Introduction
A major benefit of Lithium-ion batteries is the amount of power they can store. Unfortunately, this can also be a drawback because if this energy is released in an uncontrolled manner a very intense fire is the typical result. This can occur during storage due to an internal fault in a single cell. Lithium-ion battery fires are very difficult to extinguish before the offending cell expends its stored energy. The intensity of the fire normally ignites anything in close proximity which is often other lithium cells resulting in a propagating intense fire that is not easily extinguished. The 2023 edition of NFPA Standard 855 [13] addresses the safety aspects of storing lithium-ion and lithium metal batteries. This paper will discuss the requirements to safely store lithium-ion batteries, the “easy method” of doing so, and why the easy method may not be quite so easy. This paper does not address the requirements for storing small consumer grade lithium-ion or metal batteries such as those found in laptops, cellphones, eBikes, etc. Nor does it address the storage of lithium-titanate (LTO) technology.