Derivation and Application of Functional Requirements for Fire-Suppression Test Facilities for Metal and Lithium Battery Fires

Metal fires, primary lithium batteries, and lithium-ion batteries show different fire behavior and suppression behavior; hence, test facilities must be suitably tailored to evaluate specific hazards. In this study, the functional requirements for fire-suppression test facilities were derived on the basis of established regulations and standards, results of previous studies, field surveys, and fire-suppression tests. These functional requirements were applied to the design of a new dry facility and to the assessment of the potential use of an existing wet facility for battery fire-suppression testing. The dry facility required functions related to water control, thermal and blast protection, emission management, remote testing, and pre-/post-test specimen handling. In the existing wet facility, potential linkages among existing systems for battery fire-suppression testing were examined by mapping the available functions to the functional requirements, and items requiring further assessment were identified as water supply and drainage, emission treatment, and prolonged cooling and quarantine. This study reviews and presents a procedure for translating heterogeneous evidence into functional requirements and for linking them to both new-facility design and the utilization of an existing facility.