EV Fire Extinguisher Cover with Drawstring Seal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Lithium-ion battery fires in electric vehicles are difficult to extinguish due to inaccessibility and the inability to cut off oxygen supply, requiring rapid cooling to 120° C for fire suppression.
Innovation Solution
A fire extinguisher cover made of fire-resistant material with a rectangular sheet and casing assembly, featuring drawstrings for tight abutment with the ground and vehicle tires, allowing water to be filled between the cover and vehicle to cool and extinguish the battery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a traditional fire extinguisher method is used, then the fire can be suppressed by cutting off oxygen, but it is impossible to extinguish battery fire because the battery is inaccessible and high voltage prevents oxygen cutoff
Solution Approach 1:
The cover is divided into a rectangular sheet portion and a casing assembly portion, allowing the sheet to drape over the vehicle and the casing to secure around the tires, creating segmented zones for effective fire suppression
Solution Approach 2:
The cover acts as an intermediary structure that creates a sealed enclosure between the firefighter and the battery, allowing fire suppression agents to be delivered to the battery location without direct access
2Temperature
If the battery is cooled down rapidly to 120° C, then the fire can be extinguished, but the cooling process requires precise temperature control and time management
Solution Approach 1:
The cover is pre-positioned over the vehicle before fire suppression begins, and the cooling process is initiated immediately upon enclosure, preventing further temperature rise and starting the cooling clock without delay
Solution Approach 2:
The cover maintains continuous thermal contact with the battery through the enclosed space, allowing uninterrupted cooling action until the battery reaches the safe temperature of 120° C
3Reliability
If a tight seal is created between the cover and ground, then fire suppression fluid can be contained effectively, but the drawstring mechanism requires precise tension control
Solution Approach 1:
The rectangular sheet is made of flexible fire-resistant material that can drape conformally over the vehicle and ground, creating a flexible seal that adapts to irregular surfaces without requiring complex rigid sealing mechanisms
Solution Approach 2:
The drawstring applies excessive tension to ensure the seal is tighter than necessary, compensating for any gaps or irregularities in the ground-vehicle-cover interface, with the understanding that over-tightening is safer than under-tightening for fire suppression
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 cover effectively cools the battery to a safe temperature and extinguishes the fire by creating a watertight seal with the ground, ensuring efficient fire suppression in electric motor vehicles.
Implementation Method 1
The battery needs to be cooled down to a minimum of 120° C. first as quickly as possible in order for the fire to be taken out
Implementation Method 2
the fire-extinguishing fluid is sprayed into the housing to extinguish the fire
Implementation Method 3
the bottom of the enclosure can be fully contacted with the ground so as to prevent supplement of surrounding air and combustion-supporting action of wind power to carry out fire smothering
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a fire extinguisher cover for covering over a motor vehicle, the battery of which has caught fire. The cover comprises a sheet for covering over the vehicle, the sheet comprising an opening disposed thereon, and a casing assembly comprising a plurality of spaced apart casings and a drawstring running through the plurality of casings. The drawstring is arranged to be tightened to achieve a tight abutment between the casing assembly, the ground and the vehicle tires when the vehicle is covered by the sheet, and the fire-extinguishing fluid is run through the at least one opening to be fill up between the vehicle and the sheet resulting in said fluid reaching the battery for extinguishing the fire emanating therefrom.