A Review of America s First Step Towards the Harmonization of Portable Battery Standards: UL 62133 John JC Copeland Energy Assurance LLC August 6, 2015
Awareness
Overview Tests (current version) Comparison to existing cell/battery standards Link to end device standards Future
National Deviation Structure IEC IEC 62133:2012 EU BS EN 62133:2013 Canada CAN/CSA E62133:13 US UL 62133 *Some other country s standards are still harmonized to the first edition of IEC 62133. Examples include Thailand and India.
UL 62133 Overview Revision 1 Released January 9, 2015 Title Standard For Safety For Secondary Cells And Batteries Containing Alkaline Or Other Non-Acid Electrolytes - Safety Requirements For Portable Sealed Secondary Cells, And For Batteries Made From Them, For Use In Portable Applications Scope This International Standard specifies requirements and tests for the safe operation of portable sealed secondary cells and batteries (other than button) containing alkaline or other non-acid electrolyte, under INTENDED USE and REASONABLY FORESEEABLE MISUSE. Source: http://ulstandards.ul.com/standard/?id=62133&edition=1&doctype=uliec
Current Status Revision 1 is identical to IEC 62133:2012 (2 nd Edition) Rechargeable cell/battery safety Separate sections for Nickel & Lithium chemistries Covers both cells and battery packs Test requirements are the SAME. Caveat: UL 62133 does require that the safety critical components are 3 rd party certified
UL 62133 Test Protocol (Li Cells) Continuous Charging (CV) 7 days Criteria: No fire / No explosion / No leakage External Short Circuit 55 C; 100mΩ Criteria: No fire / No Explosion Free Fall No thermal pre-conditioning 1 meter / 3X at room temp Criteria: No fire / No Explosion Thermal Abuse Ramp to 130 C; hold 10 min No fire / No explosion Crush 13kN (~3000 lbs) Criteria: No fire / No Explosion Forced Discharge Reverse charge Criteria: No fire / No Explosion
UL 62133 Test Protocol (Li Battery) Moulded Case Stress 70 C / 7 hours Fully Charged Criteria: No components exposed External Short Circuit 55 C 1 hour if circuit trips Criteria: No fire / No Explosion Free Fall No thermal pre-conditioning 1 meter / 3X at room temp Criteria: No fire / No Explosion Overcharging of Battery Start discharged 2C charge rate Max voltage of charger or if not available, 5V/cell Run until temp returns to ambient or stabilizes. Criteria: No fire / No Explosion
Important Points on Test Requiremenmts No faulting No worst case operation Minimal mechanical testing UN 38.3 compliance documentation required Criteria is generally No Fire / No Explosion
General Comparison of Options UL 1642 / UL 2054 Not harmonized More tests Faulting/trip point 80-170 cells + 55 batt Accepted by end product UL standards without additional testing Many cells recognized to UL1642 already. Longer test times Expensive UL 62133 Harmonized (CB Report) Fewer tests No faulting or trip point 45-55 cells + 21 batt Requires additional hostlevel testing for ITE No cells currently recognized to UL62133 Shorter test times Less expensive
Link to End-Device Standards ITE UL 60950-1 UL 62368-1 Medical Equipment UL 60601-1 Measurement, Control & Laboratory Equipment UL 61010-1 NOTE: Certification bodies differ in the way that they operate. The following information is general in nature, so it is critical to speak with your certification engineer regarding the specific requirements for your device.
ITE UL 60950-1 UL 62368-1 2017 1. UL 2054 (UL 1642) with complimentary UL 60950 (Battery Testing Only) 2. IEC 62133 (CB) + Annex M of UL 62368-1 (Host Device Testing w/ Battery) End Product Mfg Resp CB Report IEC 62133 (Batt & Cell) Split Inspection(s) Battery Mfg Resp CB Report IEC 62133 converted to UL 62133
Medical UL 60601-1 Reference: Clause 3.10DV.1.1 Lithium Batteries are required to comply with the standard itself and meet nationally recognized standards or internationally harmonized component standards. Options include: UL 1642 (cells) listed in the index IEC 62133 UL 2054 UL 62133
Equipment UL 61010-1 Doesn t call out any specific battery standards Battery must meet safety requirements of the standard itself Common practice is to look for compliance to UL 2054 Possibility to use UL 62133 as it is now published
Future (IEC 62133) Split of Standard IEC 62133-1 (Nickel) IEC 62133-2 (Lithium) Forecast Publication Date for Both: 2016-08 UN requirements Reference: UN 38.3 T1-T8 testing Duplicitous testing removed from IEC 62133 at Revision 2 Current draft includes additional mechanical testing Faulting Being considered as an optional good practice
Future (UL 62133) Faulting Insertion of single faults into non-approved safety devices Worst Case Operation ( Trip/No-Trip ) Find trip point for a specific faulted circuit Run testing just below trip point
Final Thoughts UL 62133 Requirements are currently harmonized (UL-IEC), however US deviations are being conceptualized for the next revision Faulting Running at worst case operating point (trip/no-trip) You may have battery regulatory options End device requirements Availability of approved cells
Contact Info