Paratech Registers Two Patents for Electric Vehicle Battery Fire Suppression

Paratech, a specialized fire protection equipment company, announced on the 26th that it has successfully registered two patents related to electric vehicle battery fire suppression. The patents registered by Paratech pertain to technologies for the "Electric Vehicle Charging Station Fire Protection Device" and the "Electric Vehicle Charging Station Fire Protection System," respectively.

Recently, the government revealed plans to invest approximately 80 billion KRW next year to prevent electric vehicle fires in parking lots, raising awareness about fire accidents caused by charging. In this context, Paratech's new technology is expected to receive significant attention.

Unlike conventional internal combustion engine vehicles, electric vehicle fire accidents are structurally difficult to suppress because flammable materials and oxygen are simultaneously generated from the lithium-ion battery itself. Once a fire occurs, the battery's internal temperature rapidly rises to around 1000℃ due to a phenomenon called "thermal runaway."

The typical time required for fire suppression is about two hours, and more than 40,000 liters of water are used. Recently, the firefighting industry has been researching methods that involve submerging the vehicle body in a water tank rather than external spraying. This approach aims to suppress the fire early and prevent secondary damage such as fire spread.

The technology developed by Paratech is related to a "fire protection device and system dedicated to electric vehicle charging stations" that simultaneously prevents fire spread and thermal runaway when a fire occurs during charging. This technology automatically detects the fire and deploys a water tank in the form of an "air tube" to submerge the entire electric vehicle battery area in water.

A Paratech representative stated, "About 47% of domestic electric vehicle fire accidents over the past four years occurred during charging," adding, "Among approximately 46 incidents, 40 involved fires in electric vehicles where the charging cable was still plugged in even after charging was completed."

He continued, "Considering that electric vehicle chargers are mainly installed in underground parking lots, it is crucial to establish immediate fire suppression facilities to prevent fire spread," and added, "Paratech will do its best to ensure that this patented technology is introduced in various areas with charging facilities, including public institutions."

Paratech developed this patented technology jointly with Hurim Robot and Hurim Construction. Hurim Robot was responsible for precise motion mechanism design based on its robot design capabilities. Hurim Construction reflected the charging station installation environment in the equipment design. Paratech oversaw the project based on its comprehensive know-how related to fire response.

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