Ultra-Safe Enclosure for High Energy Density Devices: Thin Laminate Walls and Flameless Venting

The weight, volume and storage capacity benefits of current and future high energy density storage systems make them attractive options to complete far-reaching and ambitious missions. Safe packaging of these devices has lagged and as a result, a few significant events have taken place, highlighting the need for better tools to manage and control the uncontrolled release of stored energy. ADA Technologies is proposing to develop and test a new, rugged, ultra-safe enclosure meeting the DoD requirements by leveraging our deep technical expertise in materials and fire safety. The selected approach is to combine the properties of several low-cost, lightweight and off-the-shelf materials in a laminate structure which will be able to channel and contain any released energy and protect nearby equipment and personnel. Further improving the safety of the enclosure and the surroundings is the inclusion of a flameless vent. ADA Technologies has established several key collaborations to enable successful technical development and future commercialization of the technology in both military and commercial markets. Our partners include the technical experts at the NASA Johnson Space Center, DoD prime contractor Lockheed-Martin, commercial companies A123 Systems (lithium ion batteries), Newtex (fire-resistant materials) and Hoffman (industrial enclosures).