Energy storage company PBES has launched a system that it says protects against thermal runaway in lithium batteries. The company says its system minimizes fire and explosion in devices that have sustained physical damage.

PBES' thermal runaway protection system is intended to curb the tendency in overcharged or overheated lithium batteries to transfer heat from a single cell to the rest of the system. A venting system offers gas extraction from the battery space, allowing flammable or explosive gases produced by a battery failure to disperse safely.

Aviation authorities are considering banning lithium batteries on commercial air flights because of the fire risk. Image credit: FAA.In repeated tests, a single lithium cell in a large module was overcharged to the point of failure. With the safety systems, the cell did not catch fire or experience any rapid, uncontrolled disassembly.

The thermal event was contained at a single cell and did not propagate to adjacent cells, the company says. All adjoining cells held temperatures within operational parameters and gases produced by the event were removed from the area.

PBES says the system is adaptable to high-powered lithium batteries used in grid-based, industrial marine, port machinery, commercial transportation and data center UPS applications.