Battery production on this scale in the UK is unprecedented, as are the impacts the battery supply chain is going to have on the economy, from import of new raw and intermediate materials, new manufacturing, operating and maintenance processes, as well as the end-of-life requirements covering recycling and disposal of the high value and hazardous components.
Mineral refining, battery cell manufacture and battery end-of-life processing involving the recovery of the critical minerals – including lithium, cobalt, manganese, and nickel – are, at their core, high hazard chemical processes involving toxic, flammable and explosive substances. The auxiliary and utility systems required in these manufacturing processes such as calcination at intense heat and chilling using ammonia also carry their own unique hazards and risks. In fact, the potential exists throughout the manufacturing process for high energy reactions and the creation of hazardous process conditions including extreme temperatures and pressures and flammable or toxic atmospheres. The need for these hazards to be identified and characterised and for risk to be mitigated to an acceptable level is as critical for this sector as any other high hazard industry.
At 6 Engineering, we have recently brought our experience of high hazard industries to new and existing operators across the battery production lifecycle. We have supported projects undertaken by research facilities, mineral processors, technology and process designers, and global OEMs from raw material processing right through to the handling and recycling of the end-of-life equipment and materials.
Sarah Juliff, a senior safety engineering consultant at 6 Engineering discusses some of the hazards identified during recent safety engineering projects across the battery manufacturing lifecycle along with some of the techniques used to identify each hazard and reduce associated risk.
“Hazard and operability (HAZOP) study is a structured, keyword-driven methodology used to identify hazardous scenarios that arise from deviations during complex operations that could result in severe injuries or fatalities. A battery manufacturing process HAZOP we facilitated identified several scenarios that had the potential to generate explosive atmospheres which could cause multiple fatalities if an ignition source was present. Potential causes of the explosive atmosphere included mis-aligned valves causing a leak of flammable vapours and excess heat generated from a vessel agitator which raised substances above their flash point. Both scenarios were subject to layer of protection analysis (LOPA), a further systematic assessment where the integrity of existing safeguards is determined. If the calculated integrity from the LOPA does not meet the required risk reduction factor actions are set to install additional safeguards that reduce the risk to an acceptable level.
Hazard Identification (HAZID) is a similar structured methodology carried out at an earlier stage in the design process. A HAZID assessment for a technology start-up looking to scale-up their bespoke battery black mass metal extraction process identified several handling challenges resulting from the physical properties of the raw materials, solvents, intermediates and the products. The HAZID recommended addition of several equipment items to improve the effectiveness and reduce the risk ensuring inherent safety was incorporated into the design.
Failure Mode Effects and Criticality Assessment (FMECA) identifies how a process can fail and explores the effects or harm that the failures can cause. An FMECA study on an automated powder storage facility identified that the toxic and explosive nature of the metal powers represented a significant hazard, however the fully automated operation meant that the risk to people was minimal.”
6 Engineering specialise in a variety of hazard identification, risk assessment and risk management tools applicable to all development stages, from R&D and pilot scale, through to operation and decommissioning. The nature of the hazards evident in battery manufacture and recycling necessitate integration of process and functional safety from the start if we are to achieve safe delivery and operation at the scale required to meet decarbonisation targets
You can read more about our work in hazard assessment in MEM issues 526, 528, 531 and 532, or on our website at www.6engineering.co.uk.
Contact us today via our website or LinkedIn page, and discover the benefits of having process and functional safety expertise at your fingertips.
