Study on the Analysis of Domestic ESS Fire Causes and Review and Comparison of Domestic and Foreign Safety Management

One of the most efficient energy storage systems is ESS, which uses lithium-ion batteries but has a higher fire risk than other methods.The purpose of this study is to identify and verify the cause of ignition based on domestic and international literature surveys, field investigations, and fire cases regarding the recent increase in ESS fires, and to develop standards and weak safety criteria and secure the safety of energy storage devices (ESS).As a research method, the causes of fire and failure were divided into environmental, electrical, and thermal factors to identify the cause of ignition.In addition, variables that have a negative impact on the operation of ESS fire prevention were inferred and verified to identify vulnerabilities.Then, measures were proposed to develop standards and weak safety criteria and secure the safety of ESS.The research results from such investigation and analysis revealed that ESS fires are closely related to the system's installation environment.As for the detailed causes, first, in terms of rapid combustion expansion, thermal runaway in a single cell, module, rack, or unit, failure of the ESS management system (BMS, PCS, EMS), failure of the forced ventilation or exhaust system, and fire caused by high temperature inside the connection cable or electrical panel were discovered, and second, in terms of long-term fire persistence, failure of smoke detectors, fire detectors, fire extinguishing equipment, or gas detectors were identified.In addition, it was discovered that lithiumion batteries, which are vulnerable to heat as an environmental factor, have the potential for thermal runaway in a high-temperature environment.Therefore, to secure the safety of ESS, it is necessary to establish a thorough safety management system, strengthen safety standards, introduce a certification system, and maintain regulations and standards.In particular, regulations and certification standards that are being strengthened domestically and internationally require efforts to continuously improve the safety of ESS through continuous technological development and regulatory improvement.To this end, it will be necessary to develop test items for safety and establish infrastructure to conduct tests related to KC certification.