SAFETY SYSTEM FOR HAZARDOUS CARGO, IN PARTICULAR FOR DEFECTIVE OR ACCIDENTED ELECTRIC VEHICLES, CONTAINER FOR SUCH CARGO AND METHOD FOR SAFETY

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a securing system for dangerous cargo, in particular for defective or wrecked electric vehicles, as well as a container for such cargo and a method for securing it.

[0002] In the case of defective or wrecked electric vehicles, there is a risk that the batteries powering the drive unit, commonly lithium-ion batteries, could catch fire or release hazardous substances into the environment during recovery or transport. This can occur due to an accident, a technical defect, or thermal, mechanical, chemical, or electrical influences. There is also a risk that burning batteries could reignite after being extinguished. Therefore, securing such potentially hazardous cargo simply, quickly, and effectively, ideally directly at the site of the defect or accident, is highly desirable.

[0003] Utility model DE 20 2011 000 314 U1 already discloses a device for containing highly flammable hazardous materials, in particular damaged lithium-ion batteries, in the form of a housing with walls and a lid, lined with non-combustible, liquid-resistant material, which, together with the lid, forms a liquid-tight and fire-resistant interior. A disadvantage of this device is that while such a housing may be suitable for lithium-ion batteries alone, it is not practical for securing an entire electric vehicle due to the required size of the housing. Removing the hazardous material from a wrecked electric vehicle is complex and, in some cases, impossible due to accident-related body deformation. Furthermore, the rapid deployment of such a housing to accident scenes appears problematic once it reaches a size that allows for the enclosure of a complete vehicle.Finally, the lid on the top necessitates lifting the hazardous cargo being secured, which would be cumbersome in the case of a fully electric vehicle. The rubber-sealed contact surface between the fire-resistant lid and the container's interior lining is also a potential weak point in the event of intense heat. Finally, enclosures sized for electric vehicles are not space-efficient to store, which hinders their widespread use and rapid availability, as depots with sufficient storage space would be required.

[0004] Another known device for fighting fires in electric vehicles is disclosed in NO 20 171 690 A1, which discloses a textile that is wrapped around the burning vehicle in case of fire and then filled with an extinguishing fluid.

[0005] DE 20 2015 004702 U1 discloses a bag for smaller hazardous goods, which consists of a material that retains solids but is permeable to fluids.

[0006] The task, therefore, is to provide a securing system for dangerous cargo, especially for defective and damaged electric vehicles, based on the above state of the art, which can be quickly transported to the site of the accident or defect, stored in a space-saving manner, and is easy to handle without compromising safety.

[0007] A safety container according to claim 1 and a securing method according to claim 13 are therefore proposed, with advantageous embodiments arising from the respective dependent claims. The securing system comprises the electric vehicle to be secured, including batteries for the operating current of the electric vehicle's drive unit, and a fully sealable bag made of fire-resistant textile material with an opening for receiving the electric vehicle. When sealed, the bag completely encloses the electric vehicle, forming a barrier against solid particles while remaining wholly or partially permeable to gases or fluids. Fires or explosions are primarily caused by sparks igniting a flammable gas or gas mixture.Because the bag retains solid particles while allowing gases or fluids to escape, it prevents a gas or gas mixture from accumulating and concentrating inside the sealed bag, which could be ignited by glowing solid particles.

[0008] The bag can be stored in a space-saving manner, for example, rolled up. At the site of the electric vehicle malfunction or accident, the bag can be opened and the electric vehicle completely placed inside through the opening, for example, by pushing it into the bag on its wheels. The bag can then be immediately closed and, if necessary, transported away. Safety regarding the risk of fire can be further increased by filling the bag with inert gas before closing it.

[0009] Preferably, the effective containment of glowing solid particles is achieved by the textile material from which the bag is made having nonwoven material at least in the area(s) of the solid barrier permeable to gases or fluids. Advantageously, the nonwoven material can be incorporated in a sandwich-like manner as the middle of three layers of the textile material, with the outer layers comprising, for example, glass fiber silicate fabric.

[0010] The safety of the system can be advantageously increased by incorporating reactive components into the textile material that release fire-fighting aerosol and / or fire-fighting liquid into the interior of the bag at temperatures above 150°C. The safety of emergency personnel and other individuals can also be advantageously enhanced by impregnating the inside of the bag with one or more hydrogen fluoride neutralizing agents, such as calcium gluconate.

[0011] It has proven advantageous if the bag has a reinforced base that is larger than the footprint of the electric vehicle being recovered. This makes it easier to orient the bag and allows for more frequent reuse.

[0012] A suitable closure option for the bag's opening, for the intended purpose, involves rolling the appropriately designed bag at the opening edges so that the edges overlap in the same direction, thus ensuring a good seal. The rolled edges can be advantageously secured with Kevlar-covered steel threads or hook-and-loop fasteners. Any seams that may be necessary if the bag cannot be manufactured in one piece due to its size can also be advantageously reinforced with Kevlar-covered steel threads.

[0013] To facilitate the removal of the securing system, the bag preferably has attachment points, such as hooks or eyelets, for lifting equipment. The textile material and the attachment points should preferably be selected to provide a load-bearing capacity of 5000 kg or more, so that even heavy electric vehicles can be recovered without difficulty. Preferably, the textile material used has an elastic elongation of more than 10 percent. This means that the textile material can be stretched in at least one direction by a factor of at least 1.1 and returns to its original dimensions after stretching. In this way, parts that are often thrown against the inside of the bag due to a thermal event can be advantageously caught by the textile material without it being damaged.Furthermore, for the reusability of the bag, it is advantageous if it has an abrasion-resistant outer coating, in particular a cut-resistant rubber coating on the bottom, which does not need to be fire-resistant, since the bag can only be reused if the danger to be averted by the safety system has not occurred.

[0014] In addition to a security system that includes the cargo to be secured and the bag itself, a container that only contains the bag of the security system is also effective, as such containers can be stored in workshops, fire stations, and other emergency facilities. They can also be stored in emergency vehicles to enable immediate securing at the scene, even if the need for such securing was not previously known.

[0015] The method for securing hazardous cargo, which includes the use of the container or securing system, is characterized by the following steps: first, the container holding the bag is positioned at the location of the hazard. Second, the container is opened so that, third, the electric vehicle can be placed inside. Fourth, the container is closed, and transport can begin. For cargo that appears particularly hazardous, the container can advantageously be filled with inert gas after the electric vehicle has been placed inside and before the container is closed.

[0016] The invention is explained in more detail below using the drawings as examples. Legend:

[0017] 1 Securing system 2 Electric vehicle 3 Battery 4 Drive unit 5 Bag 6 Textile material 7 Opening 8 Layer (inner) 9 Layer (middle) 10 Layer (outer) 11 Interior 12 Inside 13 Reinforced base 14 Base 15 Seam 16 Anchor points 17 Safety container

[0018] Fig. 1 The cross-section shows the safety system (1) with the already installed interior (11) of the fire-resistant textile material. ( Fig. 2 , item 6)The electric vehicle (2) is placed inside the safety container (17) and rests on the reinforced base (13) of the safety container (17), which is closed at its opening (7) by rolling up the edges of the opening (7) in the same direction. The safety container (17) has a seam (15) with a Kevlar-covered steel thread and two eyelets each in its lower and upper regions as attachment points (16) for load-bearing devices. The hazard here originates from the battery (3) installed in the electric vehicle (2) for the drive unit (4) of the electric vehicle (2). The contact area (14) of the electric vehicle (2), limited by the contact points of the tires, is smaller than the reinforced base (13) of the safety container (16). In this case, the bag (5) and the safety container (17) are identical.However, it is possible that additional parts are attached to or inside the bag (5), which together with the bag (5) would constitute the safety container (17).

[0019] Fig. 2 shows a section of the textile material (6), which here consists of an inner layer (8), a middle layer (9) and an outer layer (10), with the inner layer (8) attached to the inside (12) of the bag ( Fig. 1 , item 5) The textile material (6) is impregnated with calcium gluconate as a hydrogen fluoride neutralizing agent. It is designed to be tear-resistant up to a load of 5000 kg and more and exhibits an elastic elongation of more than 10 percent.

Claims

1. A safety container (1) for defective or crashed electric vehicles (2), which have batteries (3) for the operating current of the drive unit (4) of the electric vehicle (2), characterized by a completely closable sack (5) made of fireproof textile material (6) with an opening (7) for receiving the electric vehicle (2), wherein in the closed state the sack (5) forms a barrier for solid particles and is nonetheless completely or partially permeable for gases or fluids and wherein the textile material (6) has reactive components, which release firefighting aerosol and / or firefighting liquid into the interior space (11) of the sack (5) starting at a temperature of 150°C.

2. The safety container (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the inner side (12) of the sack (5) is impregnated with one or several hydrogen fluoride-naturalizing substances.

3. The safety container (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the textile material (6) has non-woven material at least in the region(s) of the barrier, which is / are permeable for gases or fluids.

4. The safety container (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the textile material (6) has a fiberglass-silicate fabric.

5. The safety container (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the textile material (6) has three layers (8, 9, 10).

6. The safety container (1) according to claim 5, characterized in that the middle (9) one of the three layers (8, 9, 10) has non-woven material.

7. The safety container (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the sack (5) has a reinforced bottom surface (13), which is dimensioned to be larger than the standing surface (14) of the electric vehicle (2), which is delimited by the support points of the vehicle tires.

8. The safety container (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that in the closed state of the opening (7), the edges thereof lie so as to be rolled up one on top of the other in the same direction.

9. The safety container (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the sack (5) has at least one seam (15) with Kevlar®-covered steel threads.

10. The safety container (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the sack (5) has attachment points (16), such as, for example, hooks or eyes, for loading means and a load-bearing capacity for loads of 5000 kg or more, wherein the textile material (6) is designed in a tear-resistant manner at least up to a loading on the sack (5) with 5000 kg.

11. The safety container (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the textile material (6) has an elastic extensibility of 10 percent or more.

12. The safety container (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the sack (5) has an abrasion-resistant outer coating, in particular a bottom-side, cut-resistant rubber coating.

13. A method for securing dangerous freight, in particular defective or crashed electric vehicles (2), characterized by the following steps: i) providing a safety container (1); according to one of claims 1 to 12: ii) opening the safety container (1); (iii) placing an electric vehicle (2) into the safety container (1); (iv) closing the safety container (1).

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized by the following additional step between step iii) and iv): iii)a filling the safety container (1) with inert gas.