Incident management for battery energy storage system

Abstract

The invention relates to an incident management system and method for monitoring a battery energy storage system and providing technical information related to an abnormal event in the battery energy storage system to a plurality of different users in different locations and with different requirements. The incident management system comprises one or more processing units configured to receive data from a plurality of sensors, the data encoding measured properties of the battery energy storage system, and process the received data to identify an abnormal event in the battery energy storage system, obtain information about the abnormal event, and determine a current stage of the abnormal event on a pre-defined incident progress timeline, the pre-defined incident progress timeline comprising a plurality of stages. An operator user interface for use by an operator of the battery energy storage system is configured to output information about the abnormal event. A first responder user interface for use by a first responder is configured to output a subset of the information about the abnormal event and output the current stage of the abnormal event on the incident progress timeline.

Description

Technical Field The invention relates to the field of battery energy storage systems, in particular to incident management, e.g. thermal incidents such as thermal runaway, fire, and / or explosion, in such systems. Background Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) are used for frequency regulation, renewable integration, peak shaving, microgrids, and black start capability, amongst others, and their deployment and use are increasing quickly. New systems are built, existing systems are extended and upgraded, battery cells are recycled to form new modules, second hand battery modules are reused and in overall battery components from different suppliers are integrated together to respond to this increasing demand. All these factors increase the potential for abnormal situations to arise, e.g. incidents at BESS plants, for example thermal incidents like thermal runaway, fire and possibly explosion. There is a need for improvements in the systems themselves to identify and reduce the likelihood of such incidents occurring. There is also a real need to be able to properly manage and control incidents if and when they occur. This incident management task is complicated due to the increasing complexity and wider variation among individual BESS plants because ever-expanding range of choices in their subsystems and components, The complexity of an individual BESS plant might yet be manageable by the plant personnel familiar with that particular plant, but when the incident management requires participation of remote, or even fully external stakeholders, a very clear and concise way of incident management is required. Summary of the Invention The incident management system and method according to the invention covers the steps from identification of the first emerging signs of the incident and taking automatic and / or manual preventing actions to mitigate the incident and following through all the steps of the incident until the situation is over. Because the management of such incident requires seamless collaboration between different stakeholders, the gist of the invention relates to correctly timed and clear communication between stakeholders familiar with that specific plant and external stakeholders participating in the incident management keeping all 2 parties properly informed on the status of the incident and relevant automatically or manually triggered actions. In case of BESS plants these requirements are emphasized to the extreme because an incident may involve dangers arising from high voltage / current systems, fierce fire events, potential explosions and severe secondary effects on electric grid supported by the BESS plant. A first aspect of the invention relates to an incident management system for monitoring a battery energy storage system and providing technical information related to an abnormal event in the battery energy storage system to a plurality of different users in different locations and with different requirements. The incident management system comprises one or more processing units configured to receive data from a plurality of sensors, the data encoding measured properties of the battery energy storage system, and process the received data to identify an abnormal event in the battery energy storage system, obtain information about the abnormal event, and determine a current stage of the abnormal event on a pre-defined incident progress timeline, the pre-defined incident progress timeline comprising a plurality of stages. The incident management system also comprises an operator user interface for use by an operator of the battery energy storage system, the operator user interface configured to output information about the abnormal event, and a first responder user interface for use by a first responder, the first responder user interface configured to output a subset of the information about the abnormal event and output the current stage of the abnormal event on the incident progress timeline. The operator user interface may be further configured to output the current stage of the abnormal event on the incident progress timeline. The one or more processing units may be further configured to determine an estimated time at which the abnormal event will enter a subsequent stage on the incident progress timeline, and the operator user interface and / or first responder user interface may be configured to output the estimated time and subsequent stage. The one or more processing units may be further configured to generate one or more control instructions based on the current stage and / or subsequent stage on the incident progress timeline, each control instruction corresponding to one or more actions to be performed for mitigating the abnormal event. 3 The incident management system may be configured to autonomously execute the one or more generated control instructions toeffect the corresponding actions. The operator user interface and / or first responder user interface may be configured to output the generated control instructions such that the control instructions can be selected by a user of the user interface in order to effect the corresponding actions. The incident management system may be further configured to output, at the operator user interface, a control instruction selected by a user of the first responder interface prior to effecting the corresponding action such that the control instruction can be approved or rejected by a user of the operator user interface. The battery energy storage system may further comprise a plurality of actuators, each actuator configured to control one or more actions of the battery energy storage system, where a battery energy storage system control instruction corresponds to one or more actions performed by one or more of the actuators. The battery energy storage system may comprise one or more battery units, each battery unit comprising one or more battery modules and each battery modules comprising a plurality of battery cells, and each sensor of the plurality of sensors may be configured to sense one or more properties of one or more of the battery energy storage system, battery unit(s), battery module(s) and battery cells. The battery energy storage system may comprise electrical circuitry configured to electrically operate the battery energy storage system and an energy management system connected to the sensors, actuators and electrical circuitry to operate the battery energy storage system to transfer energy to or from the energy storage system. Each battery unit may be located within a separate enclosure. The abnormal event may be one of overheating, thermal runaway, fire, off-gassing, and explosion. The information about the abnormal event may comprise information describing one or more of: internal temperature(s) within the battery energy storage system, other thermal properties of the battery energy storage system, a smoke level within the battery energy 4 storage system, an explosive gas level within the battery energy storage system, energization of the battery energy storage system, level of charge of the battery energy storage system, and faults in the battery energy storage system. The first responder user interface may comprise a depiction of a physical layout of the battery energy storage system, and wherein the information about the abnormal event is displayed such that information is visually associated with a location corresponding to the abnormal event in the depiction of the physical layout of the battery energy storage system. The operator user interface and / or first responder user interface may be further configured to output information about one or more control operations that have been performed previously. The system may be configured to generate one or more alarms when the information about the state of the battery energy storage system indicates that one of more properties of the battery energy storage system are outside normal operating ranges. The battery energy storage system may be part of a power station and the first responder user interface may be located at an entrance to the power station. The incident progress timeline may comprises a plurality of stages, the stages including: heat generation, battery cell temperature increase, off-gassing, fire event, and lower explosive limit reached. A second aspect of the invention relates to a method for monitoring a battery energy storage system and providing technical information related to an abnormal event in the battery energy storage system to a plurality of different users in different locations and with different requirements. The method comprises: • receiving data from a plurality of sensors, the data encoding measured properties of the battery energy storage system; • processing the received data to identify an abnormal event in the battery energy storage system, obtain information about the abnormal event, and determine a current stage of the abnormal event on a pre-defined incident progress timeline, the pre-defined incident progress timeline comprising a plurality of stages; 5 • outputting information about the abnormal event on an operator user interface for use by an operator of the battery energy storage system; • outputting a subset of the information about the abnormal event and outputting the current stage of the abnormal event on the incident progress timeline on a first responder user interface for use by a first responder. The method may further comprise outputting the current stage of the abnormal event on the incident progress timeline on the operator user interface. The method may further comprise determining an estimated time at which the abnormal event will enter a subsequent stage on the incident progress timeline, and outputting the estimated time and subsequent stage on the operator user interface and / or the first responder user interface. The method may further comprise generating one or more control instructions based on the current stage and / or subsequent stage on the incident progress timeline, each control instruction corresponding to one or more actions to be performed in the battery energy storage system for mitigating the abnormal event. The method may further comprise autonomously executing the one or generated control instructions in order to effect the corresponding actions in the battery energy storage system. The method may further comprise outputting the generated battery energy storage system control instructions on the first responder user interface and / or operator user interface such that the control instructions can be selected by a user of the user interface in order to effect the corresponding actions in the battery energy storage system. The method may further comprise outputting, at the operator user interface, a control instruction selected by a user of the first responder interface prior to effecting the corresponding action such that the battery energy storage system control instruction can be approved or rejected by a user of the operator user interface. The battery energy storage system may comprise a plurality of actuators, each actuator configured to control one or more actions of the battery energy storage system, and where 6 a battery energy storage system control instruction corresponds to one or more actions performed by one or more of the actuators. The battery energy storage system may comprise one or more battery units, each battery unit comprising one or more battery modules and each battery modules comprising a plurality of battery cells, and where each sensor of the plurality of sensors is configured to sense one or more properties of one or more of the battery energy storage system, battery unit(s), battery module(s) and battery cells. The battery energy storage system may comprise electrical circuitry configured to electrically operate the battery energy storage system and an energy management system connected to the sensors, actuators and electrical circuitry to operate the battery energy storage system to transfer energy to or from the energy storage system. Each battery unit may be located within a separate enclosure. The abnormal event may be one of overheating, thermal runaway, fire, off-gassing, and explosion. The information about the abnormal event may comprise information describing one or more of: internal temperature(s) within the battery energy storage system, other thermal properties of the battery energy storage system, a smoke level within the battery energy storage system, an explosive gas level within the battery energy storage system, energization of the battery energy storage system, level of charge of the battery energy storage system, and faults in the battery energy storage system. The method may further comprise outputting a depiction of a physical layout of the battery energy storage system on the first responder user interface, and the information about the abnormal event may be displayed such that information is visually associated with a location corresponding to the abnormal event in the depiction of the physical layout of the battery energy storage system. The method may further comprise outputting, at the operator user interface and / or first responder user interface, information about one or more control operations that have been performed previously. 7 The method may further comprise generating one or more alarms when the information about the state of the battery energy storage system indicates that one of more properties of the battery energy storage system are outside normal operating ranges. The battery energy storage system may be part of a power station and the first responder user interface may be located at an entrance to the power station. The incident progress timeline may comprise a plurality of stages, the stages including: heat generation, battery cell temperature increase, off-gassing, fire event, and lower explosive limit reached. Brief Description of the Drawings Figure 1 is a system diagram depicting a system for managing an incident in a battery energy storage system. Figure 2 depicts an exemplary incident progress timeline. Figure 3 is a flow chart depicting a method for managing an incident in a battery energy storage system. Figures 4A and 4B depict exemplary graphical user interfaces that may be used in the incident management system. Detailed Description of the Invention Proper management and control of incidents when they occur will typically include a number of autonomous actions but will also require that BESS operators either activate further actions manually or allow certain autonomous actions, which are triggered and pending because of information collected / sensed from the unit, to proceed. Then, if the incident management requires active participation of an external stakeholder, such as emergency first responder, clear and concise communication is needed regarding the status of the incident. This status is to be understood widely as “expanded status information” conveying relevant information of the history, current state and future (potential upcoming actions) of the incident. The status should be communicated in such a manner that it is clear and concise to all relevant stakeholders, such as local and / or 8 remote BESS operators and first responders arriving to the scene, to allow those stakeholders to make correct decisions and take appropriate actions without requiring each and everyone of them to have detailed earlier knowledge of the particulars of this individual plant. This requires a new approach for incident management systems taking into account all these aspects, while also being applicable to different types of BESSs. Figure 1 depicts a system 100 for managing an incident in a BESS. The system is used for monitoring a state of a BESS and providing technical information related to the BESS to a plurality of different users in different locations and with different requirements, such as local / remote BESS operators and first responders, e.g. firefighters. Important stakeholders in an incident are the locally or remotely operating BESS operators. When operating locally and situated at the plant, the operator typically has detailed understanding of the plant structure and versions of battery storage technology involved. If working remotely, the operator may manage several different plants simultaneously and knowledge of each those plants, especially if they represent different generations, may be less detailed. An external first responder called upon to assist in managing the incident, being emergency service person, or more typically a firefighter cannot be expected to have up-to-date and very detailed understanding on the specific plant and the specific unit in question. This requires the capability to effectively communicate the “expanded status information” to that person including typically some history, most importantly the current state and also the relevant near future upcoming manual or automatic actions related to the unit experiencing the incident. This approach ensures both the most effective mitigation of the incident but as well as the safety of the first responders working close or hands on that particular unit in question. The system 100 includes a battery module 110, which includes multiple battery cells 111a-c. Individual battery cells 111a-c may be, for example, liquid electrolyte or solid material cells and come in various packaging shapes, for example cylindrical, prismatic or pouch packages. In a single battery module 110 the battery cells are typically having the same packaging shape and same age, but in the future with increasing recycling efforts the battery cells in a single battery module 110 may also have different service history. For practical reasons and compactness, the battery cells 111a-c in a single battery module preferably have the same chemical type and packaging shape. 9 In a battery module 110, the battery cells 111 a-c are connected in series and parallel in suitable subsets to provide predefined voltage and charge capacity for the battery module 110. The battery modules 110 may further contain electronics to charge, de-charge and balance the battery cells 111 a-c of the battery module. The battery energy storage system that is monitored by the incident management system of the present invention may multiple battery units, each of which includes multiple battery modules, which are made up of multiple battery cells. Within a battery unit, a group of battery modules 110 are located in physical proximity, e.g. within the same battery rack. A battery unit comprising a number of battery modules 110 (e.g. arranged in battery racks) may be provided within a common weather-proof enclosure. the battery modules 110, and optionally the battery units that the modules 110 are located in, form the primary target for incident management. Typically, an incident may start as a malfunction in the battery module 110, e.g. as problem in one of the battery cells 111a-c and / or problem in the electronics contained in the battery module 110. In the first stage the incident management system aims to mitigate the problem at the battery module 110 so that it may not affect other battery modules in the same battery rack and / or within the same battery unit. If the initial incident management at the battery module 110 level cannot restore normality at that level, the next incident mitigation action will happen at battery rack and / or battery unit level. A BESS may contain several battery units closely situated and therefore it will be essential to be able to identify and indicate the location as well as the status and nature of the incident for all stakeholders so that the escalation of the incident can be prevented and safety of all parties involved can be secured. A BESS 100 may contain several battery units, each of which further contains several battery racks with a number of battery modules 110. The electrical systems ranging from charging, de-charging, cell / module level balancing and AC-DC / DC-AC conversion, as well as any sensors and / or actuators related to aforementioned normal function of a BESS, as well as safety related sensors and / or actuators for identifying and handling abnormal situations, may be divided in various ways in thebattery unit, battery rack or battery module 110 levels. Independently, the current invention aims to provide means to summarize and communicate information originating from these differently arranged systems in a more uniform and efficient manner to relevant stake holders. 10 While Figure 1 depicts a single battery module 110, it will be appreciated that a typical BESS with which the incident management system 100 is used includes many battery modules contained in many battery units. The incident management system of the present invention is advantageously scalable and therefore usable with a BESS containing any number of battery modules or battery units. In the following, one potential example is provided on how the safety related sensors and actuators might be arranged. As already stated, depending on the generation of the arrangement, these sensors and / or actuators that may perform both safety and incident management related tasks as well as tasks related to normal operations may be arranged in various manners on battery cell, battery module, battery rack or battery unit levels. One or more sensors 112a-c are connected to each battery / cell 111a-c. The sensors 112a-c sense properties of each individual battery / cell, such as the state of charge, voltage, energization, internal temperature, and external temperature. Each battery module 110 may also include sensors 113, 114 for measuring properties of the battery module environment, e.g. within an enclosure, such as temperature within the battery module (enclosure), smoke levels, explosive gas levels. Each battery module 110 may either contain or can be connected to one or more control units 120-122, also referred to as “processing units”. Each battery module may be connected to its own dedicated control unit, multiple battery modules may be connected to each control unit, or all battery modules may be connected to a single control unit. The control unit(s) 120-122 are configured to receive data from the sensors 112a-c, 113, 114 within the connected battery module(s) and process the received data to obtain information about the state of the BESS, i.e. the state of the battery modules and batteries / cells. The tasks of receiving and processing the sensor data may be performed by the same control unit 120-122 or by different control units. Data received from the sensors may be in the form of analog signals or digital signals and the data itself may be analog or digital data. The data may be the raw output of an analog sensor or may already be processed by a digital sensor, e.g. for measuring temperature, an analog thermistor or thermocouple may be used or a digital temperature sensor may be used. The sensor data is processed to identify an abnormal event in the battery energy storage system. This includes determining information about the state of the BESS, which in abnormal event situations can be referred to as “information about the abnormal event”, including but not limited to: internal temperature(s) within the battery module, other thermal properties of the BESS such as ambient temperature, a smoke level within the BESS, an explosive gas level within the BESS, energization of the BESS, level of charge of the BESS, and faults in the BESS. Information about the state of the BESS may also include information about individual battery modules and / or batteries / cells within the battery modules, including but not limited to: an average state of charge of each battery module, a state of charge of each battery cell within a battery module, internal temperature(s) within each battery module, internal temperatures(s) within each battery cell, a smoke level within each battery module, an explosive gas level within each battery module, energization status of each battery modules, energization status of each battery cell, faults within each battery modules, and faults within each battery cell. Information about the abnormal event is used to determine a current stage of the abnormal event on a pre-defined incident progress timeline, such as the timeline depicted in Figure 2, which includes a number of different stages, each corresponding to the situation within a battery unit, battery module and / or battery cell. The control units 120-122 optionally perform other functions for the BESS in addition to performing the functions of the incident management system. For example, the control units 120-122 may include a conventional battery management system (BMS) 121 for managing the batteries / cells within each battery module 110, and a fire alarm control panel 122 for detecting and reporting fires within an individual battery module. Control units 120-122 are connected to at least two user interfaces: a operator user interface 130 or 150 for use by a BSS operator and a first responder user interface 140 for use by a first responder, e.g. a firefighter. The operator user interface may be local to the BESS, i.e. located in the same geographical area, such as within the same battery storage power plant, or it may be a remote user interface, located anywhere with a suitable network connection for transmitting data to / from the BESS. The operator user interface configured to output the information about the state of the BESS, i.e. to output information about the abnormal event in an abnormal event situation. The operator user interface may also accept input corresponding to one or more battery energy storage system control operations, in which case the operator user interface provides a BESS operator with the information and controls necessary to effectively manage the BESS. The information available in the operator user interface may include all of the information derived from the sensor data as discussed above, as well as any other information needed for the BESS to perform the function for which it is intended. For example, if the purpose of the BESS is to provide fast-responding grid level stabilisation, the operator user interface may also include information about the current electrical grid state, e.g. the grid frequency, and information about the connection of the BESS to the grid. The operator user interface may also be configured to output the current stage of the abnormal event on the incident progress timeline. The system 100 may include both a local operator user interface 130 and a remote operator user interface 150. The system may also include multiple local and / or remote operator user interfaces. Where a local operator user interface 130 and a remote operator user interface 150 are provided, the local operator user interface 130 is may be connected directly or via a local area network to the control units 120-122. The remote operator user interface 150 may be connected via a wide area network, such as the Internet, to the local operator user interface (or the device on which the local operator user interface runs) which acts as a server to the remote user interface’s client. Alternatively, the remote user interface 150 may be connected “directly”, i.e. not via the local operator user interface 130, to the control units 120-122. In general, any manner of connecting the user interfaces 130, 150 to the control units 120-122 is possible as long as it enables two way communication for receiving information about the BESS state at the user interface and receiving control operation instructions from the user interface at the control unit(s) 120122. The first responder user interface 140 is also a local user interface in that it is intended to be located in the same geographical area as the BESS. The first responder user interface is intended for use by a first responder, e.g. a firefighter, who is attending the site of the BESS in order to respond to an incident, e.g. thermal runaway, fire, or an explosion. The first responder user interface therefore provides, i.e. outputs, a subset of the same information about the state of the BESS that is output on the operator user interface 130 / 150. The subset of information about the state of the BESS that is output on the first responder user interface includes incident information, i.e. information about some conditions or properties of the BESS that lie outside the normal operating ranges. The incident information may relate to the abnormal event in the BESS, i.e. overheating of one or more batteries, cells and / or modules, thermal runaway in one or more batteries / cells, a first in one or more batteries, battery cell and / or battery modules, off-gassing from one or 13 more batteries / cells, including off-gassing of potentially explosive gases, and explosions in one or more battery units, battery cells and / or battery modules. The first responder user interfaces outputs the current stage of an abnormal event on the incident progress timeline in order to provide a clear and concise summary of the situation to a first responder. Preferably, the first responder user interface 130 is provided by a device, e.g. a touchscreen display, that is physically located at a location where a first responder will arrive to a BESS site, i.e. at an entrance to the site. In this way, the first responder user interface 140 gathers all of the relevant information for a first responder and presents it at the time and place where it is needed, enabling the first responder to more effectively manage an incident in the BESS and prevent further damage and mitigate risks to their own safety. The first responder user interface 140 may also accept input corresponding to a subset of BESS control operations, i.e. some but not all of the BESS control operations available to a BESS operator via the operator user interface 130 / 150. The subset of BESS control operations available to, i.e. presented on an accepted by, the first responder user interface 140 include those that are relevant for a first responder, e.g. discharging certain batteries / cells, disconnecting battery units, battery cells or battery modules from the rest of the electrical system, venting smoke from a module enclosure, turning a fire suppression system on / off, or performing a controlled ignition of gases within a battery module. BESS control operations input at the first responder user interface 140 may require authorization at the operator user interface 130 / 150 before they are effected by the system. Authorization may be a “one-time” process, e.g. authorizing all BESS control operations input at the first responder user interface during a given incident, or may be performed on a per-control-operation basis, i.e. individual BESS control operations must be authorized every time. A “one-time” authorization process would prevent misuse of the first responder user interface 140 when an incident is not taking place, which may be important given that the first responder user interface 140 may be more easily accessible to unauthorized users than the operator user interface 130 / 150. Individual authorizations of each BESS control operation ensure that control operations input by a first responder are reviewed by a trained operator, and the first responder cannot provide potentially unhelpful or dangerous control operations without adequate oversight. Some BESS control operations may be subject to authorization while others may be available without 14 authorization. Some may be subject to “one-time” authorization, while others may be subject to individual authorization. The first responder user interface 140 may include a depiction of the physical layout of the modules within the battery energy storage system, e.g. a map of the BESS showing the physical location of each battery module. Displaying the incident information at the first responder user interface may include overlaying or otherwise visually associating the incident information with the relevant battery unit, battery module and / or battery cell. This arrangement allows a first responder to quickly and easily understand which battery modules are operating outside or normal ranges and where those battery modules are located, e.g. in order to obtain access and provide external fire suppression. The depiction of the physical layout of the BESS preferably corresponds to engineer of record drawings for the BESS ensuring accuracy of the information that is presented and reassuring first responders that the information is trustworthy. The system 100 may also be configured to generate alarms, i.e. visual or auditory alarms as well as states visible in the user interfaces. The alarms are generated when the information about the state of the BESS indicates that one or more properties of the BESS are outside normal operating ranges. An alarm may therefore correspond to an “incident” as described above. As mentioned above, the system 100 may also carry out one or more BESS control operations autonomously, e.g. in response to an alarm or detecting that the state of the BESS is outside normal operating ranges. Such autonomous actions may include actions for mitigating the effects of abnormal events, for example, discharging battery modules and / or battery cells physically close to a battery module or batterycell that is overheating or in thermal runaway to prevent thermal runaway spreading to those battery modules / or battery cells. Where the system 100 has taken autonomous action in response to an incident, the details of the autonomous actions that have been taken may also be presenting at the first responder user interface 140 to inform a first responder of the measures that have already been taken to manage the incident and better inform further response. While the incident management system 100 has been described as a separate system to the BESS, it will be appreciated that an incident management system in accordance with the present invention may be employed as an integral part of a BESS. The control units 120-122 of the incident management system 100 may be same control units used in the BESS. The local and remote operator stations 130, 150 may be the same local and remote operator stations used by local / remote BESS operators to monitor and control the normal, i.e. not related to an abnormal event, functions of the BESS. Some of all of these components may be shared with, i.e. common to, the BESS and incident management system. Figure 2 depicts an exemplary incident progress timeline that may be used by the incident management system 100 for monitoring, providing information about, and reacting to an abnormal event. In the example of Figure 2, the abnormal event is an overheating event, but the present invention is not limited to overheating events and may be used for monitoring and mitigating abnormal events of any type, i.e. events that fall outside of the normal range of operation of the BESS and have at least the potential to lead to disruption in the operation of the BESS. As shown in Figure 2, an incident progress timeline includes escalating stages of an abnormal event. In the overheating event example of Figure 2, these includes heat generation, cell temperature increase, off-gassing, fire event and LEL (lower explosive limit) reached. For the sake of simplicitly, Figure 2 depicts the incident progress timeline as a linear, sequential timeline, where each stage leads to one further stage, but in reality the incident progress timeline may be non-linear, with branches and different paths between the stages. For example, in an overheating event the LEL may be reached following off-gassing without a fire event taking place in between. The incident progress timeline is maintained by control units 120-122 in the incident management system 100 and is used to monitor, provide information about, and optionally react to an abnormal event. Monitoring of the abnormal event is performed by processing received sensor data to determine a current stage of the abnormal event on the pre-defined incident progress timeline, as described above. Providing information about the abnormal event is performed by outputting the current stage of the abnormal event on the incident progress timeline on at least the first responder user interface 140. The current stage of the abnormal event on the incident progress timeline may also be output on the operator user interface, i.e. local and / or remote user interfaces 140 / 150. The way in which the stage of the abnormal event on the incident progress timeline is output may vary depending on the user interface. For example, on the first responder user interface 140, outputting the current stage as well as its context on the pre-defined timeline, e.g. by displaying the whole timeline with the current stage highlighted, provides useful context for a first responder using the first responder interface. On the local / remote operator user interface 130 / 150, it may not be necessary to provide the full context of the incident progress timeline stage, as the BESS operator using such a user interface is likely to be more familiar with the incident progress timeline. Therefore, on the first responder user interface, the output stage of the incident progress timeline may take less space and therefore allow other relevant information to be shown at the same time. The control units 120-122 may also predict a time at which the abnormal event will enter a subsequent stage on the incident progress timeline, based on sensor data gather over time and internal models describing the behaviour of the relevant components of the BESS. This prediction may also be output on the first responder user interface 140 and optionally local / remote operator user interfaces 130 / 150. The incident progress timeline may be further used to react to an abnormal event. The incident management system 100 may be configured to generate one or more control instructions based on the current and / or predicted next stage on the incident progress timeline. The control instructions correspond to one or more actions that may be performed in the BESS by the incident management system, e.g. via the actuators that are part of the BESS or incident management system. The generated control instructions may be autonomously executed by the incident management system in order to effect the corresponding actions in the BESS. Alternatively, the generated control instructions may be provided as a suggestion in one or more of the user interfaces 130, 140, 150, which may be selected by an operator and / or first responder in order to execute the control instructions. As described above, where control instructions are input at the first responder user interface 140, they may require approval by a BESS operator via the local / remote operator user interface 130 / 150 before they are executed. Autonomous or manual control operations as described above may also be output in the user interfaces 130, 140, 150 in order to indicate to first responders and / or operators what actions have already been carried out. The invention also includes a method for monitoring a state of a BESS and providing technical information related to the battery energy storage system to a plurality of different 17 users in different locations and with different requirements. The method corresponds to the system described above, thus features described with respect to the system are applicable also to the method. The method 300 is depicted in Figure 2. At step 301, data is received from the plurality of sensors, which are sensors configured to sense properties of the battery energy storage system, as described above. The received data encodes the measured properties of the battery energy storage system. At step 302, the received data is processed to obtain information about the state of the battery energy storage system. At step 303, the information about the state of the battery energy storage system is output at the operator user interface. As described above, the operator user interface is configured for use by an operator of the battery energy storage system and configured to and accept input corresponding to battery energy storage system control operations. At step 304, a subset of the information about the state of the battery energy storage system is output at the first responder user interface. Again, as described above, the first responder user interface configured for use by a first responder and the subset of the information about the state of the battery energy storage system includes incident information. Figures 4A and 4B show exemplary user interface views for first responder user interface 140. The user interface views of Figures 4A and 4B are provided as a mere example in order to illustrate the way in which some of the information described above may be presented in the first responder user interface 140 and aid understanding of the invention. Figure 4A shows an exemplary user interface view in which a current state of the incident progress timeline is displayed in a dial or gauge-like user interface element 401. The user interface view of Figure 4A also includes an alarm section, which displays alarms based on other battery units, battery modules and / or battery cells that are at advanced stages of the incident progress timeline. The user interface view of Figure 4A also includes a fire triangle display, which highlights when different elements of the fire triangle, i.e. heat, fuel, and oxygen, are present within a given battery unit or battery module, therefore providing an indication of whether a fire is likely. Figure 4B shows a second exemplary user interface which displays the physical layout 404 of battery units and / or battery modules within a BESS power plant. The depiction of the physical layout includes an indication of 18 the location of the first responder user interface (i.e. the location of a user of the first responder user interface) as well as access routes to different battery units and battery modules within the BESS power plant that is being monitored by the incident management system.

Claims

1. An incident management system for monitoring a battery energy storage system and providing technical information related to an abnormal event in the battery energy storage system to a plurality of different users in different locations and with different requirements, wherein the incident management system comprises:one or more processing units configured to:receive data from a plurality of sensors, the data encoding measured properties of the battery energy storage system, andprocess the received data to identify an abnormal event in the battery energy storage system, obtain information about the abnormal event, and determine a current stage of the abnormal event on a pre-defined incident progress timeline, the pre-defined incident progress timeline comprising a plurality of stages;an operator user interface for use by an operator of the battery energy storage system, the operator user interface configured to output information about the abnormal event; anda first responder user interface for use by a first responder, the first responder user interface configured to output a subset of the information about the abnormal event and output the current stage of the abnormal event on the incident progress timeline.

2. The incident management system of claim 1, wherein the operator user interface is further configured to output the current stage of the abnormal event on the incident progress timeline.

3. The incident management system of any preceding claim, whereinthe one or more processing units are further configured to determine an estimated time at which the abnormal event will enter a subsequent stage on the incident progress timeline; andthe operator user interface and / or first responder user interface is configured to output the estimated time and subsequent stage.

4. The incident management system of claim 3, wherein the one or more processing units are further configured to generate one or more control instructions based on the current stage and / or subsequent stage on the incident progress timeline, each20control instruction corresponding to one or more actions to be performed for mitigating the abnormal event.

5. The incident management system of claim 4, wherein the incident management system is configured to autonomously execute the one or more generated control instructions toeffect the corresponding actions.

6. The incident management system of claim 4 or 5, wherein the operator user interface and / or first responder user interface is configured to output the generated control instructions such that the control instructions can be selected by a user of the user interface in order to effect the corresponding actions.

7. The incident management system of claim 6, wherein the incident management system is further configured to output, at the operator user interface, a control instruction selected by a user of the first responder interface prior to effecting the corresponding action such that the control instruction can be approved or rejected by a user of the operator user interface.

8. The incident management system of any of claims 4 to 7, wherein the battery energy storage system comprises a plurality of actuators, each actuator configured to control one or more actions of the battery energy storage system, and wherein a battery energy storage system control instruction corresponds to one or more actions performed by one or more of the actuators.

9. The incident management system of any preceding claim, wherein the battery energy storage system comprises one or more battery units, each battery unit comprising one or more battery modules and each battery modules comprising a plurality of battery cells, and wherein each sensor of the plurality of sensors is configured to sense one or more properties of one or more of the battery energy storage system, battery unit(s), battery module(s) and battery cells.

10. The incident management system of claims 8 and 9, wherein the battery energy storage system comprises electrical circuitry configured to electrically operate the battery energy storage system and an energy management system connected to the sensors, actuators and electrical circuitry to operate the battery energy storage system to transfer energy to or from the energy storage system.2111. The incident management system of claim 9 or 10, wherein each battery unit is located within a separate enclosure.

12. The incident management system of any preceding claim, wherein the abnormal event is one of overheating, thermal runaway, fire, off-gassing, and explosion.

13. The incident management system of any preceding claim, wherein the information about the abnormal event comprises information describing one or more of: internal temperature(s) within the battery energy storage system, other thermal properties of the battery energy storage system, a smoke level within the battery energy storage system, an explosive gas level within the battery energy storage system, energization of the battery energy storage system, level of charge of the battery energy storage system, and faults in the battery energy storage system.

14. The incident management system of any preceding claim, wherein the first responder user interface comprises a depiction of a physical layout of the battery energy storage system, and wherein the information about the abnormal event is displayed such that information is visually associated with a location corresponding to the abnormal event in the depiction of the physical layout of the battery energy storage system.

15. The incident management system of any preceding claim, wherein the operator user interface and / or first responder user interface are further configured to output information about one or more control operations that have been performed previously.

16. The incident management system of any preceding claim, wherein the system is configured to generate one or more alarms when the information about the state of the battery energy storage system indicates that one of more properties of the battery energy storage system are outside normal operating ranges.

17. The incident management system of any preceding claim, wherein the battery energy storage system is part of a power station and wherein the first responder user interface is located at an entrance to the power station.2218. The incident management system of any preceding claim, wherein the incident progress timeline comprises a plurality of stages, the stages including: heat generation, battery cell temperature increase, off-gassing, fire event, and lower explosive limit reached.

19. A method for monitoring a battery energy storage system and providing technical information related to an abnormal event in the battery energy storage system to a plurality of different users in different locations and with different requirements, wherein the method comprises:receiving data from a plurality of sensors, the data encoding measured properties of the battery energy storage system;processing the received data to identify an abnormal event in the battery energy storage system, obtain information about the abnormal event, and determine a current stage of the abnormal event on a pre-defined incident progress timeline, the pre-defined incident progress timeline comprising a plurality of stages;outputting information about the abnormal event on an operator user interface for use by an operator of the battery energy storage system;outputting a subset of the information about the abnormal event and outputting the current stage of the abnormal event on the incident progress timeline on a first responder user interface for use by a first responder.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising outputting the current stage of the abnormal event on the incident progress timeline on the operator user interface.

21. The method of claim 19 or 20, further comprising:determining an estimated time at which the abnormal event will enter a subsequent stage on the incident progress timeline; andoutputting the estimated time and subsequent stage on the operator user interface and / or the first responder user interface.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising generating one or more control instructions based on the current stage and / or subsequent stage on the incident progress timeline, each control instruction corresponding to one or more actions to be performed in the battery energy storage system for mitigating the abnormal event.2323. The method of claim 22, further comprising autonomously executing the one or generated control instructions in order to effect the corresponding actions in the battery energy storage system.

24. The method of claim 22 or 23, further comprising outputting the generated battery energy storage system control instructions on the first responder user interface and / or operator user interface such that the control instructions can be selected by a user of the user interface in order to effect the corresponding actions in the battery energy storage system.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising outputting, at the operator user interface, a control instruction selected by a user of the first responder interface prior to effecting the corresponding action such that the battery energy storage system control instruction can be approved or rejected by a user of the operator user interface.

26. The method of any of claims 22 to 25, wherein the battery energy storage system comprises a plurality of actuators, each actuator configured to control one or more actions of the battery energy storage system, and wherein a battery energy storage system control instruction corresponds to one or more actions performed by one or more of the actuators.

27. The method of any preceding claim, wherein the battery energy storage system comprises one or more battery units, each battery unit comprising one or more battery modules and each battery modules comprising a plurality of battery cells, and wherein each sensor of the plurality of sensors is configured to sense one or more properties of one or more of the battery energy storage system, battery unit(s), battery module(s) and battery cells.

28. The method of claims 26 and 27, wherein the battery energy storage system comprises electrical circuitry configured to electrically operate the battery energy storage system and an energy management system connected to the sensors, actuators and electrical circuitry to operate the battery energy storage system to transfer energy to or from the energy storage system.2429. The method of claim 27 or 28, wherein each battery unit is located within a separate enclosure.

30. The method of any preceding claim, wherein the abnormal event is one of overheating, thermal runaway, fire, off-gassing, and explosion.

31. The method of any preceding claim, wherein the information about the abnormal event comprises information describing one or more of: internal temperature(s) within the battery energy storage system, other thermal properties of the battery energy storage system, a smoke level within the battery energy storage system, an explosive gas level within the battery energy storage system, energization of the battery energy storage system, level of charge of the battery energy storage system, and faults in the battery energy storage system.

32. The method of any preceding claim, further comprising outputting a depiction of a physical layout of the battery energy storage system on the first responder user interface, and wherein the information about the abnormal event is displayed such that information is visually associated with a location corresponding to the abnormal event in the depiction of the physical layout of the battery energy storage system.

33. The method or any preceding claim, wherein the method further comprises outputting, at the operator user interface and / or first responder user interface, information about one or more control operations that have been performed previously.

34. The method of any preceding claim, further comprising generating one or more alarms when the information about the state of the battery energy storage system indicates that one of more properties of the battery energy storage system are outside normal operating ranges.

35. The method of any preceding claim, wherein the battery energy storage system is part of a power station and wherein the first responder user interface is located at an entrance to the power station.2536. The method of any preceding claim, wherein the incident progress timeline comprises a plurality of stages, the stages including: heat generation, battery cell temperature increase, off-gassing, fire event, and lower explosive limit reached.

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