UL 1973 (Standard for Batteries Used in Stationary, Vehicle Auxiliary Power, and Light Rail (LER) Applications) is the safety standard for energy storage systems. It sets out the detailed requirements that ESS manufacturers must meet in order to obtain safety certification. UL1973 certification ensures that the ESS system is safe and reliable to use under actual conditions. In order to ensure the safety, reliability and proper operation of the battery components of the ESS system, UL1973 must be complied.
In short, the UL 9540A test evaluates the risk of thermal runaway and fire spread in the battery energy storage system, and gradually conducts larger-scale fire tests at the battery, module and unit level; UL 1973 is suitable for fixing the battery and evaluating The ability of the battery system to operate safely under normal and abnormal conditions involving electrical, mechanical and environmental safety, and the test types are wider.
Why choose UL1973 certified products
UL1973 Certification and Safety of Energy Storage Battery
safety testingstandards can greatly reduce the risk of explosion, fire and other accidents in the use and transportation of battery packs. Compared with the general energy storage system, the overall safety has been greatly improved.
obtained UL1973 certification, which means that battery manufacturers have established a complete quality management system and standardized production processes, which to a certain extent reflects that the energy storage system that meets the certification has better product quality.
UL9540, especially UL9540A directly concerned with fire safety, the UL1973 standard covers a wider range and requires engineering teams to spend a lot of time preparing tests to check "all aspects of battery safety", which is difficult for ordinary small and medium-sized enterprises to implement.
UL1973 certification gives consumers confidence in the safety and quality of the battery. The market acceptance of related products has promoted the wider adoption of energy storage technology, further expanding the integration of renewable energy into the grid.
some developed countries to incorporate UL standards into the compulsory certification catalogue, such as UL1973 for electric vehicle battery safety regulations. This makes the battery without UL certificate may face market entry barriers.
For some major projects, the procurement of components often involves many criteria. UL 1973 simplifies the certification process for energy storage systems. The standard provides clear guidelines and requirements that allow for a more effective and consistent assessment of the safety aspects of different projects. This can speed up the development process, reduce potential delays, and make the energy storage system more smoothly integrated into the grid or other applications.
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UL1973 certification and energy storage battery safety
UL 1973 contains a range of structural parameters, including requirements for non-metallic materials, corrosion-resistant metal components, enclosures, wiring and terminals, electrical separation and circuit separation, insulation and protective grounding, protective circuits and controls, cooling/thermal management, electrolyte sealing, battery construction, and system safety analysis.
UL 1973 tested a series of safety performance tests in energy storage solutions, including electrical tests, such as overcharge test, short circuit test, overdischarge protection test, temperature and operating limit inspection test, unbalanced charge test, Dielectric voltage test, continuity test, cooling/thermal stability system failure test and operating voltage measurement can fully verify the safety performance of the battery. In addition, UL 1973 requires testing of electrical components; including locked rotor testing, input, leakage current, strain relief testing, and push-back relief testing of low voltage direct current (DC) fans/motors in secondary circuits.
UL1973 can effectively prevent batteries, modules and systems from causing thermal runaway, fire and explosion under abnormal conditions. Compliance with this standard significantly reduces the safety hazard of energy storage battery fire and explosion.
UL 1973 requires two fire exposure tests: an external fire exposure test and an internal fire exposure test. The purpose of the external fire test is to ensure that the ESS does not explode from exposure to hydrocarbon pool/bush fires. In an external test, a fully charged ESS was subjected to a heptane pool fire or other similar hydrocarbon fuel pool fire for 20 minutes. The fuel is contained in a pan 24 inches below the ESS, and its size (diameter) is sufficient to cover the size of the ESS. After 20 minutes of exposure, the ESS was hose-flushed in accordance with UL 263, "Hose Flow Test for Fire Testing Standards for Building Structures and Materials," to represent a firefighter response to a fire that the system might encounter during exposure.
Theinternal fire test is designed to demonstrate how the ESS can prevent a single battery failure within the battery system from causing a fire and/or explosion. In the internal fire test, the fully charged energy storage solution was heated until an internal battery cell located in the center of the ESS thermally ran out of control. Once thermal runaway begins, the mechanism used to produce thermal runaway is turned off or stopped, and the ESS is subjected to an observation period of one hour. During this observation period, the flame did not spread or cause an explosion.
regulators, building codes, and insurance companies often require UL 1973 certification for energy storage projects. Obtaining certification demonstrates compliance with recognized safety standards and helps speed up the licensing and approval process.
TheUL1973 standard makes clear requirements on the mechanical strength and protection level of the battery to ensure the safety of the battery pack to the user and equipment during use. To pass crush and impact tests without causing injury to personnel. Set the overcharge and overdischarge protection function to prevent equipment damage. The standard requires circuit protection to avoid accidents caused by battery misuse or accidental damage. At the same time, it is required to adopt fire and explosion-proof design, use flame retardant materials, and focus on protecting the safety of battery operators and equipment used.
UL1973 certification and energy storage battery reliability
a. Improve energy storage battery reliability and performance
to the UL1973 standard, the performance indicators of the battery, such as capacity, internal resistance, charge and discharge efficiency, are clearly defined. Achieving this certification means that the battery has long-lasting power generation performance. At the same time, through the cycle life test, to ensure that the battery life cycle is long, long-lasting. The reliability of the battery is greatly improved.
UL1973 puts forward the requirement of at least a certain number of battery cycle life, and some safety tests are carried out again after different cycles to verify the long-term stability of the battery. This ensures that the battery does not experience severe degradation in service for a long time.
can greatly reduce the probability of battery failure and reduce maintenance costs. The UL1973 standard also stipulates that the protection function should be designed to avoid unnecessary protection actions and reduce unnecessary maintenance caused by false alarms. This further improves the reliability and usability of the battery.
