CRRC releases 5 MWh liquid-cooled energy storage system

China-based rolling stock manufacturer CRRC has launched a 5 MWh battery storage system that uses liquid cooling for thermal management.

“The use of efficient thermal management technology enables the system to achieve an extreme temperature difference of 4 K and low power consumption in the entire temperature range,” a spokesperson from the company told pv magazine. “From multi-stage physical isolation, quadruple fuse protection, strong and weak electricity zoning design, 4S-level fire management, Pack-level precise protection, real-time monitoring of cell-level health status, ms-level sampling, and extremely fast response, the energy storage system achieves ultimate safety.”

The storage system utilizes lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) cells with a 3.2 V/314 Ah capacity. It has a DC voltage range of 1,081.6 V to 1,497.6 V and can operate within a temperature range of -30 C to 50 C.

The battery can reportedly handle all humidity levels and has a max altitude of 4,000 m, with derating starting after 2,000 m. It comes in a standard 20-foot container measuring 6.058 m x 2.438 m x 2.896 m and weighs up to 44 tons.

The IP-55 rated system relies on AC/DC parallel PCS grouping and dry-type transformer solution, with intelligent, cooperative control, which the company said jointly creates a safer, more efficient, and more intelligent energy storage integrated solution.

“The DC side adopts multi-stage physical isolation, multiple fuse protection, and strong and weak current zoning design,” CRRC stated. “The AC side adopts dry-type transformer configuration; the high-voltage side is equipped with three-in-one circuit breaker protection, equipped with an independent and controllable IGBT chip core, and the highest efficiency of the converter exceeds 99%. “