We know how a Lithium-Ion (Li-Ion) battery fire may occur. But how do you deal with lithium-ion battery fires? Li-Ion battery fires you may think would be classed in class D of fire and so therefore would be able to be extinguished by a Dry Powder extinguisher. But no, they are not classed as a class D fire even though lithium is a metal, the nature of the fire means that they cannot be extinguished like a usual class D fire.
Products
The new products that are being developed and produced of late are AVD Vermiculite extinguishers and EV fire blankets. The EV fire blanket is specifically designed for electric vehicles and is placed directly over the electric car to maintain the fire. These fires are much harder to put out as the fires themselves are around 700℃ to 1,000℃ and can burn for up to 24 hours. But with the EV fire blanket it can drastically reduce this time by depriving the fire with oxygen.
The AVD Vermiculite extinguishers are products aimed to try to target all types of Li-Ion battery fires. They are a water based extinguishing system with vermiculite particles suspended in the water to act as a smothering tool to stop the fire from receiving oxygen. These extinguishers are designed to deprive the fire from heat, oxygen and also act as an electrical barrier.
British Standard
Currently there is no British standard for these types of extinguishers and technology, and also there is no Kitemark that is able to be displayed on the extinguisher itself. This is because there is no current actual fire rating for this type of extinguisher so it is unable to to kitemarked. The industry has been particularly slow in trying to get these extinguishers to a certain standard and also finding a fire rating for them. This therefore isn’t allowing the widespread of this technology as it is seen as not as much of a know entity.
Check out our last iteration of Lithium-ion battery fires here.