Revolutionizing Fire Detection: Introducing Honeywell's Li-Ion Tamer Lithium battery gas detection

Lithium-ion battery fires are much talked about after many of us have witnessed videos of various lithium-ion battery operated devices spontaneously catching fire. But is there a detector that can alert us before a major battery fire breaks out? We speak to our Managing Director for Scutum North, Dave Whiteside about the new #Honeywell “Li-Ion Tamer” lithium battery gas detection system.

“ 霍尼韦尔 have brought the ‘Li-Ion Tamer’ lithium battery gas detection system to market due to the mass storing of lithium-ion batteries for manufacturers of products that use these, such as car, or computer manufacturer, IT server rooms, etc, anybody that uses lithium batteries in large volumes. The technology detects if any of these batteries are going to overheat.” Explains Dave

How does it work?

The system works to recognise the second stage of a battery failure which is off gas generation. Dave goes on to explain in more detail “You detect a lithium-Ion battery about to catch fire by the gas it emits, this can range between 2 – 30 minutes prior to it catching fire. Once it's caught fire it's too late. The Li-Ion Tamer gas detection system monitors gas given off when charging. Years ago, the sealed lead acid batteries used to have little caps on the top to let the gas disperse out of the battery. Now batteries are what we call sealed batteries. These are in your typical rechargeable batteries in domestic appliances as well as electric cars.” He expands but begins to offer a greater understanding of the how. ?

“When these batteries are put in storage, they give off a certain amount of gas but it's only very small particles. So, they've got to be stored in well ventilated areas. The Li-Ion Tamer gas detector is monitoring for a rising increase in that gas. ?If that starts to rise, especially quickly, then that would cause a risk of fire and the detector would be triggered.

Charging batteries can be tricky too, right?

It’s not just the storage of batteries that can be a little tricky, but we’ve all heard of overcharging batteries starting fires. Dave explains one scenario many might not have considered.

“One thing you find is the charging of electric cars on normal 13 amp plug sockets can be risky. Many electric cars come with a 13 amp plug that you plug into a socket with a transformer, and it converts it to go into the car. When that charger is plugged in this way, it can take 24 hours to recharge, it's there a long time. Normally with electric cars, you plug them in with big plugs, with a big plastic closer and it's a lot more robust. That draws a lot of electricity in a short space of time, but if it's drawing a lot of electricity for a long period of time through a 13-amp plug, pushing it to its limit, the plug becomes very warm.

This is because when plugged in a socket, a 13-amp plug has only got three pins and it's relying on those touch points to draw the electricity. Depending on how good that socket is i.e. it’s poorly made and the contacts are not tight enough, it creates a friction and that can cause overheating. Say the socket is dusty it might be the fuel needed to start the fire. They have been known to catch fire whilst charging.” Dave adds.

So in summary, battery care is still evolving, but awareness also needs to grow to minimise the risk whilst batteries continue to rise in their everyday uses. In the meantime, the fire safety industry is working hard to keep up and find ways users can remain safe, and alerted with reasonable time to respond.

For more information on the Honeywell Li-Ion Tamer gas detection system, speak to a member of our team today at [email protected]