“The good thing is that if it does catch fire, these are much smaller batteries, so you might be able to contain it to a few racks. Now, with distributed batteries being installed in racks and rack-mounted UPSes, data-center operators have to weigh the energy-efficiency gains of distributed Li-ion batteries against the fire risks, Brown says. In the past, a conventional approach was to remove every type of combustible unit from the data hall itself. When asked about the use of distributed batteries, as opposed to a centralized UPS system with banks of batteries, Brown advises caution. A battery room should have at least a couple of fire-rated walls and ceilings, and operators should consider using a foam fire-suppression system “because at least foam will smother the fire and help to extinguish it, whereas water is just going to keep it from spreading.” “If you are looking at using lithium-ion batteries, then definitely look at segregating them into their own battery room,” he said. In response, local authorities and regulatory agencies are enacting requirements related to the storage of Li-ion batteries.īrown recommends data-center operators pay close attention to facility design if Li-ion batteries are part of the plan. And so that’s the problem we’re seeing with lithium-ion everywhere.” It’s going to burn a lot longer because it stores a lot more energy. “And the fact that it burns much hotter than lead-acid batteries it’s going to do a lot more damage. It keeps it from spreading, perhaps, but it doesn’t help,” Brown said. “We’re finding that we do not completely, truly understand all the failure modes of lithium-ion batteries at the moment, and the charging circuits are not able to cope with them all,” he said.Īs with any battery, once a Li-ion battery starts to burn, it's hard to put out. “It’s going to burn until it expends all of its energy, and just dumping water on it doesn’t really help. Li-ion batteries burn hotter than lead-acid batteries, and if the battery-containment unit is damaged, it doesn’t react well with oxygen or water, Brown said. Weigh the pros and cons of deploying Li-ion batteries. ![]() Now, lithium ion comes onto the scene, and it’s a whole different animal,” Brown said. “We learned a lot through the years with lead-acid batteries.
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