Fire extinguishing system

Abstract

To provide an ESS fire extinguishing system which may suppress or extinguish fire in an ESS effectively at an early stage.SOLUTION: There is provided a fire extinguishing system for an energy storage system (ESS) having a plurality of battery racks for storing a plurality of battery modules, the fire extinguishing system including: a sensing unit configured to detect at least one of a temperature, a voltage and smoke from the battery module; and a fire extinguishing unit configured to inject a fire extinguishing agent to the battery module when at least one value detected by the sensing unit is higher than a preset critical value, the fire extinguishing unit including a heat-sensitive member that is provided in a region corresponding to a battery cell vent hole of the battery module and configured to allow the fire extinguishing agent to be directly injected to the vent hole by being melted when a temperature is higher than the critical value.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a fire extinguishing system for an ESS.

Background Art

[0002] An ESS (Energy Storage System, energy storage system or energy storage device) is a system that can store surplus electricity or store electricity produced by utilizing renewable energy. By utilizing an ESS, idle power can be stored during a time period with low electricity demand and electricity can be supplied during a time period with high electricity demand, thereby smoothly controlling the power supply and demand.

[0003] Facilities where an ESS is installed and operated must obligatorily be equipped with facilities for suppressing a battery fire caused by a fire due to electric shock, short circuit, external surge, etc. A general fire extinguishing system is composed of a fire detection sensor, a sprinkler installed around a battery rack or on the ceiling, a fire extinguishing agent injector, etc.

[0004] Such a fire extinguishing system is an indirect injection method that injects water or a fire extinguishing agent close to the battery or over the entire area where the battery is installed during a battery fire. However, as the energy density of the battery continuously increases, the amount of flame and the ejection pressure increase at the vent of the battery cell, so it is difficult to quickly suppress or control a fire with general fire suppression facilities. Therefore, the demand for an ESS fire extinguishing system that can effectively suppress a large number of battery fires and quickly suppress a fire when a high-pressure fire occurs is gradually increasing.

[0005] The above-described information disclosed in the technology that is the background of such an invention is for improving the understanding of the background of the present invention, and thus may also include information that does not constitute the prior art.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide an ESS fire extinguishing system capable of suppressing and extinguishing an ESS fire effectively at an early stage.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] The ESS fire extinguishing system according to an embodiment of the present invention is an ESS fire extinguishing system of an energy storage device (ESS) including a plurality of battery racks for storing a plurality of battery modules, a sensing unit for sensing at least one of a temperature, a voltage, and smoke of the battery module; and a fire extinguishing unit for injecting a fire extinguishing agent into the battery module when at least one of the values sensed by the sensing unit is higher than a preset threshold value. The fire extinguishing unit includes a heat-sensitive member provided in a region corresponding to a battery cell vent hole of the battery module and configured to be melted when the temperature is higher than the threshold value so that the fire extinguishing agent is directly injected into the vent hole.

[0008] The sensing unit includes a first sensor installed inside or outside the battery module for sensing a temperature or a voltage, and a second sensor installed outside the battery module for sensing smoke. The values sensed by the sensors are transmitted to the fire extinguishing unit through a BMS (Battery Management System), and the value sensed by the second sensor is transmitted to the fire extinguishing unit.

[0009] The melting temperature of the heat-sensitive member is characterized in that it is 80 to 250 degrees Celsius.

[0010] The material of the heat-sensitive member is characterized in that it is any one of ABS (acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene resin), PP (polypropylene), PC (polycarbonate), PE (polyethylene), and PFA (perfluoroalkoxy alkane).

[0011] A supply unit further includes a chemical agent container for storing the fire extinguishing chemical agent, a leakage detector for detecting leakage of the chemical agent container, a main valve for opening and closing the chemical agent container, a regulator for adjusting the discharge pressure of the fire extinguishing chemical agent discharged from the chemical agent container, and a controller for controlling the main valve.

[0012] The fire extinguishing part includes a main pipe connected to the chemical agent container, branch pipes connected to the main pipe and branched to the battery racks respectively, and injection pipes connected to the branch pipes and coupled to the battery modules respectively. The injection pipe has an injection hole formed therethrough at a position corresponding to the vent hole, and the heat-sensitive member is formed at a position closing the injection hole.

[0013] The heat-sensitive member includes a base surrounding the injection pipe and a thin film part formed in a region corresponding to the injection hole and having a thickness thinner than that of the base.

[0014] The injection pressure of the fire extinguishing chemical agent passing through the regulator is smaller than the injection pressure injected from the chemical agent container.

[0015] When at least one of the sensing values sensed by the sensing part is higher than a preset threshold value, the controller opens the main valve.

[0016] The battery rack includes a plurality of sub-frames to which the injection pipes are coupled. The battery module includes through parts respectively formed therethrough at positions corresponding to the vent holes. The injection holes, the sub-frames, and the through parts are interconnected.

Advantages of the Invention

[0017] According to an embodiment of the present invention, by configuring a fire extinguishing system, it is possible to early suppress and extinguish a fire that may occur due to ground faults, short circuits, shorts, etc. caused by internal and external factors of an energy storage device, and minimize the spread. Thereby, it has the effect of protecting an expensive energy storage device and improving customer reliability.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0018]

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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0019] Embodiments of the present invention are provided to more fully explain the present invention to those having ordinary knowledge in the relevant technical field. The following embodiments can be modified into various different forms, and the scope of the present invention is not limited by the following embodiments. Rather, these embodiments are provided to further enrich and complete the present disclosure and to fully convey the idea of the present invention to those skilled in the art.

[0020] In addition, the thickness and size of each layer in the following drawings are exaggerated for convenience of explanation and clarity, and the same reference numerals in the drawings refer to the same elements. As used in this specification, the term "and / or" includes any one and all combinations of one or more of the recited items. Also, as used in this specification, the term "connected" means not only when member A and member B are directly connected, but also when member C is interposed between member A and member B and member A and member B are indirectly connected.

[0021] The terms used in this specification are used to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention. As used in this specification, the singular form can include the plural form unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Also, as used in this specification, "comprise", "include" and / or "comprising", "including" identify the presence of the recited shape, number, step, operation, member, element and / or group thereof, and do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other shapes, numbers, operations, members, elements and / or groups.

[0022] In this specification, terms such as first, second, etc. are used to describe various members, components, regions, layers, and / or parts. However, it is obvious that these members, components, regions, layers, and / or parts should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one member, component, region, layer, or part from other regions, layers, or parts. Therefore, the first member, component, region, layer, or part described in detail below can refer to the second member, component, region, layer, or part without departing from the definition of the present invention.

[0023] Spatial-related terms such as "beneath", "below", "lower", "above", "upper" may be used for the easy understanding of one element or feature and another element or feature shown in the drawings. Such spatial-related terms are for the easy understanding of the present invention according to various process states or use states of the present invention and are not for limiting the present invention. For example, when the element or feature in the drawing is inverted, the element or feature described as "beneath" or "below" will become "above" or "upper". Therefore, "beneath" is a concept that includes "above" or "below".

[0024] In addition, the controller and / or other related devices or components according to the present invention can be implemented using any suitable hardware, firmware (e.g., custom-made semiconductors), software, or a suitable combination of software, firmware, and hardware. For example, various components of the controller and / or other related devices or components according to the present invention can be formed on one integrated circuit chip or on separate integrated circuit chips. Also, various components of the controller can be implemented on a flexible printed circuit film and can be formed on a tape carrier package, a printed circuit board, or the same substrate as the controller. Further, various components of the controller can be processes or threads executed by one or more processors in one or more computer devices, which can execute instructions of a computer program to interact with other components in order to perform various functions mentioned below. The instructions of the computer program can be stored in a memory that can be executed by a computer device using a standard memory device such as a random access memory. Also, the instructions of the computer program can be stored in other non-transitory computer readable media such as, for example, a CD-ROM, a flash drive, etc. Also, those skilled in the art related to the present invention should recognize that the functions of various computer devices can be interconnected with each other, integrated in one computer device, or the functions of a specific computer device can be distributed to one or more other computer devices without departing from the exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

[0025] As an example, the controller according to the present invention can be operated by a normal general-purpose computer consisting of a central processing unit, a mass storage device such as a hard disk or a solid state disk, a volatile memory device, an input device such as a keyboard or a mouse, and an output device such as a monitor or a printer.

[0026] Hereinafter, with reference to the attached drawings, the ESS fire extinguishing system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail.

[0027] FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically showing a fire extinguishing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram exemplarily showing the fire extinguishing system according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view schematically showing the main part according to FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a partial perspective view showing a battery rack according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0028] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the fire extinguishing system of an ESS (Energy Storage System, energy storage system or energy storage device) according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a supply unit 100 for supplying a fire extinguishing agent to a large energy storage device 1, a fire extinguishing unit 300 for transferring and injecting the fire extinguishing agent to the energy storage device 1, and a sensing unit 500 for fire monitoring.

[0029] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the supply unit 100 may include a chemical container 110 for storing a fire extinguishing agent, a leakage sensor 120 for detecting leakage of the chemical container 110, a main valve 130 for supplying and interrupting the supply of the fire extinguishing agent, a regulator 140 for adjusting the supply pressure and time of the fire extinguishing agent, and a controller 150 as a control main body.

[0030] As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the fire extinguishing unit 300 may include a main pipe 310 through which the fire extinguishing agent is transferred, a branch pipe 320 branched from the main pipe 310, and an injection pipe 330 connected to the battery module 30 for injecting the fire extinguishing agent. For example, point A where the branch pipe 320 and the injection pipe 330 branch respectively is shown in FIG. 2.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 1, the sensing unit 500 may include a first sensor 510 for detecting a fire in the battery module 30 and a second sensor 520 for detecting smoke generation during a fire outside the battery module 30.

[0032] Before explaining the fire extinguishing system in detail, the energy storage device 1 will be briefly described.

[0033] As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, an exemplary energy storage device 1 of the present invention can include a number of battery modules 30 placed on a number of battery racks 10, and a number of battery cells 33 housed in a case 31 of each battery module 30. Each battery cell 33 can be composed of a secondary battery capable of charging and discharging.

[0034] The battery rack 10 can include a main frame 11 on which pipes can be installed, and a sub-frame 13 that supports the battery module 30. The main frame 11 may have a substantially hexahedral shape, and the portion corresponding to the plate surface may be closed or open. The sub-frame 13 can be arranged in a direction perpendicular to the length direction of the battery rack 10 (the vertical direction with reference to FIG. 4) to support the battery module 30. A seating groove 13a on which an injection pipe 330 described later is seated may be formed on the sub-frame 13. The seating groove 13a can be formed along the insertion direction of the battery module 30. Further, the size of the seating groove 13a can correspond to or be larger than the length and diameter of the injection pipe 330 described later. A second sensor 520 for detecting smoke may be installed on the battery rack 10 (this will be described later).

[0035] In the battery module 30, a large number of battery cells 33 are housed inside a case 31 having a substantially hexahedral shape. Each battery cell 33 can be arranged in a plurality of rows at regular intervals from each other. Each battery module 30 is equipped with a BMS, and when a fire breaks out in the battery cell 33, a fire signal can be transmitted to a controller 150 described later. Inside the battery module 30, a plurality of first sensors 510 can be provided, and outside, a second sensor 520 can be installed on the battery rack 10 (this will be described later). The first sensor 510 may be a sensor for detecting the ambient temperature inside the battery module 30. Or, the first sensor 510 may be a voltage detection sensor. Exemplarily, the first sensors 510 can be arranged one by one for each row of the battery cells 33 as shown in FIG. 3. At this time, two first sensors 510 can be installed at positions facing each other. The number and installation position of the first sensors 510 are exemplary.

[0036] When the measured value measured by the first sensor 510 is higher than a preset critical value, the controller 150 can determine the supply of the fire extinguishing agent. Exemplarily, when the temperature inside the battery module 30 measured by the first sensor 510 is equal to or higher than the critical value or the voltage is equal to or higher than the critical value, the BMS can send an abnormal signal to the controller 150.

[0037] Exemplarily, in the BMS, when a critical temperature is detected, it is determined that the state is abnormal, and then, when a temperature of 1 degree or more is detected from the critical temperature, it can be determined that an abnormal sign has occurred in the battery. Or, when an increase of 5 degrees or more per second is continuously detected twice, the BMS can determine that an abnormal sign has occurred in the battery. Also in the case of voltage, when a voltage equal to or higher than the critical voltage is continuously detected twice, the BMS can determine that an abnormal sign has occurred in the battery and the voltage can be dropped.

[0038] Such a fire extinguishing unit 300 can be installed on the battery rack 10 and the battery module 30. When a fire is detected through the sensing unit 500, a fire extinguishing agent is supplied through the supply unit 100, and the fire extinguishing agent can be transferred to the battery rack 10 and the battery module 30 through the fire extinguishing unit 300. Thereby, a fire generated from the battery module 30 can be quickly suppressed at an early stage. In particular, when the fire extinguishing system of the present invention is applied, it is possible to supply a fire extinguishing agent to the battery cell 33 in which a fire has occurred and the surrounding adjacent battery cells 33 among the respective battery cells 33 in the battery module 30.

[0039] Hereinafter, a fire extinguishing system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail (configurations not shown in FIGS. 5 to 8 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4).

[0040] FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the moving direction of the fire extinguishing agent in the battery rack of FIG. 4. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the battery module and the injection pipe according to FIG. 4. FIG. 7 is an enlarged perspective view of the coupling part of the battery module and the injection pipe according to FIG. 6. FIG. 8 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along line B-B of FIG. 7. FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing the bottom surface of the injection pipe according to FIG. 4. FIG. 10 is an enlarged perspective view of region C according to FIG. 9. FIG. 11 is a plan view showing the bottom surface of the injection pipe according to FIG. 10.

[0041] As shown in FIG. 1, the configurations of the supply unit 100, the fire extinguishing unit 300, and the sensing unit 500 of the fire extinguishing system can be organically connected to each other.

[0042] First, the supply unit 100 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

[0043] The chemical agent container 110 is a kind of storage container for storing fire extinguishing chemicals. The chemical agent container 110 can be fixed to the installation location in a packaging method, a wall-mounted method, or the like. Exemplarily, the chemical agent container 110 may be a pressure container for storing high-pressure fire extinguishing chemicals. As the fire extinguishing chemical, all commonly used fire extinguishing chemicals such as gas-based fire extinguishing chemicals such as HFC-23 / HFC-125 / HFC227ea, CF3CF2C(O)CF(CF3)2, and water can be applied. The fire extinguishing chemical can be stored in the chemical agent container 110 in a method such as a pressure accumulation type or a pressurization type. Accordingly, the internal pressure of the chemical agent container 110 can vary depending on the country where the fire extinguishing system is applied and the type of fire extinguishing chemical (for example, the filling pressure range of fire cylinders in the Republic of Korea is 25 to 42 bar, in foreign countries it is 25 to 34.5 bar, and for gas-based (HFC-23 / HFC-125 / HFC227ea) it is 50 bar or more). When the fire extinguishing chemical is discharged from the high-pressure chemical agent container 110, the pressure, flow rate, and injection time can be adjusted by the regulator 140. When the injection of the fire extinguishing chemical is determined by the controller 150, the main valve 130 is opened and the fire extinguishing chemical is injected.

[0044] The leakage sensor 120 can be formed integrally with the chemical agent container 110 or coupled to the chemical agent container 110. The leakage sensor 120 can sense leakage before the fire extinguishing chemical is injected. For example, the leakage sensor 120 may be a load cell coupled to the chemical agent container 110 to sense a decrease in weight.

[0045] The main valve 130 functions to open and close the discharge part of the chemical agent container 110. The main valve 130 can open and close the discharge part of the chemical agent container 110 by the controller 150. When the main valve 130 is opened, the fire extinguishing chemical is discharged from the chemical agent container 110 and moved to the regulator 140 along the discharge pipe.

[0046] The regulator 140 functions to adjust the injection pressure of the fire extinguishing agent to the final injection pressure. Exemplarily, the regulator 140 may be provided in a regulator. The final injection pressure of the fire extinguishing agent can be preset, and a regulator or the like that can implement the set final injection pressure may be provided. For example, the final injection pressure can be set to 2 - 5 bar. At this time, the discharge pipe may be a SUS tube or a hose made of a flexible material, and can be connected to the main pipe 310 described later.

[0047] The control entity of the main valve 130 and the regulator 140 described above is the controller 150. Exemplarily, the controller 150 may be a kind of control board equipped with a processor, an execution memory, a communication device, a display, and the like. The controller 150 can communicate with the first sensor 510 and the second sensor 520 described above and control the main valve 130 and the regulator 140. The controller 150 can sense a fire through the sensing unit 500 when a fire occurs and open the main valve 130. The controller 150 can control the regulator 140 to discharge the fire extinguishing agent at a preset final injection pressure and move it to the fire extinguishing part 300.

[0048] As shown in FIGS. 2 - 4, the fire extinguishing part 300 includes a main pipe 310 connected to the chemical agent container 110 through which the fire extinguishing agent is transferred, a branch pipe 320 branched from the main pipe 310, a rack pipe 325 connected to the branch pipe 320 and arranged on each battery rack 10, an injection pipe 330 arranged adjacent to each battery module 30, and a connecting pipe 340 connecting the pipes. These may all be in the shape of a pipe with an empty interior (in some drawings, the main pipe, branch pipe, rack pipe, and injection pipe are represented as cylindrical or cuboid shapes for the convenience of expression). The main pipe 310 and the branch pipe 320 are configured such that a plurality of pipes gather to perform one function.

[0049] More specifically, the main pipe 310 can be extended to the energy storage device 1 by connecting a plurality of pipes. The branch pipe 320 is coupled to the connection pipe 340 connected to the main pipe 310 and can be installed adjacent to or on each battery rack 10. On each battery rack 10, a rack pipe 325 connected to the branch pipe 320 can be installed. The rack pipe 325 is connected to a plurality of injection pipes 330, and the injection pipes 330 can be installed parallel to the battery module 30. A connection pipe 340 that can branch in two directions, three directions, four directions, etc. can be coupled to the connection site between the plurality of main pipes 310, the connection site between the main pipe 310 and the branch pipe 320, and the connection site between the branch pipe 320 and the rack pipe 325. The fire extinguishing agent supplied from the agent container 110 during a fire can be transferred to one side of the energy storage device through the main pipe 310 and supplied to each battery module 30 through the branch pipe 320 and the injection pipe 330.

[0050] Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5 and taking one battery rack 10 as an example for explanation, it is as follows.

[0051] If the direction in which the battery module 30 is inserted is defined in front of the battery rack 10, the main pipe 310 can be coupled to the upper front part of the battery rack 10. One branch pipe 320 can be connected to the main pipe 310 and can be arranged on the upper part of the battery rack 10. The branch pipe 320 can be arranged along the insertion direction of the battery module 30. For example, the branch pipe 320 can be arranged at the center of the upper part of the battery rack 10. A rack pipe 325 can be connected behind the branch pipe 320. The rack pipe 325 can be arranged along the length direction of the battery rack 10. For example, the rack pipe 325 can be arranged at the center of the rear of the battery rack 10. An injection pipe 330 is connected to the rack pipe 325, and the injection pipe 330 can be arranged to be adjacent to each battery module 30. The injection pipe 330 may be connected to the rack pipe 325 or may be connected to the rack pipe by a plurality of auxiliary pipes 327. The injection pipe 330 can be coupled to the sub-frame 13 of the battery rack 10. The fire extinguishing agent can be injected downward from the injection pipe 330 coupled to the sub-frame 13. The injection pipe 330 can correspond to the number of rows of the battery cells 33 housed in the battery module 30. For example, if the battery cells 33 are arranged in two rows in one battery module 30, two injection pipes 330 can be connected.

[0052] As shown in Fig. 5, the moving direction of the fire extinguishing agent during a fire can correspond to the arrow direction. First, the fire extinguishing agent moved forward along the length direction of the main pipe 310 to the front of the battery rack 10 can move [1] backward from the upper front to the rear of the battery rack 10 along the branch pipe 320. Then, while moving [3] from the upper rear to the lower part of the battery rack 10 along the rack pipe 325, it can move [4] to the front side of the battery rack 10 along each injection pipe 330 and be supplied to the battery cell 33 where a fire has occurred. The moving direction of the fire extinguishing agent shown in Fig. 5 is based on the installation example of the pipes, and if the pipe arrangement changes, the moving direction of the fire extinguishing agent can also change accordingly. On the injection pipe 330, a plurality of injection holes 332 are formed through, and the injection holes 332 can correspond to the positions of the respective battery cells 33 (this will be described later). The fire extinguishing agent that has moved through the injection pipe 330 can pass through the through hole 31a formed on the case 31 of the battery module 30 and be directly injected onto the upper part of the battery cell 33.

[0053] Hereinafter, the structure in which the fire extinguishing agent is directly injected onto the upper part of the battery cell 33 will be described in more detail.

[0054] As shown in Figs. 6 to 8, on the sub-frame 13 of the battery rack 10, a seating groove 13a is formed along the insertion direction of the battery module 30. Further, the seating groove 13a is formed along the row in which the battery cells 33 are arranged, and the length direction of the seating groove 13a corresponds to the length direction of the injection pipe 330. On the other hand, although not shown in the drawings, holes can be formed through the seating groove 13a so that the fire extinguishing agent can pass through when the fire extinguishing agent is injected. These holes can be formed on the bottom side (the upper surface side of the battery module) of the seating groove 13a corresponding to the injection direction of the fire extinguishing agent. Also, corresponding to the positions of the holes formed in the seating groove 13a and the vent hole positions of the battery cells 33, a plurality of through holes 31a can be formed in the case 31 of the battery module 30.

[0055] The through-hole 31a is formed to penetrate through the upper surface of the case 31. The through-hole 31a can be formed in a circular shape, an elliptical shape, a long-hole shape, a slit shape with a narrow width, etc., and can be provided in at least one or a plurality. The through-hole 31a can communicate with the hole formed in the seating groove 13a and the injection hole 332 of the injection pipe 330 described later. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 8, the inside of the injection pipe 330 and the case 31 can be communicated through the hole in the seating groove 13a and the through-hole 31a of the case 31. Therefore, the fire extinguishing agent supplied through the injection pipe 330 can be supplied into the case 31. At this time, a bus bar holder 31b is provided inside the case 31, and the bus bar holder 31b can communicate with the through-hole 31a. The bus bar holder 31b can be disposed at a position corresponding to the vent hole of each battery cell 33. The bus bar holder 31b serves as a passage (vent flow path) through which the fire extinguishing agent is injected.

[0056] The injection pipe 330 may be provided with a heat-sensitive member 334 so that the fire extinguishing agent is selectively injected only during a fire.

[0057] As shown in FIG. 9, a plurality of heat-sensitive members 334 may be provided on the injection pipe 330. The heat-sensitive members 334 surround the plurality of injection holes 332 formed on the injection pipe 330 respectively to prevent the fire extinguishing agent from leaking. At this time, one heat-sensitive member 334 is provided in a form surrounding one injection hole 332 respectively. Also, the heat-sensitive member 334 melts by the heat of the fire during the occurrence of a fire so that the injection hole 332 is opened. When the injection hole 332 is opened, the fire extinguishing agent that has moved through the injection pipe 330 can be directly injected onto the upper part of the battery cell 33. For this purpose, the injection hole 332 can be formed corresponding to the position of the through-hole 31a of the case 31 formed corresponding to the vent position of each battery cell 33. Exemplarily, the diameter of the injection hole 332 may be in the range of 2 to 2.5 mm (the first range), and the second range of the diameter may be 1 to 4 mm.

[0058] As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the heat-sensitive member 334 can have a form that completely surrounds the injection hole 332 and its periphery. Exemplarily, the heat-sensitive member 334 can have a main body such as a polyhedron, a sphere, or a hemisphere. Although the heat-sensitive member 334 is shown in a rectangular parallelepiped form in some drawings, it is not limited to the form shown in the drawings. The heat-sensitive member 334 is made to withstand the final injection pressure of the fire extinguishing agent (e.g., 2 to 5 bar). Also, the heat-sensitive member 334 will melt when exposed to the heat discharged from the cell vent or the flames and sparks caused by a fire when a fire occurs in the battery cell 33. Thereby, the injection hole 332 can be opened and the fire extinguishing agent can be injected into the fire site when a fire occurs. Exemplarily, the heat-sensitive member 334 can melt in the range of 80 degrees Celsius to 250 degrees Celsius. Here, 80 degrees Celsius may be the temperature at which the heat-sensitive member 334 begins to melt, and 250 degrees Celsius may be the temperature at which the heat-sensitive member 334 completely melts. The material of the heat-sensitive member 334 can be determined in consideration of the temperature rise during a fire in the battery module 30. For example, the heat-sensitive member 334 can be made of a resin material such as ABS, PP, PC, PE, or PFA. The heat-sensitive member 334 can be made by applying a high-pressure injection pressure to such a resin material so that the heat-sensitive member 334 is integrally formed on the injection pipe 330.

[0059] By adjusting the thickness, material, and shape of the heat-sensitive member 334, the time when the heat-sensitive member 334 melts due to heat, flames, or sparks and the injection hole 332 is opened can be adjusted. For example, by forming a thin film portion 334a on the lower surface side of the heat-sensitive member 334 corresponding to the position of the injection hole 332, the thickness of the heat-sensitive member 334 on the injection hole 332 side can be made thinner than other portions. Therefore, when heat is applied to the heat-sensitive member 334, the thin film portion 334a melts faster than other portions and the fire extinguishing agent can be injected quickly. Exemplarily, assuming that the thickness of the heat-sensitive member 334 around the thin film portion 334a is 1 mm, the thickness of the thin film portion 334a may be in the range of 0.3 to 0.6 mm (the first range). The second range of the thickness of the thin film portion 334a can be 0.2 to 0.9 mm.

[0060] On the other hand, a pair of injection holes can be formed for each position where one heat-sensitive member is provided.

[0061] FIG. 12 is an enlarged perspective view showing a part of the bottom surface of the injection pipe according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a plan view showing a part of the bottom surface of the injection pipe according to FIG. 12.

[0062] As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, two injection holes 332' can be formed on the injection pipe 330' covered by the thin film portion 334a' of the heat-sensitive member 334'. A rib 334b' can be formed in the thin film portion 334a' and is arranged between the two injection holes 332'. The rib 334b' protrudes from the surface of the thin film portion 334a' and has a thickness greater than the thickness of the thin film portion 334a' at the portion where the injection hole 332' is formed. The rib 334b' is formed thicker than the injection hole 332' side in order to prevent the area between the two injection holes 332' from melting first before the injection hole 332' is opened. Therefore, when heat is applied to the heat-sensitive member 334', the thin film portion 334a' blocking the two injection holes 332' will melt first rather than the rib 334b', so that the injection hole 332' can be opened and the fire extinguishing agent can be injected.

[0063] In the fire extinguishing system according to an embodiment of the present invention having the above-described configuration, the fire suppression process will be described as follows (for convenience, the reference numerals in the first embodiment will be used for description).

[0064] FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram briefly showing the fire suppression process according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0065] As shown in FIG. 14, a fire may occur in the battery cell 33 within the specific battery module 30. Each battery module 30 is connected to an injection pipe 330 through which a fire extinguishing agent is injected, and a first sensor 510 for detecting a fire is provided inside the battery module 30. The first sensor 510 senses an increase in the temperature inside the battery module 30 due to heat generation by a fire. When a fire is detected by the first sensor 510, a fire detection signal may be transmitted to the controller 150 through the BMS of the battery module 30 (the signal transmission can be performed in many ways such as wireless communication and electrical signal transmission through contacts). When the controller 150 detects a fire through the first sensor 510, the main valve 130 of the chemical agent container 110 will be opened. The fire extinguishing agent discharged from the chemical agent container 110 is adjusted to the final injection pressure by the regulator 140 and then discharged. The discharged fire extinguishing agent is transferred along the main pipe 310 and the branch pipe 320.

[0066] On the other hand, in the battery cell 33 where a fire has occurred, flames and heat are generated, and the heat-sensitive member 334 of the adjacent injection pipe 330 will melt due to the flames and heat. When the heat-sensitive member 334 melts and the injection hole 332 is opened, the pressure at that part becomes low, so the fire extinguishing agent moves to the side of the injection pipe 330 where the injection hole 332 is opened due to the pressure gradient. Therefore, the fire extinguishing agent can be supplied to the battery cell 33 where a fire has occurred and injected into the fire site. Since the fire is suppressed by the injection of the fire extinguishing agent, it is possible to prevent the fire from spreading to the surrounding battery modules.

[0067] In addition to the fire detection by the above-described sensor, the present invention performs fire monitoring through additional smoke detection.

[0068] FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram briefly showing a fire extinguishing system according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0069] As shown in FIG. 15, a plurality of second sensors 520 can be installed on the battery rack 10. The second sensors 520 can be applied in combination with the first sensors 510, or only the second sensors 520 can be applied without the first sensors 510. The second sensors 520 can be installed in the upper region D of the battery rack 10 in consideration of the characteristic that smoke rises upward. However, when a large amount of smoke is generated, it not only rises but also spreads to the periphery of the fire area, so it can also be installed in the lower region E of the battery rack 10 for reference of detection. Exemplarily, a second sensor 520 can be installed for each upper region D of each battery rack 10, and one second sensor 520 can be installed between two battery racks 10. Or a second sensor 520 can be installed for each upper region D of each battery rack 10, and 1-2 second sensors 520 can be installed between two battery racks 10 one by one.

[0070] As described above, by configuring the fire extinguishing system, it is possible to early suppress and extinguish a fire that may occur due to a ground fault, short circuit, short, etc. caused by internal and external factors of the energy storage device and minimize the spread. Therefore, it has the effect of protecting the expensive energy storage device and improving customer reliability.

[0071] The content described above is only one embodiment for implementing the present invention, and the present invention is not limited by the above-described embodiment. As claimed in the following claims, it can be said that the technical spirit of the present invention exists to the extent that any person having ordinary knowledge in the field to which the present invention pertains can make various modifications and implementations without departing from the gist of the present invention.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0072] 1: Energy storage device 10: Battery rack 30: Battery module 33: Battery cell 35: Support bracket 100: Supply unit 110: Chemical agent container 140: Regulator 300: Fire extinguishing part 330: Injection pipe 332: Injection hole 334: Heat-sensitive member 500: Sensing part

Claims

1. In a fire extinguishing system for an energy storage device having a plurality of battery racks for storing a plurality of battery modules, the battery module includes a plurality of battery cells, a sensing unit that senses at least one of the temperature, voltage, and smoke of the battery module; and a fire extinguishing unit that injects a fire extinguishing agent into the battery module when at least one of the values sensed by the sensing unit is higher than a preset critical value, the battery module includes through holes respectively formed through at positions corresponding to the battery cell vent holes of the battery module, the fire extinguishing unit is disposed on the battery cell and is a passage through which the fire extinguishing agent is injected, and is provided in a region corresponding to the battery cell vent hole that can communicate with the through hole. When the temperature is higher than the critical value, it melts so that the fire extinguishing agent is directly injected into the battery cell vent hole. A heat-sensitive member, an injection pipe respectively coupled to the battery module, the injection pipe is formed with an injection hole penetrating at a position corresponding to the battery cell vent hole, the through hole is characterized by being interconnected with the injection hole, Fire extinguishing system.

2. The sensing unit includes a first sensor installed inside or outside the battery module to sense temperature or voltage, and a second sensor installed outside the battery module to sense smoke, The value sensed by the first sensor is transmitted to the fire extinguishing unit through the BMS, and the value sensed by the second sensor is transmitted to the fire extinguishing unit. The fire extinguishing system according to claim 1.

3. The melting temperature of the heat-sensitive member is 80 to 250 degrees Celsius. The fire extinguishing system according to claim 1.

4. The material of the heat-sensitive member is any one of ABS, PP, PC, PE, and PFA. The fire extinguishing system according to claim 1.

5. The fire extinguishing system according to claim 1, further comprising a supply unit including a chemical agent container for storing the fire extinguishing agent, a leakage detector for detecting leakage of the chemical agent container, a main valve for opening and closing the chemical agent container, a regulator for adjusting the discharge pressure of the fire extinguishing agent discharged from the chemical agent container, and a controller for controlling the main valve.

6. The fire extinguishing part includes a main pipe connected to the chemical agent container, branch pipes connected to the main pipe and branched to the battery racks respectively, and injection pipes respectively coupled to the branch pipes. The heat-sensitive member is formed at a position closing the injection hole, and the fire extinguishing system according to claim 5 is characterized in that.

7. The heat-sensitive member according to claim 6 includes a base surrounding the injection pipe and a thin film portion formed in a region corresponding to the injection hole and having a thickness thinner than the thickness of the base.

8. The injection pressure of the fire extinguishing chemical agent passing through the regulator is smaller than the injection pressure injected from the chemical agent container, and the fire extinguishing system according to claim 6 is characterized in that.

9. When at least one of the sensing values sensed from the sensing part is higher than a preset critical value, the controller opens the main valve, and the fire extinguishing system according to claim 5 is characterized in that.

10. The battery rack includes a plurality of sub-frames to which the injection pipes are coupled, and the battery module is characterized in that the injection hole, the sub-frame and the through portion communicate with each other, and the fire extinguishing system according to claim 6 is characterized in that.

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