Lithium-thionyl dichloride primary unit LS/LSH cells and multi-cell battery systems composed of these cells

SECTION 2: Hazards identification

The Li-SOCI, batteries described in this Battery Information Sheet are sealed units which are not hazardous under normal operating conditions in accordance with manufacturer’s recommendations, as stated in the user’s manual or other similar documentation. Under normal use, the battery integrity is maintained and the active components it contains are isolated from the outside. In particular, the battery should not be submitted to any mechanical (opening, puncture, immersion), thermal (burning, heating to temperatures above the normal temperature range of the product) or electrical abuse (short-circuit, recharge, forced discharge), which will lead to the activation of safety valves and/or the rupture of the battery container. Any accidental release of the inner components of the cell, or their combustion products could be highly hazardous. Battery content exposition to air humidity/liquid water may be followed by severe battery vent/explosion/fire, depending on the hazard causes and circumstances. Protection from charging: Whenever lithium batteries are not the single power source in a circuit, the following measures recommended by Underwriters Laboratories are relevant. The cells should not be connected with an electrical power source that would increase the load through the cells. The electronic circuit shall include one of the following: A. Two suitable diodes or the equivalent in series with the cells to prevent any reverse (charging) current. The second diode is used to provide protection in the event that one would fail. Quality control, or equivalent procedures, shall be established by the device manufacturer to check that the diode polarity is correct for each unit. or B. A blocking diode or the equivalent to prevent any reverse (charging) current and a resistor to limit current in case of diode failure. The resistor should be sized to limit the reverse (charging) current to the maximum value according to the data sheet of the cell.