What is a thermal runaway and what measures can you take to prevent a battery fire?

Thermal runaway is a chemical chain reaction that starts inside a lithium-ion battery. This makes the battery extremely hot and leads to an uncontrollable fire, with the battery even exploding! This chain reaction is called a thermal runaway.

To understand what happens during a thermal runaway, you need to know a few things about a lithium-ion battery. Expert Jos Kools briefly explains this next.

Recognising a damaged battery is difficult, especially because the damage is often not visible on the outside. Moreover, you often don’t know how the battery has been handled, especially if it’s used by various staff, such as with delivery bikes. Read more about this in our blog Are lithium-ion batteries dangerous? What you need to know about identifying a damaged battery.

A battery safe is essential to protect yourself, your surroundings, and your property from the dangers of a battery fire or explosion. A safe battery safe must not only withstand a battery fire but also the pressure of a potential explosion caused by a thermal runaway.

This means the safe must be strong enough to withstand the intense heat and pressure, and the doors must remain shut. Batteryguard safes keep a battery fire contained within the safe and safely vent toxic smoke gases outside.

Fortunately, the new VDMA 24994 will be published soon. This whitepaper will clarify the requirements for a safe battery safe. The Batteryguard XL was tested during the development of VDMA 24994, and the test results were used as input to establish these new design requirements! You can read all about the safe storage of lithium-ion batteries on our regulation page.

Want to know more about the different Batteryguard battery safes and advice on which model best suits your situation? Then contact us! Our product experts are happy to help.