VEHICLES WITH ELECTRICAL DRIVE

BACKGROUND

The invention concerns a device for extinguishing fire in energy storage devices of vehicles with electrical drive (subsequent often exemplified as batteries), consisting of walls to be mounted around the vehicle to shape a pool that can be filled with water to cool down the temperature in the batteries, stop the thermal runaway and extinguish the fire. The device also keeps the waste extinguishing agent with toxic substances and electricity safely away from rescue responders during firefighting, and provides the opportunity to afterwards collect the waste extinguishing agent for correct disposal.

Fire in energy storage devices of vehicles with electrical drive may occur during charging, in particular during fast charging, or after a collision or damage to the battery. This kind of fire is extremely challenging to extinguish due to "thermal runaway" that occurs in the batteries; When one battery cell is heated enough, a chain reaction occurs and the cells ignite each other, and in addition the battery cells themselves produce all four elements to keep the fire going - oxygen, combustible material, heat and chemical reaction.

Cooling down the temperature is a way to extinguish such a fire, but with traditional extinguishing methods it is not possible to reach the batteries with enough water to cool them down. Large amounts of toxic gases are released to air by thermal runaway.

Especially dangerous is the gas hydrogen fluoride, which has the ability to penetrate firefighter clothing, skin and muscles. Even smaller exposures can cause life-threatening systemic damage in addition to local etch damage. This affects cellular metabolism and leads to cell death or necrosis, as well as systemic damage related to hypocalcemia. The gas has a direct cardiovascular effect and may cause arrhythmias. 1/5 of the exposed amount remains in the body. Toxic emissions to air can also hurt other living creatures and the environment. Today the large amount of extinguishing agent that is used in the attempt to extinguish the fire brings many toxic substances from the batteries into the groundwater. This means that it is extremely important to extinguish such a fire as soon as possible, and to be able to collect the waste extinguishing agent for proper disposal.

DISCLOSED AND KNOWN DEVICES

CN202207410U discloses an automobile-used battery pack fire extinguisher. The fire extinguisher comprises a water spraying device, a human body protection tool and a movable coffer, wherein the water spraying device is used for spraying water onto an in- vehicle afire battery pack for fire extinguishing; the movable coffer stops and collects water sprayed by the water spraying device and prevents water from flowing all around to cause electric shocks. The device in CN202207410U uses the coffer to prevent the extinguishing water from flowing and cause electric shock, not to collect extinguishing agent to cool down the temperature in the batteries as a method to extinguish the fire, or to collect the waste extinguishing agent for proper disposal, as the present invention discloses. CN204050730U discloses a fire extinguishing system comprising a temperature detector and a water spraying fire extinguishing apparatus comprising a water storage tank.

CN204050730U does not allow full drowning of the batteries to stop thermal runaway, as the present invention discloses. The device in CN204050730U is not portable in any way, and it would be necessary to have the complete device installed at every parking spot to ensure the intended function of it.

JP2013136266A and EP2624332A1 disclose extinction structures of an electric vehicle configured to supply extinguishing agent directly to the battery pack to immerse and cool down the temperature in the batteries. These solutions must be mounted during the production of the cars, and cannot be used to extinguish fire in cars without pre- installation, as the present invention discloses.

NO20161913 discloses a textile blanket to arrange with a car jack under a vehicle in fire, which should be attached by ropes, and filled with water to extinguish the fire. As this solution requires the vehicle to be jacked up with a car jack, the firefighters who are working to get this device in place will be heavily exposed to the extremely toxic substances released from the batteries during a fire, the extinguishing time becomes longer than necessary, and toxic emissions into the air and into extinguishing water will also be higher than necessary. It is also difficult to place underneath a vehicle where vehicles are tightly parked. The present invention overcomes these disadvantages by mounting the side walls of the device according to the invention around the vehicle without having to jack up the vehicle with a car jack. Also, the present invention is easy to use where vehicles are tightly parked. This means the extinguishing time will be heavily reduced, emergency responders do not have to stay close to the burning vehicle over time and be exposed to toxic substances, and health, life, environment and values can be saved.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention consists of walls 01 to be mounted around the vehicle 02 to shape a pool that can be filled with extinguishing agent to cool down the temperature in the batteries, stop the thermal runaway, and if a fire has occurred, extinguish the fire. The device also keeps the waste extinguishing agent with toxic substances and electricity safely away from rescue responders during firefighting, and provides the opportunity to afterwards collect the waste water for correct disposal. To make sure the batteries can be completely submerged in water, the walls 01 are taller than the location of the batteries in the vehicle 02 the device is intended for. The device can be mounted around a vehicle 02 after a fire has occurred, or the device, or parts of it, can be pre-installed in exposed areas such as charging stations, auto repair shops, ferries and so on, to make the assembly of the device faster when it is needed. The device can consist of one or several portable or fixed pieces, and it can be mounted manually, semi- automatic, or fully automatic. The walls 01 are waterproof, they resist high temperatures and exposure to flames, and can be chemical resistant and electrically non-conductive. The walls 01 can also comprise connecting devices 05 for firefighting equipment or/and waste disposal equipment, such as fire hoses and/or pumping hoses. In order to avoid leaking of extinguishing agent and other substances out of the device, all parts of the device can be sealed against each other and against the bottom with sealing-means. Such sealing-means are known to a person skilled in the art. Fixing means, connectors and all other materials used for the described application, including resistance to the extinguishing agent, expected chemicals, temperature and pressure are known and used by a person skilled in the art. Additional means, such as flaps and similar, may also help to avoid leaking. When the bottom frame 03 or the floor 11 is fixed, the bottom frame 03 or the floor 11 can comprise a drainage for dirt, as dirt may occur from the environment over time when pre-installed, and the drain openings can be closed by the walls 01 when the walls 01 are mounted, or by any other sealing methods. The device can consist of one single piece, like a flexible wall with fixing means included, or of multiple devices that together forms a pool. The device can be used to stop thermal runaway in all kind of batteries where thermal runaway may occur, not only in vehicle batteries. figure 1 shows the device according to the invention, where the walls 01 are mounted around a vehicle 02 to shape a pool that can be filled with water to cool down the temperature in the batteries, stop thermal runaway and extinguish the fire.

Figure 2 shows an embodiment where portable or fixed walls 01 are mounted in guide profiles 04 on a portable or fixed bottom frame 03 or floor 11, or to the ground in any way that ensures appropriate waterproofness. The walls 01 can hold connecting devices 05 for firefighting equipment or/and waste disposal equipment, such as fire hoses and pumping hoses. If the bottom frame 03 is fixed, it may comprise drainage for dirt, and the drain openings are closed when the walls 01 are mounted, or by any other sealing methods. Figure 3 shows an embodiment of a partially automatic or fully automatic device, which comprises a bottom frame 03, solid floor 11, sensors 10 for correct positioning of the vehicle, a top frame 09 which is positioned at the ground when not in use and pulls up the walls 01 with for example lifting units 12 when in use, smoke-, heat- or hydrogen fluoride sensors 08 with connected warning lights 07 and direct warning to the

responsible personnel where the device is located, and a release- and/or reset button 06.

Figure 4 shows a fixed embodiment where one or several walls 01 are openable and closable for driving the vehicle in and/or out. The embodiment can hold smoke-, heat- og hydrogen fluoride detectors 08, and other technical sensors as described in figure 3. The walls 01 can be attached to a floor 11, but also to a bottom frame 03, or directly to the ground in any way that ensures appropriate waterproofness. This fixed embodiment can also be portable, if mounted on a car trailer or similar. Figure 5 shows a fully portable embodiment with walls 01, bottom frame 03, inner flaps 13 to help keep the water in place, and loops 14 to help keep the walls up. This embodiment can be attached to the ground with fixing means such as weights, magnets, tar, glue, suction cups or any other fixing means that ensures appropriate

waterproofness. It can be held up by ropes and loops 14, suctions cups, poles, cranes, drones or any other stabile support.

Figure 6 shows a fully portable embodiment with channels 15 that can be filled with air/gas or water. The channels 15 can also be located along the entire lower part of the embodiment, in order to be filled with water as a weight to keep the embodiment in place at the ground. Also, the entire wall can exist of channels 15 to be filled with air/gas to lift the walls 01 and keep them up.

Another embodiment has the possibility to cover the whole device with for example a cover or a roof to avoid escaping of gases and/or smoke and to isolate the fire. The cover can comprise gas filters, to vent out the built up gas pressure with reduced toxic emissions to air. With such an embodiment the vehicle can be parked under a protective atmosphere to isolate the fire as well as to protect the vehicle of aging process.

Other embodiments are where the whole device or parts of the device are mounted above parking places, with possibilities to lower it down and fasten it to the ground around the car.

Other embodiments have water mist/fog spraying systems mounted above or/and around the fixed bottom frame 03 or the floor 11, in order to reduce the amount of toxic emissions to air in case of fire, and in this way, make the firefighting more health- and environment friendly. The spraying system mounted above is tall enough for the vehicle to fit underneath. The device can be performed as a modular construction system, with side walls of different sizes to adjust the device effectively to different sizes and kinds of vehicles such lorries, buses, passenger cars, motorcycles, bicycles, airplanes and so on.

Other embodiments make use of buildings and structures. For example, by using house walls, the garage, and similar, side walls respectively parts for the device according the invention.