Li Ion Battery Fire Hazards

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C08

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Just been reading an account of a boat fire on the cruisers forum about a portable drill battery overheating, exploding and setting fire to the boat. The drill & battery were in a locker and is thought to have been damaged by being tossed about in the locker and being damaged and then the fire. See Explosions fires rescue at sea - Cruisers & Sailing Forums
There are some interesting annectdotal experiences of battery fires and comments from a manufacturer (Montanan) of Li-Ion battery cells and the safeguards his company takes regarding the handling and transport due to fire hazards and his experiences of exploding cells.
Quite a sobering read.
 
Refueler said:
Remember Boeing with the 777 Dreamliner ?

Initially designed with LiIon battery packs ... after a few incidents - all recalled and swapped for conventional packs till they got sorted.
Click to expand...

I don't think the 787 Dreamliner problem was resolved with conventional batteries. Instead, Boeing engineered a fireproof battery container; unfortunately this was much heavier and largely negated the weight savings of using Li-Ion batteries!

For boat owners, it's difficult to avoid Li-Ion batteries as they're commonly fitted in all sorts of electrical devices. I can't see any reason to be overly concerned.
 
Sorry for the loss of the boat and everything, just glad the crew are OK.

"Transporting the batteries with their equipment or stand alone requires proper packaging and labeling and each and every person that handles or administers the packaging and shipping is required to have specialized training."

Ok, I can see taking that kind of care when you're dealing with pallet loads, but not many users do, nor are they aware of the need - I wonder how many such batteries are bouncing around in the back of workmen's vans around the world. It would also be interesting to know if the culprit batteries were of a reputable make or Ebay copies without the requisite safety circuits.
 
Stemar said:
Sorry for the loss of the boat and everything, just glad the crew are OK.

"Transporting the batteries with their equipment or stand alone requires proper packaging and labeling and each and every person that handles or administers the packaging and shipping is required to have specialized training."

Ok, I can see taking that kind of care when you're dealing with pallet loads, but not many users do, nor are they aware of the need - I wonder how many such batteries are bouncing around in the back of workmen's vans around the world. It would also be interesting to know if the culprit batteries were of a reputable make or Ebay copies without the requisite safety circuits.
Click to expand...

If you want to know how to carry / transport Lithiumj batterys - the IATA publishes a very good set of guidelines that most airlines follow as well.
Its also why - when buying Lithium batterys - you can come up against limitations on their being airfreighted etc.
 
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