(under construction)

Description:

Automatic fire suppression in electronics control cabinets and battery systems is essential for protecting critical infrastructure and preventing catastrophic failures. These systems house sensitive components that can overheat, creating potential fire hazards due to electrical faults, thermal runaway, or short circuits. Automatic suppression provides a rapid response, immediately extinguishing fires before they spread, which minimizes damage, ensures operational continuity, and safeguards personnel. In battery systems, where fire risks are higher due to stored energy, automated systems are especially crucial for avoiding large-scale fires or explosions.

Remote management offers significant advantages for devices located in hard-to-reach areas. It eliminates the need for physical access, saving time, labor, and travel costs. Issues can be diagnosed and resolved instantly, minimizing downtime and improving operational efficiency. This is especially valuable for devices in remote or hazardous environments, where safety and accessibility are concerns. Additionally, remote management enables real-time monitoring and updates, ensuring optimal performance and reducing the risk of equipment failure, all while providing flexibility to control and adjust settings from any location.

We talked with the local branch of FirePro, an European aerosol-based fire extinguisher manufacturer. They have electrical triggerable products that are suitable to control Lithium-ion related fires. The aerosol device is complemented with a control & interface module. The controller part functions independent from the main battery system. But it's interface capabilities allow for remote telemetry access via an LVTTL/RS232 serial port. This enables extensive insight into status, temperature, voltages, settings, serial numbers and expiration dates.

Specifications:

• Drive and monitor one electronically triggered aerosol fire extinguisher unit
• Bi-color LED for status/warning/alarm indication
• Extra input for manual trigger or linear heatwire (LHW)
• 10⁺-Year maintenance-free lifespan
• 12-48V_DC power, 4kV surge protected
• 3.6V LiSOCl₂ battery as backup
• Backup 125°C bi-metal activation switch
• Automatic measurement of igniter circuit resistance (1.6Ω-3.6Ω)
• Automatic trigger pulse simulation to verify integrity of power supply & capacitor
• Latching NO/NC relay contacts to signal alarm and warning states
• Additional latching NO relay contact to signal alarm state
• Non-latching open-drain output to signal status change
• Pluggable terminal block 10-way × 3.81mm
• LVTTL RS232 telemetry link
• Conformally coated bare board 56×50mm
• Available as 'open-frame' DIN-rail mounted device
• Also possible with 65×59×35mm die-cast aluminium enclosure

Test indicator:

• Input resistance 1.9Ω ±20%
• Input power self-limited by PTC thermistor and PTC fuse (against reverse polarity)
• Input voltage 1.6-36V_DC
• Bright green LED indicator + (modest) acoustic sounder
• Optional end-of-line diode (not used for our drive circuit because of direct wiring to FP module)