Modular Battery Spill Containment for Rack-Mounted Installation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional spill containment systems for hazardous devices like batteries are costly, labor-intensive, and damage floors, especially in older facilities with asbestos, and do not easily accommodate non-rectangular spaces or allow for easy maintenance.
Innovation Solution
A modular spill containment system that attaches to battery racks using adjustable brackets, reducing the number of floor connections and allowing for easy installation and removal, featuring a series of wall segments and clips that define a containment chamber, along with an Underwriters Laboratory certified liner and optional liquid detection devices and flame-proof pillows.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional spill containment systems are attached to the floor using multiple fasteners, then spill containment reliability is improved, but installation cost and labor intensity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The spill containment system is divided into modular wall segments that can be independently assembled and configured. Each segment functions as a discrete unit that can be quickly installed and positioned, reducing overall installation time and labor requirements while maintaining containment integrity through the modular design
Solution Approach 2:
Adjustable brackets serve as intermediary components between the spill containment walls and the battery rack structure. These brackets provide a secure attachment mechanism that eliminates the need for extensive floor fastening, reducing installation complexity while ensuring reliable containment through the intermediate mounting structure
2Stability of the object's composition
If conventional spill containment systems are installed by penetrating the floor, then structural stability is improved, but floor damage and health hazards increase
Solution Approach 1:
The attachment function is extracted from the floor and relocated to the battery rack structure itself. By mounting the spill containment system to the rack rather than penetrating the floor, the system maintains structural stability through the rack's inherent strength while eliminating floor damage and asbestos fiber release hazards
Solution Approach 2:
The battery rack structure serves as an intermediary mounting surface, replacing the floor as the attachment point. This intermediary structure provides adequate structural support for the spill containment system without requiring floor penetration, thereby avoiding damage to flooring materials and release of hazardous asbestos fibers
3Reliability
If fixed spill containment systems are installed, then containment reliability is improved, but adaptability to different spaces and maintenance accessibility worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The spill containment system is segmented into modular wall sections that can be independently adjusted, reconfigured, or removed. This segmentation enables adaptation to various room geometries and obstructions while maintaining containment integrity, and facilitates easy access to batteries for maintenance by allowing selective removal of wall segments
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates adjustable and removable components that transition from a fixed state during operation to a flexible state during maintenance or reconfiguration. The adjustable brackets and modular walls enable dynamic adaptation to different spatial requirements while ensuring reliable containment when in place, and easy accessibility when needed for maintenance
Data Source
AI summary
A spill containment assembly for containing fluids, such as battery acid, leaked or spilled from one or more devices stored on a storage rack and thereby prevent contamination of surrounding areas. The spill containment assembly includes a series of wall segments coupled together and a series of adjustable clips for coupling the wall segments to the storage rack. The series of wall segments together define a perimeter of a spill containment chamber for containing the fluids leaked from the one or more devices.