Battery cabinet with flame protection/management construction

A battery cabinet apparatus having flame and noxious gas management capability, the apparatus comprising:

• a plurality of parallel arranged vertical frame elements;
• a plurality of spaced apart shelves disposed within an interior area of the apparatus;
• a first plurality of louver panels arranged one above another and coupled to a first pair of the vertical frame elements on a first side of the apparatus;
• a second plurality of louver panels arranged one above another and coupled to a second pair of the vertical frame elements on a second side of the apparatus opposite the first side;
• each one of the first and second pluralities of louver panels including:
• an upper portion having an upper edge;
• a lower portion disposed below the upper portion and having a lower edge, the lower portion being inward of the upper portion and angled inwardly relative to the interior area of the apparatus;
• the upper and lower edges of the upper and lower portions, respectively, of vertically adjacent ones of the louver panels cooperating to form permanent, elongated openings extending for exhausting at least one of flames or noxious gasses that develop within the apparatus;
• a top panel operatively supported by upper ends of the vertical frame elements and having a plurality of openings for assisting in exhausting at least one of the flames or noxious gasses out from the interior area of the apparatus;
• and
• side panels configured to cover the louver panels.

A method for forming a battery cabinet having a flame and noxious gas management capability, the method comprising:

• arranging a plurality of vertical frame elements parallel to one another;
• disposing a plurality of spaced apart shelves within an interior area of the apparatus;
• arranging a plurality of louver panels one above another, and coupling the plurality of louver panels to a first pair of the vertical frame elements;
• and
• configuring each of the louver panels with an upper portion having an upper edge and a lower portion having a lower edge, wherein the lower portion is inward of the upper portion and angles inwardly, relative to the interior area of the apparatus, such that the upper edge of the upper portion of a first one of the louver panels cooperates with the lower edge of the lower portion of a second one of said louver panels disposed immediately above the first one of the louver panels to form a permanent, elongated opening for exhausting at least one of flames or noxious gasses that develop within the apparatus.