"ESS Fire Not Due to Battery Defect"‥Samsung and LG Systematically Refute Government Investigation (Comprehensive)

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park So-yeon] The battery industry strongly opposed the government's identification of 'battery defects' as the cause of the 'Energy Storage System (ESS) fire.' They pointed out numerous errors, including the government citing fire-related phenomena as evidence of battery defects and using data from three months before the fire for the investigation.

On the 6th, LG Chem and Samsung SDI released detailed explanatory materials regarding the ESS fire accident investigation results, stating, "We have determined that the battery is not the direct cause of the ESS fire," and refuted the government's announcement point by point.

LG Chem stated, "In our own verification experiments conducted over the past four months under harsh conditions at actual sites, the fire was not reproduced. The anode fragments, lithium deposits, anode active material protrusions, and melting traces found by the investigation team are common phenomena or confirmed through experiments not to be the direct cause of the fire."

Regarding the 'melting traces' cited by the government as evidence of battery defects, LG Chem explained, "Melting is a phenomenon where a solid melts into a liquid when heated. Even if a fire occurs outside the battery, the fire can transfer to the battery, causing melting traces inside the battery. Therefore, melting traces cannot be conclusively used as evidence of internal battery ignition."

Concerning anode plate adhesion, they emphasized, "Even if some fragments adhere to the anode plate, it may cause low voltage but does not pose a risk of penetrating the SRS separator and leading to ignition." They also rebutted, "Lithium deposits are substances that naturally form as lithium ions move between the anode and cathode through the electrolyte. LG Chem confirmed through its own experiments that the formation of lithium deposits does not lead to internal battery ignition."

Furthermore, "It is true that foreign substances existed between the anode plate and separator, but they are not defects that lead to fire. The foreign substances found are graphite-based, a component of the anode material, and it is impossible for them to penetrate LG Chem's SRS separator and cause a fire," adding, "LG Chem batteries apply a safety-enhanced separator (SRS) that is thinly coated with a ceramic material on the surface to significantly improve safety, and it cannot even be penetrated by strong particles such as iron."

They also presented counterarguments to the government's investigation results, which judged the possibility of fire caused by external environmental factors as low. LG Chem said, "Although the site maintained the minimum insulation standards, a gradual decrease in insulation was confirmed before the fire," and added, "The possibility of fire caused by external environmental factors cannot be ruled out."

Samsung SDI also released materials on the same day, stating, "There is no causal relationship between the battery and the ESS fire."

Samsung SDI argued, "The battery announced by the investigation team is from a site different from the fire scene," and explained, "The investigation team's analysis was conducted on batteries manufactured at the same time but installed and operated at different sites, not on the site where the fire occurred. If the investigation team's results were correct, fires should have occurred at similar sites using the same batteries."

They further explained, "The large voltage deviations claimed by the investigation team are data from a state of low charge rate, which means there is no energy, so a fire cannot occur."

They added, "Regarding the Gangwon Pyeongchang accident, the battery protection device operated normally. The operational data presented by the investigation team is from three months before the fire and is presumed to have been misinterpreted."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.