Battery Testing Chambers
We supply a variety of test chambers for testing small battery cells to large lithium ion battery packs. Battery test chambers are supplied to a variety of industries including telecommunications, computer and automotive. With the goal of reducing automobile emissions and the development of electric vehicles, the need for lithium ion battery testing is even more critical. Our proven experience provides the most cost-effective solutions. Each test chamber is built according to specific test requirements and may be interfaced with battery cyclers, control & monitoring data acquisitions systems and other test equipment for a complete integrated test solution.
All environmental chambers are designed with safety in mind. A variety of safety features are provided for reliability and abuse testing of batteries. These features may be incorporated into CSZ test chambers and tailored to the various hazard levels of EUCAR (European Council for Automotive R&D), a consortium of European car manufacturers. To better assess the hazard potential of tests, EUCAR has investigated hazardous situations and divided them into eight risk classes. The development of the safety equipment of our battery test systems is also based on this classification. For each hazard level, we recommend specific safety options that can be included with your chamber to meet your specifications to safety test your product. Together with our customers, we assess which safety devices are necessary for the respective test chambers.
CSZ ZP standard Battery test chambers now meet safety requirements needed for EUCAR level 6 testing. These chambers have also been enhanced with the latest battery safeties and options such as new LED explosion resistant light for better luminosity of the chamber workspace.
EUCAR Hazard Levels
| Hazard Severity Level |
Description |
Classification Criteria and Effect |
| 0 |
No Effect |
No effect. No loss of functionality |
| 1 |
Passive Protection Activated |
No defect; no leakage; no venting, fire, or flame; no rupture; no explosion; no exothermic reaction or thermal runaway. Cell reversibly damaged. Repair of protection device needed. |
| 2 |
Defect/Damage |
No leakage; no venting, fire, or flame; no rupture; no explosion; no exothermic reaction or thermal runaway. Cell irreversibly damaged. Repair needed. |
| 3 |
Minor Leakage |
No venting, fire, or flame*; no rupture; no explosion. Weight loss |
| 4 |
Major Leakage/ Venting |
No fire or flame; no rupture; no explosion. Weight loss ≥50% of electrolyte weight (electrolyte = solvent + salt). |
| 5 |
Fire or Flame |
No rupture; no explosion (i.e., no flying parts). |
| 6 |
Rupture |
No explosion, but flying parts of the active mass |
| 7 |
Explosion |
Explosion (i.e., disintegration of the cell). |
*The presence of flame requires the presence of an ignition source in combination with fuel and oxidizer in concentrations that will support combustion. A fire or flame will not be observed if any of these elements are absent. For this reason, we recommend that a spark source be used during tests that are likely to result in venting of cell(s). We believe that “credible abuse environments” would likely include a spark source. Thus, if a spark source were added to the test configuration and the gas or liquid expelled from the cell was flammable, the test article would likely progress from EUCAR level 3 or level 4 to level 5.