Important Application of Thermal Cameras in Battery Storage Monitoring

In recent years, the new energy vehicle industry is booming, creating enormous opportunities for the battery industry. Lithium-ion batteries have the same energy ratio and bearing capability in high power in smaller sizes compared with other batteries, making them the mainstream energy storage devices in the vehicle domain. Due to the activity of lithium ions, lithium-ion batteries in the warehouse are prone to short circuits, causing heat and ignition. The heating and ignition processes are extremely short, and common smoke sensors and temperature sensors can hardly discover the problem promptly. When the problem is discovered, major financial losses have already occurred, severely threatening life and financial safety. Thermal cameras can monitor the temperature distribution of battery packs in real time, to quickly and accurately locate the exception and hottest point, promptly trigger alarms, and link the fire-prevention system, effectively avoiding major fire and explosions.


I.  Main Applications of Thermal Cameras in Battery Storage Monitoring

Monitoring the battery status and temperature changes in the warehouse: When the thermal camera detects temperature exceptions of the battery, it promptly generates pre-warning signals; the signal is transmitted through the alarm output port for sound and light alarm and fire-prevention linkage. Software is used to analyze whether there is fire, and determine whether to link the fire-prevention system. After the point of fire is confirmed, the fire alarm is sent to the local monitoring platform.


Important Application of Thermal Cameras in Battery Storage Monitoring


II.  Unique Advantages of Thermal Cameras in Battery Storage Monitoring

1.  All-weather real-time temperature monitoring is implemented for the entire battery warehouse, supporting display and analysis of temperature in a selected area of a video and image

2.  The alarm parameters can be configured based on the temperature characteristics of the monitored area, to achieve pre-warning of exceptional battery temperature fluctuation at an early stage

3.  Multiple protocols are supported to access the industrial or IoT systems, extensively applied to scenarios such as device operation status safety monitoring and confined-space fire-prevention monitoring


II.  Recommended Models

1.  AT20 Thermal Camera

①  Small and compact, easy to install; 56° FOV, focus-free design, giving wider angle in the same distance to cover the entire warehouse for temperature monitoring

②  Dual-spectrum fusion, with the infrared device to recognize exceptional temperature area and the visible-light device to assist staff to locate the high-temperature points, promptly discovering the suspected fire locations

③  Automatic temperature report generation and monitored area temperature recording upon discovering temperature exceptions, for analysis and review in the future

④  PoE power supply to simplify the cable routing, reducing fault points and improving electricity safety


AT20 Thermal Camera


2. AT31/61 Thermal Camera

①  PoE power supply, supporting automatic focusing and covering both far and near targets

②  Simultaneous provision of the temperature stream data and image stream data, to promptly predict the fire and ensure warehouse safety

③  Compact size, rich interfaces, and provision of SDK for integration and secondary development


AT31/61 Thermal Camera


III.  System Software

With the InfiRay IRT-VMS industrial temperature measurement and monitoring system, multiple devices can be networked to connect the software platform for image displaying. A maximum of 64 real-time images can be displayed for video preview, and palette selection, temperature measurement tool configuration, and alarm configuration are supported. The temperature data curve and report are automatically generated to effectively monitor the temperature changes in the battery warehouse.


System Software


IV.  Deployment Solution Example

1.  Devices are installed to face each other to cover the entire area of the shelf;

2.  PoE switches are used for power supply and networking. Each device will need only one cable for power and data transmission, making the cable routing simple;

3.  24-hour continuous video recording with a hard drive recorder for video playback and incident traceback;

4.  The onsite devices and industrial temperature measurement system can implement alarm linkages, and onsite images can be displayed on a computer or large screen in real time for staff to obtain real-time onsite information.


Important Application


Thermal Cameras In Battery Storage Monitoring


V.  How Can I Produce a Thermal Image of Premium Quality?

Please refer to the following suggestions for using a thermal imager to produce a thermal image of premium quality:

1.  The sizes of lithium batteries vary, and wide-angle lenses may be needed onsite in some scenarios

2.  Note that a few types of lithium-ion batteries are equipped with metal shells. During the inspection, the devices should be deployed to vertically monitor these batteries, avoiding onsite interference, and it is best to cover the battery with paint or tape

3.  Select thermal imagers with high thermal sensitivity for scenarios with a small regional temperature difference

4.  Use automatic measurement first, and then enable the temperature width stretch function. Manually set the temperature width to the minimum and include the previously measured temperature range to enrich the image details