Saft is supplying primary lithium batteries to Eurofyre, a UK specialist manufacturer of fire detection and alarm equipment. The Saft lithium-thionyl chloride (Li-SOCl2) batteries will provide up to three years of reliable autonomous power for the company's 'Wi-Fyre' range of wireless detectors and sounders. The project with Eurofyre is an important development in Saft’s strategy to establish a major presence in the fast growing global wireless sensor network market.

Eurofyre's Wi-Fyre range enables wireless devices to co-exist seamlessly with hard-wired fire alarm systems, regardless of the type, age or technology of the existing system, creating a hybrid system topology. This enables inaccessible or difficult to cable areas to be protected with minimal disruption and quick installation. The products comply with European Standard EN-54 part 25.

The hybrid wireless and hard-wired approach is especially useful for companies that are refurbishing or expanding their premises, and in architecturally significant or sensitive buildings that need to be treated sympathetically. Batteries are a critical component of the technology. After a thorough technical review, Eurofyre chose Saft as its sole supplier of primary lithium batteries, because of their long life and high reliability combined with Saft’s high quality service.

"We are especially pleased to have been chosen by Eurofyre for its innovative wireless fire detection and alarm systems," said Thomas Alcide, General Manager of Saft’s Specialty Battery Group. "We see these kinds of applications for wireless sensor networks as a growth area, with huge potential."

Technical specifications

Saft is supplying Eurofyre with LS14500 (AA format) and LS26500 (C format) Li-SOCl2 primary lithium batteries. They are designed specifically for long-term (3- to 20-year) applications, optimized for base currents of a few µA with periodic pulses in the 5–150 mA range.

Saft primary lithium batteries feature a high operating voltage, stable over the specified application lifetime, along with the some of the highest nominal capacities on the market. They offer an operating temperature range of -60°C to +85°C, and provide exceptional shelf and standby life thanks to a low self discharge rate of less than one per cent per year (at +20°C). They also provide excellent resistance to humid environments, and a low magnetic signature.