2024.02.15

Electronic Times and Enclear are collaborating to expand the supply of non-conductive fire extinguishers that can extinguish lithium-ion battery thermal runaway, such as electric vehicle fires.

On the 15th, this agreement was held at the Electronic Newspaper headquarters in Seocho-gu, Seoul at a business partnership ceremony for the distribution project of 'ENCLEA', a non-conductive fire extinguisher for electric vehicles and electric vehicle charging stations.

According to the agreement, the business of fire extinguishers and fire extinguishing devices using the non-conductive fire extinguishing agent Enclear will begin in earnest starting this year. The electronic newspaper plans to inform society at large about Enclear's excellence and major field application cases. This agreement was carried out with the goal of promoting a facility safety culture in response to electrical fires, as concerns grow over lithium-ion battery fires that are difficult to extinguish, such as electric vehicle and data center fires.

Enclear, Korea's first non-conductive water-based fire extinguisher, is a fire extinguishing agent that can respond to class A (general fire) and class C (electrical fire) fires and meets the Article 4 competency unit test standards of the Korea Fire Industry & Technology Institute (KFI) in November 2020. In the test, the fire extinguisher passed the electric fire adaptability test. In May last year, type approval for KFI reinforced liquid fire extinguishers was completed.

Enclear is a non-conductive liquid form that has an excellent cooling effect and has better penetration than water. Even though it is liquid, it does not conduct electricity, so there is no risk of electric shock or leakage when extinguishing an electrical fire. In the case of major electrical facilities, some facilities can be restored if the initial suppression is successful. Another advantage is that it has an anti-corrosion effect, causing less damage to connections and metal devices.

It is expected that facility safety against electrical fires will be greatly improved by expanding the distribution of Enclear. In particular, as demand for lithium-ion batteries continues to increase, it is expected that the role of Enclear fire extinguishers and fire extinguishing devices will increase in various fields such as electric vehicles and electric vehicle charging stations, data centers, and solar power facilities.

“Unlike existing powder fire extinguishers and metal fire extinguishers, Enclear is a product developed specifically for lithium-ion battery fires. In addition to direct cooling, there is no risk of suffocation or electric shock due to the use of a fire extinguisher, so we expect it to become a necessity in various fields,” he said.