Protecting Lithium Batteries and Battery Packs from Runaway Thermal Events

BS&B Safety Systems

The market for lithium batteries and battery packs is booming.  With extensive applications in automotive, IT, aerospace, consumer electronics and a myriad of industrial sectors, the usage of rechargeable lithium batteries is growing throughout the world.  The market for lithium-ion batteries alone is expected to exceed $30 billion in the next few years. Read more about Protecting Lithium Batteries and Battery Packs from Runaway Thermal Events

A Review of America’s First Step Towards the Harmonization of Portable Battery Standards: UL 62133

John C. Copeland, VP/COO • Energy Assurance LLC

Although not widely publicized, Underwriter’s Laboratories (UL) released a new battery standard applicable to rechargeable lithium cells and battery packs in early January 2015.  This standard, UL 62133 (Revision 1), takes its place among other country-specific versions of the IEC 62133 international standard which has been in active use for global battery approvals for many years.  Why is this important?  After all, do we really need another battery standard?  As it turns out the answer is a definite “Yes” and is driven by a single concept – Harmonization. Read more about A Review of America’s First Step Towards the Harmonization of Portable Battery Standards: UL 62133