Highest NMA approval for the Green Orca®

The importance of the NMA approval

Norway is currently at the forefront of the use of maritime battery systems. The Norwegian Maritime Authority (NMA) builds on the Norwegian maritime industry’s advantage in this area. For further develop the technology in a safe manner and to set the standard for maritime battery systems. This is vital for us and for our product. We believe that their standards and norms will be adopted by the rest of the world as well.

The “Safe by Design” Philosophy

EST-Floattech’s Safe by Design principle served as the foundation for the NMA approval and the design of our battery module. Even in the unlikely event of cell thermal runaway, any potential hazards will remain limited to the battery module itself. EST-Floattech is convinced that in order to offer the maximum level of safety, thermal runaway protection should not be dependent on a system such as a Battery Management System, cooling system or external fire extinguisher, but should rather be an intrinsic element of the design itself.

Why are the modules Intrinsic Safe without assistance?

Everything in the module is geared towards preventing a thermal runaway or thermal event from ever occurring in the first place by means of electronic safety measures. However, in a worst-case scenario, the battery design is so robust that it is capable of dealing with a thermal runaway of one of the cells, or even a chain reaction resulting in a thermal runaway of other cells in the battery, without the use of any active system.

EST-Floattech is convinced that one should never compromise on safety, especially on board a vessel. That is why we are extremely proud that our Safe by Design philosophy has been endorsed based on the strictest propagation norms.

The Propagation Test: What and Why?

The background for the propagation test is the NMA’s goal of ensuring that ships with installed battery systems maintain the same level of safety as conventionally operated ships.

In order to identify the damage potential of a possible thermal runaway in a specific battery system, testing should be carried out at the cellular, modular, and system levels. The NMA Propagation Test Type 1 should be conducted without the use of active external safety functions, such as fire extinguishing systems, ventilation, etc. in the test space. The Propagation Test Type 1 is i.e. based on the following test conditions:

• All operative modules in the test should have a 100% State of Charge at the start of the test;
• All Electronic Safety Measures should be deactivated;
• The acceptance criterion is that no propagation occurs between modules.

What is unique about EST-Floattech’s Green Orca system?

• Withstanding a full Thermal Runaway, which goes beyond a Thermal Event such as cell venting;
• Gas exhaust system, which eliminates hazardous inflammable gases in the space.
• Adjacent modules temperature stayed well within safe limits, which means that the propagation countermeasures are extremely effective;
• The test is conducted three times with the same positive results.