Elaborate exercise with the ADAC and the Hochburg/Ach fire department
We are always happy when we can test our VLITEX fire blankets in realistic situations. Not infrequently, such missions turn out differently than expected and we learn a lot. And as a result, we can use the insights gained to improve our products, include better instructions, or point out special challenges. Even and especially when a fire event does not follow the script.
And so we met at the end of September in a quarry in Austria. We invited experts to follow our test of the VLITEX Car Service Set from different angles. The local fire department from Hochburg/Ach ensured that the highest safety requirements were met.
Accident vehicle battery fire
What did we have planned?
The ADAC had provided us with an e-car from a Chinese manufacturer that had been demolished in a crash test. We wanted to simulate the following situation: The battery ignites after the accident, for example, during transport on the tow truck. For this risky transport we have developed our VLITEX Car Service Set Premium M. In it should be packed the vehicle. We wanted to show how this can protect the surrounding area from the effects of fire.
With drawn C-pipe firefighters from Hochburg stood ready and were supported in the securing measures by friendly fire departments. And even a container was ready.
Exercise procedure
Step 1 – Prepare vehicle
What did we have planned?
The ADAC had provided us with an e-car from a Chinese manufacturer that had been demolished in a crash test. We wanted to simulate the following situation: The battery ignites after the accident, for example, during transport on the tow truck. For this risky transport we have developed our VLITEX Car Service Set Premium M. In it should be packed the vehicle. We wanted to show how this can protect the surrounding area from the effects of fire.
With drawn C-pipe firefighters from Hochburg stood ready and were supported in the securing measures by friendly fire departments. And even a container was ready.
Step 2 – Set battery on fire
There was professional ignition and quite honestly – it was not easy to light the battery. And since the car was completely packed except for a small opening through which the battery should be reached, it is difficult to determine what exactly is burning there now. Plastic bumper, seats or maybe actually the battery? It was to be expected that the oxygen in the vehicle would be quickly consumed, thus suffocating the conventional fire. Does the battery get so hot that the chemical reaction of a cell leads to a chain reaction?
It was a matter of patience and observation. We see little smoke billowing out from under the ceiling. Now and then a violent bang. But we keep seeing the ceiling inflate because gases are escaping. “Unfortunately” not the expected inferno of a thermal runaway.
The ceiling withstands everything that goes on inside it. Thermal imaging cameras and drones are used to constantly monitor the scene. We measure just 100 – 200 °C at the surface. Things are happening, but too little for our taste. So after about 1.5 hours, we decide to loosen the lacing and fuel the fire with oxygen.
Step 3 – “Ventilate
So we untie the lacing and remove the top blanket. The additional oxygen causes the fire to flare up and spread inside. However, explosions of battery cells are not increasing.
Step 4 – “Watering
Then water comes into play. And as we know from other contexts (To the Albero project), this promotes battery response. So our e-car finally catches fire and the battery cells explode with loud thuds. The “spectacle” is over after about 2.5 hours.
This is what we have learned
The battery’s state of charge could not be checked in advance. So again, our findings are not necessarily applicable to every vehicle and every battery fire. However, we can say quite clearly that our VLITEX Car Service Set Premium M keeps the Thermal Runaway under cover and literally prevents the fire from spreading inside the car due to the lack of oxygen.
Further information
The ADAC reports on the test in Motorwelt 1/2022.
Photos: (c) ADAC / Marc Wittkowski
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