IDC Technologies is set to host the Hazardous Areas & Process Safety Conference 2026, a two-day event designed to equip engineers and safety professionals with practical insights and advanced methodologies.
BESS Thermal Runaway: Understanding the Engineering Behind Real-World Failures
Dr. Scott Davis | CEO & Principal Engineer | Gexcon
The rapid deployment of battery energy storage systems across Australia's energy landscape brings with it a hazard profile that many facilities and regulators are still coming to terms with. Thermal runaway and the subsequent off-gassing of flammable and toxic materials can cause fires, explosions, and environmental consequences that extend well beyond the battery enclosure itself.
This presentation goes beyond the commonly understood thermal-runaway mechanism to examine the system-level interactions that determine real-world outcomes, including the interplay among off-gas composition, ventilation effectiveness, enclosure geometry, ignition dynamics, and flame behaviour within and around BESS installations. Drawing on Gexcon's field testing, incident investigation experience, and hazard assessment practice, Dr Davis will unpack the critical engineering factors that separate a contained event from a cascading failure.
With Australia's increasing reliance on grid-scale energy storage, particularly as conventional energy supply comes under pressure, understanding these failure modes is no longer a niche concern. This session provides the engineering substance behind the headlines relevant to anyone responsible for siting, designing, assessing, or regulating BESS installations.
