follow these tips to prevent a lithium battery fire from taking place.
- Buy batteries from reputable manufacturers.
- Never try to recharge non-rechargeable batteries.
- Once a charging cycle is complete, disconnect the battery from the charger.
- Use the charger that came with the battery or one approved as compatible by the manufacturer.
- Keep batteries away from extreme temperatures.
- Charge batteries in a fire-safe charging bag, if possible.
- Inspect batteries after they are first installed and periodically after recharging. If they appear damaged, do not recharge.
- Remove lithium-ion batteries from items before storage.
If a charging device emits excessive heat, unplug it from the power source and store it away from combustible objects until the device has cooled down. If necessary, replace the battery or call the fire department.
Lithium-ion batteries allow us many conveniences. To use these power supplies responsibly, we should be aware of how to prevent and put out lithium-ion battery fires.
Though these events are rare, it is best to be prepared.
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Carmel
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Small lithium battery fires can start rapidly potentially causing a lot of damage.
A standard fire extinguisher for a lithium ion battery fire might if quickly deployed extinguish a mobile phone or laptop lithium ion battery.
There’s a scaleability issue when it comes to the availability of fire extinguishers for extinguishing lithium ion battery fires in larger battery packs in electric vehicles (road vehicles, trains, boats/ships), telecommunications towers, domestic battery energy storage systems and industrial battery energy storage systems.
It’s much more difficult to say isolate an electric vehicle if it is parked in a garage attached to a house or if it is parked in a car park in particular a multi-storey car park. And it is hardly ideal if a lithium ion battery fire ignites out at sea on a boat or shipping vessel or in a busy seaport.
Some industrial lithium ion battery energy storage system fires typically installed in outdoor containers have been left to burn themselves out. The same goes for electric vehicle fires if they’re out in the open away from other combustibles.
Yet to see anything other than water being used to extinguish fires in electric vehicles and lots of it and even then the fire can spontaneously reignite like those magic candles.
Lithium ion battery fires can rapidly reach extremely high incinerating temperatures up to in and around 1000°C and also release toxic fluoride gases. Those toxic fluoride gases in contact with moisture/water can produce hydrofluoric acid and more fluoride gases. None of which is good if exposed to humans, animals, wildlife, the environment in general.
There is a huge issue with the safe disposal of hazardous lithium ion batteries.
Lithium ion batteries are great for powering personal devices however the hazardous risks of using lithium ion batteries should never be underestimated or taken lightly.
However, the use of high carbon footprint, energy inefficient, hazardous and heavy lithium ion batteries in electric vehicles, telecommunications tower systems and in battery energy storage systems (both domestic and industrial) etc. is simply pure crazy.
Do insurance companies allow e-bikes and e-scooters to be housed indoors in buildings, houses, apartments etc. when there is potentially more of a risk of them going on fire due to them being generally knocked around and exposed to the elements?!
Lithium ion batteries in general are classed by the fire service industry as hazardous due to the fact that they can potentially auto-combust and explode and the fires caused can be extremely difficult to extinguish.
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Howdy
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Hi Carmel, damage aside, I do not believe it is the technology that is the real problem but the way it is being forced into use outside it’s safe area of operation.
The construction phase is critical, and must be carried out properly. It hasn’t allways been done properly.
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Carmel
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Lithium ion battery technology is hazardous.
Damage (physical, temperature, moisture damage – E.g. water, rain, salt water and climate – E.g. humid, damp and then short circuits etc.) to the battery cells can happen during the manufacturing process, the transportation, the storage, during the installation, during operation, during charging and discharging (and especially if there is an unstable grid frequency), during decommissioning and waste disposal and after disposal to toxic waste dump. It has been all too easy to blame lithium ion fires and explosions on a possible faulty installation rather than on the flaws in the technology itself. In the case of a serious fire and/or explosions often there is little left to examine for evidence as to the true cause of the fire/explosions due to the level of incineration at the site of the fire/explosions. The evidence is often literally incinerated.
The warranties on lithium ion batteries are extremely limited. Exposure to sea water moisture during transportation could be enough to null and void a manufacturer’s warranty.
As more electronic monitoring devices and fire mitigation measures are added for example to lithium ion battery energy storage systems as fire/explosion preventative measures then there are simply more things in the mix that can go wrong that could potentially spark a lithium ion battery fire/explosion. For small personal electronic devices lithium ion batteries are good but still hazardous. For larger scale use it is simply crazy on so very many levels to use lithium ion batteries. The risks far outweigh any benefits. They’ve got a high carbon footprint, they’re heavier than conventional batteries in vehicles, they’re extremely energy inefficient, they have a relatively short life span, they’re expensive, they’re potentially extremely hazardous and toxic and difficult and costly to safely dispose of.
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Joseph Olson
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Halon 1301 was a near perfect fire suppressant with no residue, perfect for electronics and electrical equipment, but containing Hydrofluoocarbons, HFC and banned by Montreal Protocol. See > https://hsewatch.com/halon-fire-extinguisher
John OSullivan and I will discuss this and Nitrous Oxide misinformation on PSI-TV soon
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Carmel
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On a practical level would the halon 1301 extinguishing medium be scaleable for extinguishing fires in large scale lithium ion battery packs and domestic and industrial lithium ion battery energy storage systems?
Fire services have reported that it takes at least 5 times the amount of water to extinguish an electric vehicle than to extinguish a fire in a petrol or diesel car.
Other fire extinguishing mediums used for small personal devices are generally non scaleable at a practical level for large lithium ion battery fires.
Even if it were found on a practical level that halon 1301 was scaleable there still remain plenty of issues with the lithium ion battery technology.
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Dave
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EVs Unsafe at any Speed!
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