The Battery and Energy Storage Technology (BEST) Test and Commercialization Center, owned by the New York Battery and Energy Storage Technology Consortium (NY-BEST) and managed by DNV, recently expanded its testing capabilities to include a “battery cell burn and abuse test” facility at its Rochester-based test laboratory. The facility has received ISO17025 accreditation for the expanded test capability per ANSI/CAN/UL 9540A – Test Method for Evaluating Thermal Runaway Fire Propagation in Battery Energy Storage Systems.
The new facility at the lab enables DNV to utilize a safe and controlled testing environment to test thermal runaway behavior of battery cells under extreme conditions that could potentially lead to battery fires. These conditions include overheating, nail penetration and electrical abuse. This testing provides important information about cell safety, as well as the flammability and composition of the gases released during such events.
The testing service enables developers and battery system manufacturers to verify that their systems are safe and ready for deployment. DNV’s burn and abuse services are customizable, and can be used during product development, to verify inputs for fire and explosion studies, or as a UL 9540A certification test. DNV can test very large cells up to 300 Ah.
One of the first customers to utilize the new capabilities at the BTCC was Arizona Public Services Company (APS). APS conducted thermal runaway testing and gas and flammability analysis on large battery cells it plans to use in 663-MWh of battery energy storage system (BESS) installations.
“The wide deployment of battery storage systems is a lynchpin of the energy transition; DNV’s Energy Transition Outlook expects that storage capacity will increase by 160% over the next 30 years as we transition to an all-electric economy,” said Richard S. Barnes, Regional President, Energy Systems North America at DNV. “Ensuring battery safety will become even more important as they become more prevalent in our homes, businesses, and cars. The BTCC’s new facility will enhance the ability of battery manufacturers and project owners to ensure the safety of their products and projects.”
