LFP-based SBB 2.0 clears LSFT after ternary battery UPS passes

Samsung SDI's SBB 2.0, equipped with an LFP battery. [Samsung SDI]
Samsung SDI's SBB 2.0, equipped with an LFP battery. [Samsung SDI]

Samsung SDI's battery solutions for energy storage systems have passed fire safety tests in quick succession, reinforcing the company's global technological competitiveness.

Samsung SDI announced Monday that its all-in-one ESS product, the Samsung Battery Box (SBB) 2.0, has met all evaluation criteria in the Large-Scale Fire Test (LSFT) conducted by global safety certification body UL Solutions.

The SBB 2.0 is Samsung SDI's first ESS solution to incorporate a lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery and is set to be produced at StarPlus Energy (SPE), a joint venture with Stellantis located in Indiana.

An ESS stores electricity in batteries and releases it when demand is high or supply is needed. The market has been growing rapidly, driven by surging power demand from AI data centers.

Earlier, Samsung SDI announced that an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) equipped with a ternary lithium manganese oxide (LMO) battery had also passed the LSFT. A UPS is a critical infrastructure device that instantly supplies emergency power stored in batteries when outages or voltage instability occur, ensuring the stable operation of data centers and similar facilities.

UL Solutions introduced the indoor large-scale fire test earlier this year to verify explosion risks and heat propagation hazards in the event of an actual UPS fire. Samsung SDI became the first company in the world to officially satisfy the standard, in July.

The latest LSFT involved deliberately igniting a fire inside an SBB 2.0 container and verifying whether it spread to adjacent containers. The test found no fire propagation, gas emissions, explosions or ruptures.

Industry observers attribute Samsung SDI's strong fire safety performance to the structural advantages of prismatic batteries as well as the company's long-accumulated expertise in prismatic cell technology. Prismatic batteries feature a rigid aluminum can structure that resists heat, impact and pressure, and can accommodate additional safety devices — making them safer than pouch-type cells.

"Nine of the world's top 10 battery manufacturers have adopted prismatic batteries, cementing prismatic as the dominant format," an industry official said. "For ESS batteries in particular, prismatic cells will come to dominate the market."


eyre@heraldcorp.com