Stockwell Elastomerics serves companies that design and manufacture battery energy storage systems (BESS) for renewable energy projects, grid modernization, and peak load management. BESS are used by the solar industry, onshore and offshore wind power, hydro power, and nuclear power facilities. They’re helping to support data centers and other energy-intensive infrastructure.
The components that Stockwell Elastomerics makes provide environmental sealing, thermal management, EMI shielding, fire resistance, and shock and vibration management. Examples include enclosure seals, EMI gaskets, and thermal gap filler pads. As experts in silicone rubber, Stockwell Elastomerics can help with material selection and uses various manufacturing processes.
BESS Environmental Sealing and EMI Shielding
BESS enclosures need to meet Ingress Protection (IP) ratings such as IP65, IP66, or IP67 to prevent the intrusion of moisture and dust. Often, closed-cell silicone foams are used because of their water resistance and conformability. Stockwell Elastomerics manufactures silicone seals and gaskets that include door seals, access panel gaskets.
For BESS applications that require environmental sealing and EMI shielding, electrically conductive silicones are used instead. Stockwell Elastomerics fabricates EMI gaskets for inverter housings and battery management system enclosures.
Thermal Management: Preventing or Facilitating Heat Transfers
The battery modules in BESS units generate significant heat during charge/discharge cycles. Power electronics such as photovoltaic inverters and DC/DC converters also contribute to thermal loads. Stockwell Elastomerics manufactures silicone insulation that prevents unwanted heat transfers between battery modules.
Examples of BESS insulation include silicone foam barriers between battery modules, insulating pads around busbars and other high-voltage components, and HVAC duct seals to prevent thermal leakage. Low-density silicone foams offer excellent thermal resistance while maintaining their material properties, including compressibility.
In areas where heat must be transferred away from electronics, thermally conductive silicones are used instead. Thermal gap filler pads are used between battery modules and cooling plates, and between power electronics and heat sinks. Stockwell Elastomerics uses flash cutting, water jet cutting, or die cutting to fabricate gap pads and offers adhesive lamination to promote assembly.
Fire Resistance in BESS Units
The lithium-ion batteries that are used in BESS present the risk of fire. Silicone rubber can be formulated to resist the spread of flame and meet standards such as UL 94V-0.Stockwell Elastomerics makes flame-retardant gaskets for enclosure doors, fire-blocking pads for battery modules, and silicone fire barriers help to slow the spread of flame within BESS enclosures.
Vibration and Shock Management
Vibrations from HVAC systems, cooling pumps, and power electronics switching can damage the sensitive electronics in battery energy storage systems. Silicone foams provide damping and shock absorption while maintaining long-term resilience. Stockwell Elastomerics fabricates vibration dampening pads for battery modules and sponge silicone pads for pumps and cooling systems.
Contact Stockwell Elastomerics for BESS Components
Stockwell Elastomerics is a Made in USA manufacturer that serves the battery energy storage systems (BESS) industry and many other high-growth markets. Contact us via our form, service@stockwell.com or 215-335-3005 to request a quote or for more information.
