I experienced one catastrophic electrical failure (marine) last year, involving a wiring problem.
The system was deactivated, rewired, and reactivated, the system had one short, and a loss of polarity. The heat, smoke and damage was breathtaking.
Lithium Ion......
The extent of the damage to a battery that is so well known suggests a major, and not entirely unknown, fault.
If Elemental Lithium plates out, and shorts a cell, there is a chaotic loss of polarity, as well as major discharge.
So the prominent suspect remains dendrites, causing dead short, polarity diffusion, heat, fire and smoke.
I think that is why such emphasis is placed on tomography, and chemical analysis of the remnants of the APUBATT by NTSB. These batteries burn, the record is clear. Boeing and FAA knew (know) this, and the Lithium requirements in the considerations are outdated.
Regulatory/certification, construction/monitoring, integration/mitigation, maintenance/service life....
Dendrites? Sound easy? I don't think so....
Hersman impresses, she has my confidence. LaHood and Huerta, not at all.
Last edited by Lyman; 24th January 2013 at 21:54.