The Project
Safety Testing of Flow Batteries for Grid Storage Applications

The Client
SES Renewables is collaborating with Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL) Electrochemical Safety Research Institute (ESRI) and Redflow (link to website) to improve the understanding of performance and safety of zinc-bromine and vanadium flow batteries in grid storage applications.

The Challenge
Safety of electrochemical energy storage systems (ESS) is at the forefront of renewable operators’ and system integrators’ challenges as several high-profile lithium-ion battery fires have occurred in recent years. Flow batteries are attractive from an economic and safety perspective as the technology is purported to be much less susceptible to thermal runaway than conventional li-ion ESS. However, the performance and safety characteristics need to be verified by independent third parties in the context of safety standards such as UL 9540A.

The Solution
SES Renewables and UL are engaged in research studies to determine the behavior of zinc-bromine and vanadium flow batteries under aging, overcharge, external short circuit, and external heating conditions. This work is being performed at SES’s Waller Test Facility in Texas.

The Testing Process
During the testing program, SES Renewables:

• Collaborated with UL and Redflow to develop detailed test procedures and instrumentation plans to meet the testing goals.
• Conducted safety and environmental reviews of the test setup and expected test behavior to determine safe operation of the abuse tests and subsequent disposal of abused batteries.
• Performed post-test analysis of the resulting thermal and electrical behavior under the off-nominal conditions to identify and classify flow battery hazards.

The Impact
SES Renewables provided proven technical experience and project management to determine the safety and performance characteristics of two representative flow batteries for the development of the UL 9540A test standard. Click here for a recent press release.

At SES Renewables, we are a passionate, multidisciplinary team of expert problem-solvers ready to tackle your most challenging technical problems. We pride ourselves on our innovative engineering solutions, which elevate the way businesses operate. Since 1972, we have provided forward-thinking solutions for companies and industries requiring in-depth technical knowledge and proven performance in engineering design and analysis, thermal and fluid sciences, instrumentation, and testing.