ESS Fire Suppression With Vent-Hole Agent Release
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fire extinguishing systems for energy storage systems (ESS) struggle to effectively suppress fires at an early stage due to increased energy density and flame intensity, making it difficult to control fire spread and protect expensive equipment.
Innovation Solution
A fire extinguishing system with a sensing unit comprising temperature and smoke sensors, a chemical container, leak detector, main valve, adjustment device, and controller, along with a network of pipes and heat-sensitive members to deliver a fire extinguishing agent directly to the source of the fire, controlled by a controller to manage pressure and timing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a fire extinguishing system is designed to release extinguishing agent directly to fire source, then fire suppression effectiveness is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the battery rack into multiple zones with separate spray pipes and heat-sensitive members for each zone. Each spray pipe can independently release extinguishing agent to the specific location where fire is detected, enabling targeted suppression without requiring a complex centralized control system.
Solution Approach 2:
Heat-sensitive members are installed directly on the spray pipes and automatically melt when exposed to fire heat, causing the spray holes to open and release extinguishing agent without requiring external activation. This self-activating mechanism simplifies the overall system control while ensuring reliable fire suppression.
2Loss of time
If heat-sensitive member melting temperature is lowered for faster response, then fire response time is improved, but risk of false activation increases
Solution Approach 1:
The heat-sensitive member features a thin-film portion at the spray hole region that is thinner than the main body thickness. This local thinning creates a preferential melting path that activates at lower temperatures, enabling faster response without requiring the entire member to be thin-walled, thus maintaining structural integrity while reducing false activation risk.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses different materials with specific melting temperature ranges (80-250°C) for the heat-sensitive members. By selecting materials whose melting points match the expected fire temperature profile, the system achieves rapid activation during actual fires while resisting activation from normal temperature fluctuations.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system effectively suppresses fires in ESS by delivering the extinguishing agent directly to the fire source, minimizing spread and protecting the ESS, thereby enhancing customer reliability and equipment safety.
Implementation Method 1
a heat-sensitive member 334 which surrounds the spray holes 332 formed in the spray pipes 330 and melts when a fire occurs
Implementation Method 2
spray pipes 330 which are connected to the branch pipes 320 and coupled to the battery modules 30, respectively, to spray a fire extinguishing agent into the battery modules 30
Data Source
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AI summary
A fire extinguishing system for an energy storage device having a battery rack for a battery module, the fire extinguishing system including a sensing unit configured to detect when a value of one or more of a temperature of the battery module, a voltage of the battery module, or a level of smoke from the battery module is higher than a preset threshold value; and a fire extinguishing unit configured to provide a fire extinguishing agent to the battery module when the sensing unit detects that the value is higher than the preset threshold value, the fire extinguishing unit including a heat-sensitive member. The heat-sensitive member is positioned at a battery cell vent hole for a battery cell in the battery module. The heat-sensitive member is configured to allow the fire extinguishing agent into the vent hole by being melted when a temperature of the heat-sensitive member is higher than a predetermined temperature.