Fireproof Case Promises Safe Transport for Lithium Batteries
16th May 2018
Chosen for their low weight and high efficiency, lithium-ion batteries are a central part of forklifts, electric cars, battery-powered tools and smartphones. However, their extremely high energy density harbours considerable risk of fire. Dangerous goods packaging expert ZARGES is expanding its portfolio with the launch of the K470 Battery Box aluminium case, specially designed for transporting and safekeeping lithium-ion batteries.
Lithium-ion batteries may only be transported in secure containers because the battery may be damaged by improper handling, and in the worst case, a damaged battery may cause a fire. Retailers of these products are now faced with the challenge of safely storing defective batteries or securely sending them back to the manufacturer – without allowing the damaged battery to ignite.
Usually, an alert is raised if smoke is seen escaping from a package holding a battery. However, the ZARGES K470 Battery Box case prevents this happening, it is claimed. The new dangerous goods packaging is specially designed for transporting and storing a defective or damaged battery in a safe and convenient way, according to the makers. They say that the interior of the case is coated with an intumescent material. In case of fire, the case’s interior swells up and prevents the flames from spreading further. The underlying principle: the special absorbent material ensures that solid components are filtered out of the battery gases and that liquid constituents condense on the fibres’ surface. This is how ZARGES’ aluminium cases prevent any leaked flammable gases from igniting.
“In an emergency, a dangerous goods case must be able to absorb the energy released from a fire,” explained ZARGES Product Manager, Michael Blum. Therefore, the ZARGES case was subject to a fire test with very strict criteria: the container’s surface must not exceed a temperature of 100°C.