Lithium Batteries: A new approach to risk & safety

Transcription

1 Intertek Cleeve Road, Leatherhead, Surrey KT22 7SB UK

2 Introduction... 2 Preproduction and supplier / manufacturer considerations... 2 Theoretical modelling of Lithium Batteries*... 8 Product quality lifecycle... 3 Popular misconceptions in the marketplace... 4 Make Note: Battery Capacity Regulation 1103/2010 for Europe... 5 FAQs... 5 Resource for your Consideration... 8 How Intertek can help Contact us

3 Introduction Lithium battery technology has proven to be the preferred power source in a variety of applications. From powering life-saving medical devices to Electric Vehicles, and yet so few organisations consider the safety implications of employing these powerful products. Unfortunately, due to this lack of knowledge about battery technology, some incidents gained unfortunate media attention whereby the blame was squarely pointed at lithium batteries instead of the actual cause. The purpose of this paper to help your company minimise incident and product recall due to lithium battery failure and hopefully protect your company from any unforeseen reputational risks. Note: This paper does not consider the packaging requirements for lithium batteries transportation.. Preproduction and supplier / manufacturer considerations Before testing can even be considered, you have to pay attention to an often overlooked aspect of lithium batteries the manufacturing stage. Any battery manufacturer with a Quality System to the ISO 9000 series is in a good starting place, but arguably, they face tougher scrutiny in the marketplace from their supply chain and the authorities because battery failures have been so widely covered in the media. They must demonstrate the integrity of their products with the due diligence of a world-class manufacturer. So the following questions need to be answered by the manufacturer: Do I have visibility of the engineering changes which might occur? (For example, can I prove that a polymer is still the same, x amount of time after the initial production?) Can I prove compliance to a Battery Certification Scheme? (For example, does the manufacturer employ a CTIA Certification?) Does the cell and/or battery pack have sufficient protection incorporated into the design so that it does not solely depend on protection afforded of an external component (like the end-product charger/ power supply)? Does the end application pose a high risk to customers and my company? 2

4 Has a battery expert performed an assessment of the factory? Do I employ robust goods in/out inspection processes? Does my company employ an inspection process at every stage of product release? What is CTIA Certification? Testing, inspection and review is the culmination of effort to ensure CTIA certification is a requirement for confidence in the safety and reliability manufacturers that supply cells, of a product before placing it on the batteries, adapters, and devices to market; however assurance in the leading telecommunication providers in concept-to-life processes will help the United States. ensure the on-going integrity of your brand and product, by demonstrating your commitment to expert third party review of your production. Risk can never be 100% eliminated but minimising it adds value to your company and clients. Evidence of testing is just part of a bigger solution. In short, take control of your product s quality life cycle! CTIA IEEE 1725 covers the Requirements for Rechargeable Batteries for Cellular Telephones. CTIA IEEE 1625 covers the Requirements for Rechargeable Batteries for Laptop and Tablet Computers. These requirements also regulate the contents of battery design, production, assembly, leakage protection, overcharge, mechanical performance, and quality control. Product quality lifecycle The market has varying definitions of a Product Life Cycle. We will look at it from a quality and safety standpoint. What is the product quality lifecycle? It looks at the idea of breaking down the life of a product in various stages, from (1) concept, (2) supplier and market evaluation or how you will grow the demand, 3

5 (3) taking your product to market maturity through sales and increased profitability and (3) finally removing or reducing the product after a certain time. Different departments will typically have increased prominence during certain stages, for example, Research and Development will be involved during the concept / idea stage whereas Sales will be involved during the maturity stage. However, and this is often overlooked, the Risk and Compliance or Quality Department will be involved during the ENTIRE lifespan of the product. It has to be involved during the concept stage to start creating the risk and quality protocol, it will need to make sure the proper contracts are in place for suppliers, it needs to maintain control of quality during the product lifespan and removal from market to minimise risk and increase value to their clients. Of course, these are only examples, but the point is that testing is only a small part of that process. Companies need to know WHAT processes they need to employ during the Product Quality Life Cycle and HOW it should be rolled out and controlled. If you think you have this in place great! The next step is to ask and independent battery expert where improvements can and should be made. Popular misconceptions in the marketplace As with most electrical products, most producers and service providers of batteries follow long-held beliefs for product safety which, although well-intentioned, are ultimately flawed. The sooner companies realise this, the sooner they can minimise risk to their brand and the consumer. The following are popular beliefs in the market: Products constructed of CE Marked components are safe. Testing is the only evidence needed to prove product is ready for market. Producers bear no responsibility if the component manufacturer makes design or material changes. ISO 9000 Quality System held by manufacturers of the final build and/or components is sufficient proof of reliable quality. To the above, the market needs to realise that: 1. Although it is good practice combining CE Marked components, you effectively create a brand new product so a full re-evaluation is needed. This sounds like common sense engineering but it is surprising how many reputable manufacturers and design authorities get this wrong. 4

6 2. Historically, some companies use testing as the be-all and end-all in terms of their compliance effort. You must have visibility over the full life cycle of the product in terms of sustained quality and safety. 3. Again, having no visibility of the product life cycle will lead to increased risk as you must engineering changes must be controlled and remain transparent. 4. ISO 9000/1 is a good start. Producers must have deeper control of the manufacturing process during the Product Life Cycle by including enhanced technical assessment of the auditing process. Quality processes should vary depending on the type of product on the production line and should include FAT inspections or bespoke inspections to ensure the quality system and changes to quality programs are transparent and applicable to the endproduct. Make Note: Battery Capacity Regulation 1103/2010 for Europe It is also important to be aware of this legislation when considering the suitability of your battery product for the European marketplace. It concerns portable and automotive batteries and accumulators. It means capacity labelling information is required through harmonised and repeatable methods to ensure fair competition and consistent quality. There are exemptions from capacity labelling, but for secondary lithium cells and batteries for portable applications, IEC/EN can be used to ensure compliance with the regulation and the repeatability of testing. FAQs Which Standards should my company consider? Being in receipt of a UN 38.3 certificate is a mandatory when shipping lithium cells and/or batteries. And no, there are no testing exemptions no matter how small the battery or shipping consignment. The latter is quite important as companies interpret the exemptions under the PACKAGING INSTRUCTIONS to mean that they do not have to test the batteries prior to transport. Tip! Anticipating which testing Standard to use is an opportunity to open up your product to more markets and not just ticking a compliance box. Before deciding on a standard, consider (1) the markets or countries you are selling to and (2) the end-product in which the battery will be used. 5

7 The market or country you will sell to will indicate which certification schemes you should anticipate adding to your testing program, and The end-product standard will ultimately dictate which standards you should use. For example, IEC requires that a rechargeable lithium battery be tested to IEC For battery manufacturers, will need to test to UN 38.3 to transport their product but will also need to test to the battery standards to open up their market. For device manufacturers, they will need to ensure that the cell and/or battery pack has all the proper and current certification to ensure a safe and legal placed on the marketplace. Here are some standards which could apply: Non-rechargeable Lithium Batteries (Primary) Battery cell Battery pack IEC/EN IEC/EN UL 1642 UL2054 Rechargeable Lithium Batteries (Secondary) Battery Cell IEC/EN IEC/EN UL 1642 Battery Pack IEC/EN IEC/EN UL 2054 Not only are there different standards for different chemistries and types but more often than not, different markets or industries have specific standards which they require. If you are not sure which to use, contact your test and certification partner for advice. How does testing impact my delivery timeline? GOLDEN RULE: When testing a battery pack you have to ensure all the cells have been tested first to the same or compatible standard. Most testing standards take approximately 4 to 6 weeks per battery type to complete. Here is the testing period for UN 38.3 testing 6

8 Now factor in that if you intend to test a pack (4 6 weeks) but do not have the relevant certification for the cells then you have another 4 to 6 weeks to add to your test plan. Therefore as mentioned previously in this paper, everyone should make a concerted effort in the early concept stages to work closely with battery testing and certification experts to help eliminate problems, such as missing certification, which could be critical to meet deadlines. Why is IEC important? It is becoming the standard of choice for rechargeable batteries (Lithium and NiMH). What is the relationship between UN 38.3 and IEC nd Edition? IEC now requires UN 38.3 compliance evidence. Other end-product standards are now calling for full compliance to IEC and will not accept battery to only be tested within the application. Conclusions Awareness of why products fail testing and compliance requirements enables battery designers to design for compliance which will Reduce the time it takes to successfully assess a battery Lower compliance assessment costs Improve the market access possibilities for the product Reduce the likelihood of failure, protecting your brand and increasing customer confidence. 7

9 Resource for your Consideration Theoretical modelling of Lithium Batteries* We include here an extract from a useful document for battery manufacturers. The full version can be obtained on line. *Source: Modelling the Lithium-Ion Battery White Paper, by Dr Andreas Nyman, Intertek; Dr Henrik Ekström, Comsol and Ed Fontes Before investing a fortune launching a new series of lithium batteries, battery and device manufacturers can use modelling and simulation to make improvements in their design. For a battery manufacturer, modelling and simulations improve the design of cells and modules, for example, by identifying limitations in a suggested design. This results in the intuition for a system that is required for making vital improvements. For instance, the designer can study the influence of different geometries, electrode materials, pore distribution, electrolyte composition, and other fundamental parameters. The manufacturer may eventually use the models to optimize the battery design with respect to these parameters. For device manufacturers, who incorporate batteries in products and devices, modelling allows to simulate performance at relevant operating conditions. Also here, the first step may be to get an intuition for a system while the second step may be to use validated models to select the proper battery system and to optimize and control the operation of this system. Simulations are crucial for the application expert s work in selecting batteries and in designing proper automatic control of the battery system for different devices and purposes. Importers shall ensure that the appropriate conformity assessment procedure has been carried out by the manufacturer. They shall also ensure that the manufacturer has drawn up the technical documentation and have access to it, that the apparatus bears the CE marking and is accompanied by the required documents. 8

10 Standards Non-Rechargeable Batteries (Primary) Standards Standard Application / Industry* Description IEC/EN UL 1642 UL 2054 General General General Rechargeable Batteries (Secondary) Standards Primary batteries Part 4: Safety of lithium batteries UL Safety Testing of Lithium Batteries UL UL Standard for Safety for Household and Commercial Batteries Standard Application / Industry* Description IEC/EN Electric Vehicle Secondary lithium-ion cells for the propulsion of electric road vehicles Part 1: Performance testing IEC/EN Electric Vehicle Secondary lithium-ion cells for the propulsion of electric road vehicles Part 2: Reliability and abuse testing ECE-R100 Electric Vehicle Safety Requirements ECE-R10 Electric Vehicle EMC Requirements DIN EN Energy Storage General requirements and methods of test - Part 1: Photovoltaic off-grid application IEC Energy Storage Renewable energy storage - General requirements and methods of test - Part 1: Photovoltaic off-grid application IEC Energy Storage Renewable energy storage - General requirements and methods of test - Part 2: On-grid applications UL 1642 General UL Safety Testing of Lithium Batteries UL 2054 General UL Standard for Safety for Household and Commercial Batteries IEC/EN General - Portable applications Safety requirements for portable sealed secondary cells, and for batteries made from them, for use in portable applications IEC/EN General - Portable applications Secondary lithium cells and batteries for portable applications DIN EN Material Handling & Energy Storage Safety Requirements For Secondary Lithium Cells And Batteries, For Use In Industrial Applications * List of Applications and Industries not definitive. For general guidance purposes only. 9

11 How Intertek can help Intertek is a global Assurance, Testing, Inspection and Certification (ATIC) expert. We offer expert consultancy and assurance services during pre-production with Inspection, Testing and Certification in the development stages. Using one vendor during all stages ensures intrinsic cohesion of product maturity before it reaches your market. ATIC solutions offer risk minimisation and value to your company and client. Left is a breakdown ATIC Services. Global market access through compliance Manufacturers can demonstrate the safety of their products by submitting them for test and assessment to a third party test laboratory such as Intertek and achieving a proof of compliance with all applicable Standards, Regulations and Directives. These can take the form of test reports, or full certifications and product marks. CE Mark conformity Before your products can be placed on the European market they must meet the requirements of the relevant product directives. Directives are joint rules that have been put in place to simplify trade to and between the member countries of the European Union. All directives dealing with safety require products to be CE marked before they can be marketed within the EU. Intertek can help you meet the directives by offering testing and reports to be used as evidence of compliance. In most cases, batteries or cells without any electronics or passive electrical components are exempted from CE marking. This does not mean you should not consider the General Product Safety Directive or ignore the quality of the battery. If any active electronic (DC/DC converters, μcontroller etc.) are used, than, at the very least, EMC directive should be applied. ETL Listed Mark The ETL Listed Mark indicates that your product has been independently tested by an OSHA recognized Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL), found to be 10

12 compliant with applicable safety standards, and meets the minimal requirements for sale or distribution within North America. Many other certification schemes cover batteries, including the SONCAP scheme for Nigeria, the SASO scheme form the Saudi Arabian Standards Organization, the KUCAS scheme for Kuwait and the COPANT scheme which is used in some South & Central American countries. IECEE CB Scheme Obtaining full product certification through the IECEE CB scheme will help to achieve acceptance and recognition by the authorities of up to 49 countries worldwide. While some authorities accept a CB Certificate as evidence of compliance without the need to apply for a specific national certification, others do not. In this case manufacturers can use their CB Certificate to apply for the nationally recognized certification of their target markets, without the need to conduct all of their testing again from scratch. Sometimes national deviations in Standards and regulations may require some additional assessment of a product, but supplemental tests are not always required as many countries use harmonized Standards. Essentially, one CB certificate can be used in applications for national certification to all 49 members ensuring core testing does not need to be repeated. For more information, refer to: Contact us Grant Gibbs, Business Manager, +44 (0) / grant.gibbs@intertek.com Intertek House, Cleeve Road Leatherhead Surrey KT22 7SB This publication is copyright Intertek and may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form in whole or in part without the prior written permission of Intertek. While due care has been taken during the preparation of this document, Intertek cannot be held responsible for the accuracy of the information herein or for any consequence arising from it. Clients are encouraged to seek Intertek s current advice on their specific needs before acting upon any of the content. 11