Comparative study on fire suppression of NCA18650 lithium-ion battery by several fire extinguishing agents

With the development of lithium-ion battery (LIB) technology, the disadvantage resulting from thermal runaway under various abuses has also emerged. Thermal runaway can generally lead to fires and/or even explosions, which seriously endangers human life and property safety. In order to mitigate the consequences, it is imperative to study on effective fire extinguishing agents. Short-chain fluorocarbon surfactants were used to prepare PF solutions as an innovative agent. By comparing these solutions with water mist, PF, and F500, the thermal runaway and fire extinguishing process of NCA batteries were studied. The suppression effect of these solutions on the thermal runaway of LIBs was also analyzed. The results showed that both instantaneous and continuous cooling effects of water mist are the best, but the internal reactions of LIBs are intense. The PF and F500 greatly reduced the heat release rate of the battery through chemical inhibition. After being released, PF has a continuous chemical inhibitory effect on the thermal runaway of the battery, which also has a good effect on preventing the thermal propagation of LIBs. These findings can be used as a useful reference for the safety and effective preparation of extinguishing agents for NCA batteries.