Standard for Battery Containment Enclosures

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Standards Development Organisation:
ULC Standards
Contact Information:
ULC Standards Normes ULC
Working Program:
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Designation Number:
ANSI/CAN/UL/ULC 1487
Standard Type:
National Standard of Canada - Domestic
Standard Sub-Type
Joint Canada-U.S. National Standard
Standard Development Activity:
New Standard
ICS code(s):
21.180
13.220.40
29.220
53.080
Status:
Proceeding to development
SDO Comment Period Start Date:
SDO Comment Period End Date:
Posted On:

Scope:

    1. These requirements address the performance of a battery containment enclosure, as defined in this Standard, to mitigate of the heat, fire and internal deflagration hazards generated by thermal runaway of lithium-ion cells, batteries, battery packs, battery powered devices or combinations thereof, placed within it.
    2. A battery containment enclosure evaluated per this standard may be used for storage of lithium-ion cells, batteries, battery packs and battery powered devices containing Class A materials. A battery containment enclosure shall not be used for combined storage of lithium-ion cells, batteries, battery packs or battery powered devices with combustible or flammable liquids, acids, bases, combustible metals or dusts, compressed gases, or other hazardous materials.
    3. These requirements shall provide an estimation of the total volume and volume release rate of thermal runaway effluent gas, as defined in this Standard, that is released into the space or environment surrounding a battery containment enclosure.

1.4 These requirements do not cover:

a) Energy storage systems covered by UL 9540; and

b) Uninterruptable power supplies covered by UL 1778 or IEC 62040-1.

1.5 These requirements address the efficacy of internal or inherent active or passive suppression systems, detection systems, signaling systems or other safety systems only in the context of the battery containment enclosure product within which they are installed and used.

1.6 These requirements shall not supersede applicable transportation, packaging and shipping regulations enacted by the agency having jurisdiction for transporting lithium-ion cells, batteries, battery packs, or battery-powered devices. Battery containment enclosures used for transportation or shipping of lithium-ion cells, batteries, battery packs, or battery-powered devices shall be evaluated by the applicable transportation, packaging and shipping regulations and standards.

1.7 These requirements do not address the toxicity hazards of lithium-ion battery thermal runaway.

Project need:

As various devices migrate from line voltage or internal combustion power to battery power, the safe storage of batteries in laboratory, commercial and industrial environments is becoming a greater concern due to the energy potential contained in the rechargeable cells. The batteries pose a risk of thermal runaway and subsequent fire and explosion, which must be mitigated. The reason for this standardization activity is to develop test methodologies for performance assessment of a new range of products being designed to provide battery containment and storage to combat this risk. This standard is intended to mitigate safety concerns from consumers, producers, and authorities having jurisdiction concerning thermal runaway from lithium-ion batteries.

Note: The information provided above was obtained by the Standards Council of Canada (SCC) and is provided as part of a centralized, transparent notification system for new standards development. The system allows SCC-accredited Standards Development Organizations (SDOs), and members of the public, to be informed of new work in Canadian standards development, and allows SCC-accredited SDOs to identify and resolve potential duplication of standards and effort.

Individual SDOs are responsible for the content and accuracy of the information presented here. The text is presented in the language in which it was provided to SCC.