Cause of explosion of container energy storage power station

Do container type lithium-ion battery energy storage stations cause gas explosions?

Here, experimental and numerical studies on the gas explosion hazards of container type lithium-ion battery energy storage station are carried out. In the experiment, the LiFePO4 battery module of 8.8kWh was overcharged to thermal runaway in a real energy storage container, and the combustible gases were ignited to trigger an explosion.

What happened to the energy storage system?

The energy storage system was installed and put into operation in 2018, with a photovoltaic power generation capacity of 3.4MW and a storage capacity of 10MWh. The explosion destroyed 0.5MW of energy storage batteries. It is understood that the lithium-ion battery cell supplier of the energy storage station is LG New Energy.

What causes large-scale lithium-ion energy storage battery fires?

Several large-scale lithium-ion energy storage battery fire incidents have involved explosions. The large explosion incidents are due to the deflagration of accumulated flammable gases generated during cell thermal runaways within one or more modules. This leads to damage of battery system enclosures.

What are some causes of lithium-ion battery explosions?

Some of these batteries have experienced troubling fires and explosions due to deflagration pressure and gas burning velocity and high-voltage arc induced explosion pressures. Utility-scale lithium-ion energy storage batteries are being installed at an accelerating rate in many parts of the world.

What are the characteristics of fire and explosion of energy storage stations?

And the fire and explosion of energy storage stations have certain characteristics, mainly including: the types of accident batteries are mostly ternary lithium-ion batteries, and most of them occur during charging and rest periods.

Why are explosion hazards a concern for ESS batteries?

For grid-scale and residential applications of ESS, explosion hazards are a significant concern due to the propensity of lithium-ion batteries to undergo thermal runaway, which causes a release of flammable gases composed of hydrogen, hydrocarbons (e.g. methane, ethylene, etc.), carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide.