Since July 2022, the UL 9540A method has been widely used for testing battery storage systems for commercial and industrial applications. The latest iteration of UL 9540A ensures that your battery storage systems are tested for stringent fire-safety measures, and testing your system is crucial for ensuring that your battery storage systems are accepted by the relevant code authorities. Read on to find out what you need to know about UL 9540A and why it’s so important.
New testing for battery energy storage systems
Due to the increased use of battery energy storage systems in different commercial and industrial settings, UL 9540A has become the gold standard as far as product safety is concerned. As confirmed by UL, the new test was launched for “evaluating thermal runaway fire propagation in battery energy storage systems.” Passing the test ensures that manufacturers can be compliant with new battery energy storage safety regulations while providing products that are safe for users.
One of the main reasons why UL 9540A was developed was to address the safety concerns stemming from building codes and the fire service in the United States. Specifically, UL 9540A addresses the following fundamental issues identified by the US fire service as areas of concern:
- BESS installation instructions
- Installation ventilation requirements
- Effectiveness of fire protection
- Fire service strategy and tactics
Although the new testing method was launched as a result of concerns based in the US, it is very much a global testing method for battery energy storage systems and is a key part of our manufacturing process at AceOn. The safety of our battery energy storage systems is of the utmost importance, and we welcome the recent changes and developments introduced to make systems safer across the board. With UL 9540A, there is a clear understanding of what needs to be done to ensure that shipped battery storage solutions are compliant with stringent fire safety measures.
What does the test show?
One of the main aspects of the UL 9540A test method is that the abuse of systems continues until system failure. In other words, the test is capable of understanding the extent to which a specific failure within a battery storage system propagates. In most instances, battery management systems are able to detect voltage or temperature anomalies; UL 9540A takes things further and assumes that the management system within a battery is non-functional. As a result, the test also assumes that the cells within the battery pack have reached thermal runaway. Therefore, we now have a test that can identify how a system responds to thermal runaway, which can tell us a lot about the fire safety of a battery.
Find out more about UL9540A
If you would like more information about UL 9540A, building codes, and fire safety, you can read up on the testing method here. Alternatively, if you have any questions about the safety of our battery packs and how we perform rigorous testing on the packs that we manufacture, feel free to reach out and ask one of our battery experts for more information.
