Short answer: IEC 62619 is the main international safety standard for industrial lithium-ion batteries, including stationary energy storage, forklifts and similar uses. The current edition is 2.0 (2022). Its propagation test (clause 7.3.3) forces one cell into thermal runaway and checks that this does not lead to a fire of the battery system. Fire from the trigger cell itself is accepted.
Key facts
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Current edition | IEC 62619:2022 (edition 2.0) |
| Regional adoption | EN IEC 62619:2022 in Europe; used as a reference for battery approvals in many other markets |
| Propagation test | Clause 7.3.3 (battery system level) |
| Trigger | Should represent an internal short circuit as realistically as possible. Informative annexes describe laser irradiation and other methods |
| Pass criterion | No fire of the battery system (outside the enclosure, or outside an area defined by the manufacturer) |
What it means for barrier materials
Because the trigger cell is allowed to burn, the job of the barrier is to keep neighbouring cells below their runaway onset and to stop flame from leaving the enclosure. Barrier and enclosure design, including vent paths, therefore decide the result.
Sources
- IEC webstore preview, IEC 62619:2022: webstore.ansi.org (preview PDF)
- CETECOM advanced, "Propagation tests for lithium-ion batteries": cetecomadvanced.com
- Battery Design, IEC 62619 overview: batterydesign.net
- Official standard: IEC webstore