Successful Space Certification of Brimstone Fire Protection’s Lithium-Ion Fire Containment Bags Paves Way For JAXA HTV-8 Launch in September 2019
UPDATE: Here is footage from the successful JAXA launch. Brimstone bags are officially in orbit.
Spencerville, Indiana, Sept 24, 2019 -- Brimstone Fire Protection (Brimstone) a leading developer and supplier of fire protection products, announced its Lithium-Ion Battery Fire Containment Bags were chosen to safely store lithium-ion batteries of various sizes and capacities on the International Space Station (ISS), in collaboration with Leidos (NYSE: LDOS), a FORTUNE 500® science and technology company, for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
Leidos, on the Cargo Mission Contract in support of the NASA ISS Vehicle Office and the JSC Battery Group, was tasked to develop a new packing solution for a number of Lithium-Ion battery packs stored on the ISS. The influx of new, smaller payload providers flying experiments and hardware to the space station with unique COTS solutions for battery packs necessitated the need for a new packing solution for a number of these smaller COTS Li-Ion batteries.
In 2019, NASA, Leidos, and Brimstone began an extensive process of designing and testing a custom solution for battery storage in space environments. Prior to the development of these bags, the ISS Program has mitigated the risk of potential thermal runaway of small Li Ion batteries by extensive pre-flight screening as well as storage constraints on-orbit. Development of these bags further improves on-board safety and storage of these types of batteries.
A detailed series of iterative tests of the Fire Containment Bags began in early 2019, and determined that when used in conjunction with an insulating wrap, the Brimstone bags prevented thermal runaway in multiple populated adjacent bags despite containment in a larger Nomex enclosure. This meets all the criteria for the envisioned NASA implementation, including size, materials, accessibility, packing density, and cost.
"Lee, and his team at Brimstone, have supported our needs for fireproof Lithium Ion battery stowage bags for the International Space Station with rapid delivery, frequent consultation and readily offered historical expertise. They have modified their off-the-shelf designs to meet our needs and have shown a willingness to go above and beyond to make our efforts a success under a compressed schedule." said Daniel Barineau, Senior Project Manager, at Leidos. “In my role as a manager supporting hardware development projects related to the International Space Station and Space Shuttle over the last 30 years, I have had the chance to work with many subcontractors and suppliers. In all those years, I have never come across a company that was as responsive, customer focused, and easy to work with as Brimstone.”
Brimstone Fire Protection Lithium-Ion Fire Containment Bags to be used on the ISS. Closed (Left), Open (Center-Left), following a triggered fire (Center-Right), packed for flight (Right).
About Brimstone Fire Protection:
Based outside Fort Wayne, Indiana, Brimstone was founded in 2016. A family-oriented company whose primary function is to reduce risk from fire through innovative design and controlled quality. Brimstone was well ahead of the curve, already offering lithium-ion fire containment solutions when the initial reports started surfacing regarding Samsung’s S7 battery issues. The S7 brought to the forefront the world’s vulnerability to battery fires and the lack of viable safety solutions being provided by Airlines, Government Agencies, Corporations, etc. Three years later Brimstone has helped companies and Government Agencies around the world, including NOAA, every branch of the US Military, Facebook, General Dynamics, NETJETS, Hewlett Packard, GE, and many more successfully keep their people, customers, and property safe.
For more information, please visit BrimstoneFireProtection.com
Contact:
Lee Hershberger
COO
260-657-0011
lee@brimstonefireprotection.com