Battery Train Fire Risk on a Steel Warehouse Structure

Authors

  • Jasmine Mira Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC 28223, USA
  • Nicole Braxtan Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC 28223, USA
  • Shen-En Chen Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC 28223, USA
  • Tiefu Zhao Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC 28223, USA
  • Lynn Harris Deutsche Bahn Engineering, Raleigh, NC 27601, USA
  • Dave Cook Rail Propulsion Systems, Fullerton, CA 92831, USA

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30564/jaeser.v4i3.3327

Abstract

Lithium ion battery fire hazard has been well-documented in a variety of applications. Recently, battery train technology has been introduced as a clean energy concept for railway. In the case of heavy locomotives such as trains, the massive collection of battery stacks required to meet energy demands may pose a significant hazard. The objective of this paper is to review the risk evaluation processes for train fires and investigate the propagation of lithium ion battery fire to a neighboring steel warehouse structure at a rail repair shop through a case study. The methodology of the analyses conducted include a Monte Carlo-based dynamic modeling of fire propagation potentials, an expert-based fire impact analysis, and a finite element (FE) nonlinear fire analysis on the structural frame. The case study is presented as a demonstration of a holistic fire risk analysis for the lithium ion battery fire and results indicate that significant battery fire mitigations strategies should be considered.

Keywords:

Lithium ion battery; Train fire; Propagation; Structural safety

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How to Cite

Mira, J., Braxtan, N., Chen, S.-E., Zhao, T., Harris, L., & Cook, D. (2021). Battery Train Fire Risk on a Steel Warehouse Structure. Journal of Architectural Environment & Structural Engineering Research, 4(3), 9–19. https://doi.org/10.30564/jaeser.v4i3.3327

Issue

Vol. 4 , Iss. 3 (July 2021)

Article Type

Case Study
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