Experimental Study on Fire Suppression of Lithium-Ion Battery Module with Different Extinguishing Agents in Confined Space
Batteries (MDPI AG) · Yanbo Jia, Chaohui Shi et al.
Packs of three 314 Ah LFP cells were driven into thermal runaway by an 800 W heater inside a confined battery pack on a full-scale platform with a 10 MW calorimeter, with no agent, condensed aerosol, heptafluoropropane (HFC-227ea) and perfluorohexanone (FK-5-1-12).
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Overview
The study asks how different extinguishing agents perform against Li-ion battery fires in real confined spaces. Three 3.2 V/314 Ah LFP storage cells were driven into thermal runaway with an 800 W heater (per GB 36276, switched off at safety venting), with vent gas ignited. Four cases were compared: no agent, condensed aerosol (30 g, rated to protect 0.3 m³), heptafluoropropane (3 kg) and perfluorohexanone (3 kg), all delivered through pipe-fed nozzles with a coefficient of 2.0 on 12 mm pipe.
Without suppression, peak HRR reached 69.09 kW and total heat release was 8.05 MJ, with multiple deflagrations after venting in the confined space. Heptafluoropropane extinguished the flames in 12 s and perfluorohexanone in 20 s; the aerosol caused rapid flame contraction but could not prevent re-ignition. Front-surface battery temperature dropped by 147 °C with heptafluoropropane and by 230 °C with perfluorohexanone, whose liquid adhesion gave sustained cooling.
Voltage response lagged behind gas and smoke release, so the authors judge characteristic-gas monitoring more time-sensitive than voltage monitoring for early warning. All three agents showed limited ability to block heat transfer between adjacent cells, so combining fast flame knock-down with long-lasting cooling, coordinated with ventilation and explosion venting, is recommended.
Limits: one three-cell pack, one agent quantity and one configuration; results are not validated for larger modules or other confined volumes. Perfluorohexanone stands out for flame extinguishment, cooling and suppression of thermal propagation, while heptafluoropropane suits a fast-response role.
Key points
- Test cells were three 3.2 V/314 Ah LFP storage cells; thermal runaway was triggered with an 800 W heater (per GB 36276) switched off at safety venting.
- Agent quantities: aerosol 30 g (rated to protect 0.3 m³), heptafluoropropane 3 kg and perfluorohexanone 3 kg, through nozzles with a coefficient of 2.0 on 12 mm pipe.
- Without suppression, peak HRR reached 69.09 kW and total heat release was 8.05 MJ, with multiple deflagrations after venting in the confined space.
- Heptafluoropropane extinguished the flames in 12 s and perfluorohexanone in 20 s; the aerosol caused rapid flame contraction but could not prevent re-ignition.
- Front-surface battery temperature dropped by 147 °C with heptafluoropropane and by 230 °C with perfluorohexanone, whose liquid adhesion gave sustained cooling.
- Voltage response lagged behind gas and smoke release, so the authors judge characteristic-gas monitoring more time-sensitive for early warning.
- All three agents showed limited ability to block heat transfer between adjacent cells.
Using it in design
- For confined battery packs and cabinets, evaluate a fast flame-knockdown agent (such as heptafluoropropane) together with an agent or approach giving long-lasting cooling (such as perfluorohexanone); no single agent stopped heat transfer to neighbouring cells.
- Make characteristic (vent) gas detection the primary early-warning trigger rather than voltage; voltage response lagged gas and smoke release.
- Coordinate agent design with ventilation and explosion venting; multiple deflagrations were seen after venting in the confined space.
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Who should read it
Fire-safety engineers choosing extinguishing agents for confined battery packs, cabinets and BESS.
Document contents
- 1. Introduction
- 2. Experiment (2.1 Experimental Platform, 2.2 Experimental Setup, 2.3 Thermocouple Placement)
- 3. Results (3.1 Open Flame Suppression Capability, 3.2 Cooling Capacity, 3.3 Suppression Capability for Thermal Diffusion)
- 4. Conclusions
Related standards
- NFPA 2001
- NFPA 855
- GB 36276
- UL 9540A
Read the document
li-ion-module-suppression-agents-confined-space-2026.pdf
CC BY 4.0 — share with attribution
The document is provided unaltered because its licence permits redistribution.
Publication details
- Authors
- Yanbo Jia; Chaohui Shi; Lei Zhang; An Tao; Sen Hu; Huang Li
- Publisher
- Batteries (MDPI AG)
- Year
- 2026
- Volume
- 12
- Issue
- 7
- Pages
- 229
- Document language
- English
- Source type
- Scientific
- Access
- Open licence — downloadable
- Licence
- CC BY 4.0 — share with attribution
- Licence evidence
- www.mdpi.com
Original licence note
PDF p.1 states the article is distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license.
Citation
Yanbo Jia; Chaohui Shi; Lei Zhang; An Tao; Sen Hu; Huang Li (2026). Experimental Study on Fire Suppression of Lithium-Ion Battery Module with Different Extinguishing Agents in Confined Space. Batteries (MDPI AG). 12(7), 229. https://doi.org/10.3390/batteries12070229
Events on this subject
- Electricity Eurasia 2027
- The smarter E Europe (Intersolar Europe, ees Europe, Power2Drive, EM-Power)
- ISAF International 2027
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