How does the LFX lithium-ion fire extinguisher work?

Thanks to their ability to be recharged again and again, lithium-ion batteries are in countless modern devices – smartphones, laptops, and e-bikes to name a few. But can lithium-ion batteries catch fire? They can, and do. With lithium-ion battery fires occurring at the rate of at least six a week in the UK, it’s now recognised in the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005  that lithium-ion batteries need to be considered in all fire risk assessments in the UK. 

So how do you put out a lithium-ion battery fire, should one break out? Here, we take you through our new revolutionary CommanderEDGE LFX fire extinguisher range  and what those responsible for fire safety in environments where lithium-ion is present need to know.

How does a lithium-ion battery fire start?

Lithium-ion batteries are subject to becoming damaged and this can be done through the means of overcharging, overheating, penetrating, malfunction, or crushing a battery or device, as well as short circuits. Once the cell is damaged it begins to rapidly overheat. As soon as the temperature reaches 60°C, it enters an uncontrollable self-heating state known as thermal runaway. 

Next, large amounts of toxic and flammable gases are released and a sharp rise in temperature occurs. Very soon after, the gases burst the battery cell and almost always ignite. This fire then rapidly propagates across all the cells in the battery, causing thermal runaway in otherwise undamaged cells. The explosive nature of the molten metal triggers collateral fires to ignite and spread to surrounding areas.  

Why a lithium-ion battery fire extinguisher, specifically?

As set out in the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (RRO), all responsible person(s) have a legal duty to provide and maintain satisfactory fire precautions. This also includes the consideration of lithium-ion batteries in all fire risk assessments. As lithium-ion-battery-powered devices become more and more prevalent, the solution to the complex fires they can create is vital. 

With London Fire Brigade describing lithium-ion fires as “the fastest growing fire risk’ in the capital, there is growing concern for lithium-ion battery fire safety in the UK. Whether in a workplace that uses rechargeable devices, or a facility that stores batteries, providing and maintaining satisfactory fire precautions for any risks is vital. 

Understanding what type of fire extinguisher for lithium-ion batteries is required can help those responsible for fire safety in a business or premises mitigate those risks, protecting people and property while staying compliant. 

What makes CommanderEDGE LFX different? 

Are lithium-ion batteries safe to extinguish with a standard fire extinguisher? How much heat does a lithium-ion battery generate? And how can we prevent explosions from occurring? To design and manufacture LFX, it was vital we researched how these specific fires start, and how to extinguish a lithium-ion battery fire thoroughly. 

The LFX fire extinguisher range from CommanderEDGE is designed to tackle the unique and specific dangers of lithium-ion battery fires by stopping thermal runaway. It was also important to us that all our LFX units were fluorine-free, forming part of The Green Range, which exists to help those in the fire trade better prepare for any regulations regarding “forever chemicals”. 

After extensive development and testing, LFX has achieved NTA 8133 certification: proving the unit’s reliability and effectiveness in extinguishing lithium-ion battery fires. Excitingly, the LFX 6ltr fire extinguisher is the first extinguisher in the UK to achieve a NTA 8133 certification, and we also passed the test for our 9ltr LFX fire extinguisher.

How does LFX work?

Designed specifically for lithium-ion battery fires, the groundbreaking CommanderEDGE LFX lithium-ion battery fire extinguisher gets to work instantly:

01

Fiercely puts out the flames

It’s an effective water-based fire extinguishing agent that is excellent at putting out flames of the fire. The unit discharges the water-based agent in a foam-like manner to remove a large amount of excessive heat. 

02

It’s endothermic

This fluorine-free foam also sticks to the surface of the batteries a lot longer than water, effectively drawing out the heat, and halting thermal runaway in its infancy. It has remarkable heat-absorbing properties that break down the chain reaction in thermal runaway and prevent other cells from heating. It effectively cools cells that have already ignited as well as those that are in thermal runaway that have not yet exploded.

03 

Combats peripheral Class A fires

LFX also boasts high A Class ratings. This quickly helps protect from secondary A-class fires that have been caused by the exploding battery.

As a result, thermal runaway can be effectively stopped, extinguishing the failed batteries, and then stopping other batteries exploding. And with lithium-ion batteries now being added to the list of considerations for a fire risk assessment in the RRO, there has never been a better time for those responsible for fire safety to stock up on lithium-ion firefighting solutions.

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