STOP DANGEROUS BATTERY FIRES IN DATA CENTERS BEFORE THEY START

Unscheduled downtime at data centers can cause serious financial, operational and reputational damage.  Many operators aim to avoid them altogether, often making UPSs a critical role in the infrastructure. Operators also have to manage the risk of failure and potentially serious danger  of the lithium-ion batteries found inside?

The rise of lithium-ion batteries

Uninterruptible power supply systems (UPSs) are key to data center operations yet on-site power remains the most common cause of outages[1]  and most downtime incidents are likely preventable. And as the power source, Lithium-ion batteries are steadily superseding their valve-regulated lead-acid (VRLA) counterparts – and rightly so[2]. Looking at a 10-year period, li-ion batteries cost 31% less than traditional VRLA batteries because of the lower maintenance and replacement costs[3]. They are up to 70% smaller and 60% lighter, and generally work reliably at higher temperatures than VRLA batteries, making them the ideal onsite candidate for UPS application in data centers[4].  On the other hand, the capital expenditure of li-ion batteries is double than VRLA batteries[5], which means that the cost of a potential failure is much higher from day one.

Thermal runaway – the chain reaction of batteries

Another concept managers of data centers must be aware of is thermal runway, essentially a nearly unstoppable chain reaction of defective batteries. Initiated by mechanical or thermal failures – abuse, overcharging or internal short circuit– the battery cell starts to decompose, which increases temperature, which in turn increases the rate of decomposition. The result is a self-feeding heating rate within the cell that increases until the cell loses stability, ruptures, and all remaining thermal and electrochemical energy is released into the surroundings[6],  resulting into quickly escalating and catastrophic, often explosive fire, that is extremely hard to extinguish.

The problem with li-ion battery fires

According to a study from the Underwriters Laboratories (UL) Firefighter Safety Research Institute, li-ion battery fires present serious challenges:

• Releases explosive gases and vapors during thermal runaway,
• Forms and disperses a vapor cloud, and
• ineffectiveness of fire suppression.

Thermal runaway fires can have grave consequences: toxic gas leaks, fires, explosions – they could bring an entire data center facility to a halt.

Enter the Li-ion Tamer®

„It is nearly impossible to stop an advanced thermal runaway process, and the consequences could be catastrophic” explained Siniša Pintarić, Business Development Manager – Honeywell Fire & PA/VA Solutions. „This is why the goal here is to look for very early signs of battery failure and to be able to stop the process before it becomes a problem.”

Li-ion Tamer® is designed to provide enhanced safety for battery systems and can be installed at a wide range of integration points throughout data centers.

Off-gas begins as gases that are generated inside individual cells due to exothermic reactions which begin to occur as a result of internal problems in the battery or external abuses. The release of these gases is the first stage of a battery failure which can self-propagate until the battery begins to smoke and go into fully developed thermal runaway. The ability to detect the gases provides a signal capable to providing early warning of the eventual cell failure and can enable actions which can help mitigate the effects of the battery failure.

Li-ion Tamer® is designed to detect and protect from individual modules all the way to room level integrated solutions.

Click here to find out more about our solutions for data centers.

[1] https://uptimeinstitute.com/about-ui/press-releases/uptime-institute-11th-annual-global-data-center-survey

[2] https://www.cibsejournal.com/technical/battery-technology-vrla-or-li-ion-batteries/

[3] https://www.se.com/ww/en/work/solutions/system/s1/data-center-and-network-systems/trade-off-tools/lithium-ion-vs-vrla-ups-battery-tco-calculator/, see 10-Year TCO Breakdown

[4] https://datacenterfrontier.com/lithium-ion-batteries-offer-new-alternative-data-center-backup-power/

[5] https://www.se.com/ww/en/work/solutions/system/s1/data-center-and-network-systems/trade-off-tools/lithium-ion-vs-vrla-ups-battery-tco-calculator/, see 10-Year TCO Breakdown / Capex segment

[6] https://www.batterypoweronline.com/news/thermal-runaway-understanding-the-fundamentals-to-ensure-safer-batteries/