Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited (CATL) has announced that its innovative liquid cooling battery energy storage system solution (BESS) based on lithium iron phosphate (LFP), performs well under UL 9540A test.
UL 9540A is a well-recognized test method which evaluates fire safety risk when battery cell thermal runaway takes place. It’s perceived as an important reference for BESS safety. With safety at the top of its priorities, says the company, CATL responds positively to UL 9540A test by testing its full range of BESS products, cell, module and rack of liquid and air cooling. And all products turn out to be safe with mild and short smoke.
Without fire protection system, thermal runaway is strictly controlled within the initiating cell, no cell propagation and adjacent modules function well after test. For the initiating cell, there is no flaming, flying debris or gas explosion. Temperature rise of both target BESS and wall surface is negligible during the process which complies with NFPA 220 and NFPA 855 requirements.
CATL’s commitment on SAFETY
LFP chemistry is the choice of CATL BESS for the priority of safety says the company, especially when BESS is applied to complex energy infrastructure applications. LFP chemistry’s thermal decomposition temperature is up to 800 degrees C and it releases less gas during thermal runaway compared with NCM chemistry. Not releasing oxygen is the characteristic of LFP and is the key to avoiding potential risk of second damage explosion.
Scientific product development and verification system is adopted to balance battery performance. CATL is well-known for its prismatic cell, the unique vent design controls gas release and its direction in time to prevent dramatic cell damage. Anti-flammable material is applied in all levels, meanwhile, rack safety is enhanced structurally and electrically to prevent fire or explosion.
Sustainable renewable energy can be affected by “Mother Nature” and BESS is needed to provide consistent quality power output thereby opening up more distributed power strategies. Safe, reliable and long-life LFP BESS has always been the core of CATL philosophy and CATL is committed to continuous LFP improvement.
In addition to the stringent UL 9540A test, CATL liquid cooling LFP battery rack is also qualified for EU safety standards including IEC 62619 / 62477-1 LVD / 61000-6-2/-4 EMC and UL 1973 standard. Having passed rigorous safety and reliability tests, CATL’s liquid cooling LFP battery solution is ready and should be at project installation sites in the near future.
About CATL
Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited (CATL) is a global leader in the development and manufacturing of lithium-ion batteries, with businesses covering R&D, manufacturing and sales in battery system for new energy vehicle and energy storage system. In 2019, the company’s EV battery consumption volume reached 32.5 GWh worldwide, which was leading in the world (according to data from SNE Research).
Headquartered in Ningde, China, CATL has more than 24,000 employees around the world (by 2018) and subsidiaries in Beijing, Liyang, Xining and Yibin in China, as well as in Munich, Paris, Yokohama, Detroit and Vancouver. In addition, the company owns and operates battery manufacturing facilities in Fujian, Jiangsu, Qinghai and Sichuan provinces, and the Europe plant located in Erfurt, Germany, as well as the first overseas plant, is under construction. In June 2018, the company went public on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange with stock code 300750.