A Study on the Performance and Applicability of Extinguishing Agents for Lithium-Ion Battery Fire Suppression

With the rapid increase in the use of lithium-ion batteries, the number of battery fire incidents has also risen significantly. These fires are difficult to extinguish due to thermal runaway, which renders conventional firefighting methods ineffective. The most effective method for extinguishing battery fires is immersion in water; however, this approach requires a large volume of water and storage tanks, presenting spatial and practical limitations. Recently, numerous battery fires have been reported in personal mobility devices such as electric scooters and bicycles. Such fires occurring in daily life can be effectively controlled at an early stage using extinguishers equipped with wetting-type fire suppression agents. In this study, a wetting agent specifically designed for lithium-ion battery fires was developed. The developed agent was evaluated and certified through battery fire suppression tests, and two prototypes applying the agent were also produced. Fire tests on these prototypes confirmed that the developed agent exhibits excellent fire suppression performance for lithium-ion battery applications.