4 Reasons Why Lifepo4 Batteries Safety Is Famous In The Industry
With the development of new energy batteries, various applications of batteries are becoming more and more popular in our daily life, especially the lifepo4 battery that dominates. Therefore, the health and safety of lifepo4 batteries have become the most concerned issue of people. This is why we are determined to write this blog.
In this blog, we will take you to understand the lifepo4 battery and its safety in essence, compare it with other types of batteries, and explore the reasons why lifepo4 batteries can replace 150-year-old lead-acid batteries in just a few years.
After reading this article, you will definitely have a deeper understanding and expectation of the lifepo4 battery safety and future development.
Lithium iron phosphate Battery Introduction:
What is a lithium iron phosphate battery?
Lifep4 battery is the chemical formula of lithium iron phosphate battery, referred to as LFP battery. It is a lithium-ion battery that uses lithium iron phosphate as the positive electrode material and carbon as the negative electrode material.
Compared with other cathode materials:
At present, the positive electrode materials used for lithium-ion batteries mainly include: LiCoO2, LiMn2O4, LiNiO2 and LiFePO4.
Among the metal elements that make up the positive electrode material of the battery, cobalt (Co) is the most expensive and has a small storage capacity, nickel (Ni) and manganese (Mn) are relatively cheap, and iron (Fe) is the cheapest. The price of the cathode material is also in line with the prices of these metals.
Therefore, lithium-ion batteries made of LiFePO4 cathode materials should be the cheapest.
Charging and discharging principle:
During the charging process, part of the lithium ions in the lithium iron phosphate come out, are transferred to the negative electrode through the electrolyte, and are embedded in the carbon material of the negative electrode; at the same time, electrons are released from the positive electrode and reach the negative electrode from the external circuit to maintain the balance of the chemical reaction. During the discharge process, lithium ions come out of the negative electrode and reach the positive electrode through the electrolyte. At the same time, the negative electrode releases electrons and reaches the positive electrode from the external circuit to provide energy for the outside world.
Technical indicators:
So what is the safety of the lifepo4 batteries? The answer is excellent, it's not a gimmick.
In the past 25 years, the most common battery safety problem is battery spontaneous combustion. The lithium iron phosphate battery can solve this pain point by virtue of its super stability.
Through the aforementioned, we understand the specific composition structure and technical indicators of lifepo4 battery. So we can infer 4 major reasons for the high safety of lifepo4 battery.
4 Reasons Made Lifepo4 Battery Safe:
1.Stable chemical structure.
From a structural point of view, the P-O bond in lithium iron phosphate crystal is stable and difficult to decompose. Even at high temperature or overcharge, it will not collapse and generate heat or form strong oxidizing substances like lithium cobalt oxide, so it has good safety.
2.High ignition point.
There is only one reason for the spontaneous combustion of the battery, which is the internal thermal runaway of the battery. Laboratory data shows that the spontaneous combustion temperature of the ternary battery is 200°C, that is, once the temperature reaches 200°C, the materials of the ternary battery will begin to melt, spontaneously ignite, and explode until it explodes. The spontaneous combustion temperature of lithium iron phosphate batteries is 800°C, that is to say, unless in extreme circumstances, it is basically impossible for lithium iron phosphate batteries to spontaneously ignite.
3.Good high temperature performance.
Lithium iron phosphate also has the advantage of good high-temperature performance. The electric heating peak of lithium iron phosphate can reach 350°C-500°C, while lithium manganate and lithium cobaltate are only around 200°C. The working temperature range is wide (-20°C-75°C), and it has high temperature resistance. The electric heating peak of lithium iron phosphate can reach 350°C-500°C, while lithium manganese oxide and lithium cobalt oxide are only around 200°C.
4.Built-in BMS (Battery Management System)
In addition, the lithium iron phosphate battery pack will be equipped with a built-in BMS system, which can protect the circuit and prevent overcharge, over-discharge and short circuit. This is called BMS.
Li-POL, LTO, Lifepo4 Battery Safety Test:
( Video use is duly licensed by GWL.)
In the video, GWL team tested the battery changes over time under the four conditions of Overcharge, Short-Circuit, Puncture, and External fire (ignition).
- Overcharge: LFP>LTO>LI-POL
- Short-Circuit: LFP>LTO
- Puncture: LTO>LFP>LI-POL
- External Fire: LFP>LTO>LI-POL
Other 7 advantages of Lifepo4 battery
- Lightweight: A LiFePO4 battery weighs one-third that of lead-acid batteries.
- Zero memory effect: LiFiPO4 batteries have no memory effect, unlike other rechargeable batteries.
- High discharging and charging efficiency: Charge and discharge efficiency can reach as much as 90%
- Long battery life cycle: The number of cycles is as high as 3000~10000 times, and the life expectancy is usually more than 10 years.
- Environmentally-friendly battery: Free of rare and heavy metals, non-polluting, non-toxic, and in compliance with European RoHS requirements.
- Maintenance-free: Built-in BMS monitors and balances batteries at any time without additional battery maintenance.
- High-capacity battery: Compared to lead acid batteries and other lithium-ion batteries, the LiFiPO4 battery has a much larger capacity of between 5AH and 1500AH.
Although the lifepo4 battery itself is highly safe, when the battery is not in use, a proper storage environment is also an important factor to avoid potential safety hazards.
"4 Key Points To Master How To Store Lifepo4 Batteries"Learn more about battery storage measures.
Comparison with Other Batteries:
LiFePO4 vs. Gel Batteries
- Capacity: The monomer can be made into 5Ah~1000Ah (1Ah=1000mAh), while the 2V monomer of lead-acid battery is usually 100Ah~150Ah, and the variation range is small.
- Weight: The volume of the lithium iron phosphate battery with the same capacity is 2/3 of the volume of the lead-acid battery, and the weight is 1/3 of the latter.
- Fast charging capability: The starting current of lithium iron phosphate battery can reach 2C, realizing high-rate charging; the general requirement of the current of lead-acid battery is between 0.1C~0.2C, which cannot achieve fast charging performance.
- Environmental protection: lead-acid batteries contain a large amount of heavy metal-lead, which produces waste liquid, while lithium iron phosphate batteries do not contain any heavy metals, and there is no pollution in production and use.
- Cost performance: Although the purchase cost of lead-acid batteries is lower than that of lithium iron phosphate batteries due to their cheaper materials, they are less economical than lithium iron phosphate batteries in terms of service life and daily maintenance. Practical application results show that the cost performance of lithium iron phosphate batteries is more than 4 times that of lead-acid batteries.
LiFePO4 vs. Lead Acid Batteries
- Environmental protection: the lithium battery of the solar street light is pollution-free; the colloidal battery is polluted by heavy metal lead.
- Lifespan: At present, lithium iron phosphate is generally charged 1500 times, without memory effect. After 1500 charges, it accounts for about 85% of the storage capacity; while gel batteries are about 500 times, and the memory effect is obvious.
- Safety: The safety of power lithium battery materials is different. The difference is that the gel battery technology is quite mature, and the safety is higher than that of lithium batteries.
- High efficiency and good performance: small self-discharge of colloidal batteries is beneficial to long-term storage; high deep discharge performance is conducive to improving the utilization rate of active materials and discharge capacity; deep discharge and over-discharge recovery ability are strong, and the charging acceptance capacity exceeds 50% of the national standard above.
LiFePO4 vs. NMC
- Safety: The safety performance of lithium iron phosphate battery is higher than that of ternary lithium battery, mainly because the heat resistance of lithium iron phosphate battery is better, and the thermal runaway temperature can reach more than 800 degrees, that is, lithium iron phosphate battery It will not ignite spontaneously if it does not reach 800 degrees. The ternary lithium battery is different, the thermal runaway temperature is basically around 200 degrees, so for hot areas, the risk of spontaneous combustion of the ternary lithium battery will be higher.
- Life: The cycle life of lithium iron phosphate battery is better than that of ternary lithium battery. The general ternary lithium battery has a nominal cycle of about 2000 times, but when it is used for no more than 1000 times, its capacity The attenuation is half, and the lithium iron phosphate battery is rated for about 6000 times, and the attenuation is very small.
- Energy density: The energy density of ternary lithium batteries is higher than that of lithium iron phosphate batteries. The level of energy density means the battery life. For batteries with the same capacity, the volume of lithium iron phosphate batteries is larger than that of ternary lithium batteries. Much bigger.
- Low temperature resistance: The low temperature resistance of ternary lithium batteries is better than that of lithium iron phosphate batteries. For example, at minus 20 degrees, ternary lithium batteries can release about 70% of the power, while iron phosphate Lithium batteries can only release about 50% of their power at the same low temperature.
How to choose Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries?
1. Consistency of Lifepo4 batteries
According to the wooden barrel principle, the consistency of the cells in the battery pack is detected, and the higher the consistency, the better.
2. Self-discharge rate of Lifepo4 battery
Ensuring a low self-discharge rate of the Lifepo4 battery pack is critical since most of the power dissipation is attributed to it. The lower the self-discharge rate, the better.
3. Top Lifepo4 battery high rate
Top-of-the-line Lifepo4 batteries have the ability to withstand high levels of charge and discharge. This high magnification allows for higher performance in lithium batteries known for their fast charging and discharging capabilities. So the higher the better.
4. Cycle times
The cycle times of Our Lifepo4 battery pack can reach 3000-10000 times according to the technology of different manufacturers. Taking the charge-discharge cycle once a day as an example, the more cycles that can be performed, the longer the lifespan.
5. Low internal resistance
The low internal resistance of the Lifepo4 battery is critical to extending battery life. As the battery ages, the internal resistance increases, which causes battery life to decrease over time. The lower the internal resistance, the better.
Otherwise, you can find the reliable wholesaler to choose your lifepo4 battery, and we have other artcles to recommend the top lifepo4 battery manufacturers.
Conclusion:
When the battery is getting closer and closer to our life, no matter how good the performance is, it cannot match the importance of safety.
At present, various types of batteries are developing rapidly, and lithium iron phosphate batteries are the best batteries for safety under the premise of ensuring high performance and high cost performance!
Although the short-term investment is not small, the service life is long enough. It has gradually dominated the market fields of power batteries and energy storage batteries.
Harveypower's lifepo4 battery adopts the industry's top CATL battery cell, high performance and cycle times, and has passed the test of 9 major safety items.
The main products include rack-mounted batteries, wall-mounted batteries, and stacked batteries.
Widely used in home energy storage, industrial and commercial energy storage, and RV fields around the world.
More FAQ:
Are lifepo4 batteries safe?
Lithium iron phosphate battery is currently the safest lithium battery with a stable structure and no spontaneous combustion. And does not contain any heavy metals or rare metals, non-toxic, non-polluting, absolutely green battery.
Will LFP batteries explode?
The spontaneous ignition point of lithium iron phosphate batteries is very high, and it is almost impossible to spontaneously ignite or explode under normal use conditions.
How long can Lifepo4 batteries last?
More than 10 years, depending on battery performance and maintenance measures, click here to learn more about battery life.
Are lithium iron phosphate batteries safe indoors?
For safety, it is best to keep away from water and fire sources and place it in a cool and dry place indoors.
Do lifepo4 batteries need ventilation?
Lightweight options that offer charging efficiency and 3000-5000 life cycles make LiFePO4 the best choice for better batteries. To ensure maximum safety and minimum impact, our chemicals use only environmentally acceptable materials and produce zero emissions and no ventilation.
Can you store a fully charged lithium iron phosphate?
In long-term storage applications, lithium batteries should not be stored at 100% SOC, so a full cycle (charge and discharge) can be done every 6-12 months and then charged to only 40%-70% SoC storage.
Will lithium iron phosphate batteries emit gas?
No. Lithium Iron Phosphate technology does not release any dangerous or toxic gases during charging or discharging. This is different from other battery technologies such as lead-acid. Lithium batteries are completely sealed, without any holes or openings through which any gas or liquid can escape.
How to maintain my lithium iron phosphate battery?
It is strongly recommended to store lithium batteries indoors during the off-season. It is also recommended to store LiFePO4 batteries at approximately 40-70% or higher state of charge (SOC). If batteries are stored for long periods of time, cycle batteries at least every 6 months.
Is LiFePO4 safer than Li-ion?
LiFePO4 batteries are superior to Li-ion batteries in terms of cycle life (duration 4-5 times longer) and safety. This is a key advantage because Li-ion batteries can overheat and even catch fire, while LiFePO4 cannot. (Read more - Lifepo4 battery vs Lithium-ion)
Why is lithium iron phosphate so expensive?
Lithium iron phosphate battery has high performance and stability, and it is the safest lithium battery at present. Although the price is slightly expensive, it has a long service life and the average cost is still better than other types of batteries.
Is LiFePO4 a lithium polymer?
No. Lifepo4 has many distinct advantages over Lipo, and while both are lithium chemistries, they are not the same.
Can lithium-iron phosphate batteries be used in cars?
There is no problem at all. Now the main power battery of power vehicles is a lithium iron phosphate battery.
Can I use a lithium phosphate battery as a starter battery?
Can be used as a car starter battery. It can also be used as an auxiliary battery. The main advantage is that the battery has a high capacity density. The volume and weight of a lithium iron phosphate battery with the same capacity are much smaller than that of a lead-acid battery.