EVENTS
Lunchtime Webinar | Electric vehicles and risks to first responders - Paul Christensen, Newcastle University
Add to Calendar| TITLE: | Electric vehicles and risks to first responders |
| SPEAKER: | Prof. Paul Christensen, Newcastle University |
| DURATION: | 1 hour (45 min + Q&A) |
| TIME: | 13.00 to 14.00 (BST) |
| ABSTRACT: | The penetration of lithium ion batteries (LiBs) into global society has far outstripped our knowledge of the associated risks and hazards. Whilst incidents of fires and explosions involving these devices remain low, this is likely to change given the projected significant rise in their exploitation in electric vehicles and industrial and domestic battery energy storage systems. Some governments are showing a worryingly complacent attitude to the safety of their citizens and first responders in this respect. This webinar will provide a brief summary of fires and explosions involving lithium ion batteries on land, sea and in the air. The science behind LiBs will be briefly explained and the hazards of toxic gas emission, fire, explosion, stranded electrical energy and associated electrocution and arc flash explosions will be highlighted. This presentation will include videos taken by the Author during his ignition experiments at RAF Spadeadam and the UK Fire Services College using large EV modules, the latter of which showed that LiBs in thermal runaway could cause vapour cloud explosions and that such an explosion was responsible for the incidents involving the McMicken battery energy storage system in Surprise, Arizona in 2019, which badly injured two fire officers, and the installation on Merseyside, UK, in September 2020, and possibly the incident involving the battery energy storage installation on the Nathan Campus of Griffiths University in Australia in March 2020. The Author will (cautiously) offer some tips and suggestions on dealing with LiB fires and will welcome questions from the audience. |
FABIG WEBINAR SERIES
We are now organising Lunchtime Webinars on a monthly basis. As such, we are always looking for interesting presentations for our Webinar Series, so please do not hesitate to contact us at fabig@steel-sci.com if you or one of your colleagues would like to present at a future FABIG Webinar.
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Venue
Attendance Fee
This event is for FABIG members only.
FABIG members: Free
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