View Full Version : US testing of lithium batteries alarms aviation officials
Mark in CA
2nd May 2015, 08:00
International aviation officials are trying to quickly come up with safer packaging for cargo shipments of lithium-ion batteries on passenger planes after U.S. testing confirmed that aircraft fire suppression systems can't prevent overheated batteries from causing powerful explosions and fires.
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A growing number of airlines have also said they will no longer accept bulk battery shipments, including Delta, United, Cathay Pacific, Qantas, British Airways and Cargolux.
US testing of lithium batteries alarms aviation officials (http://news.yahoo.com/us-testing-lithium-batteries-alarms-aviation-officials-200358046--finance.html)
startall4
2nd May 2015, 08:43
Have a look at the You tube video of the Al Jazeera programme about the 787 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rvkEpstd9os ( interesting in itself) .
8mins in, they talk about the batteries and there is a test they do where they shoot a bullet into a lithium battery. Now that may be a bit unrealistic ( shooting a bullet into a battery) but when you see the result you will understand the concern!!!!!
Yup, give them to those dispensable freighter crews - buncha bums!
Bas, ex 5 yrs on -200F :}
I'd agree that they should not be shipped on pax a/c.
At least, if they are on a freighter main deck, you can get at them with an O2 mask and water extinguishers. There's never a flight eng when you need one. ;)
Una Due Tfc
2nd May 2015, 09:46
They've already brought down 2 744Fs Bas, nothing the crews could do in either case. I'm only an ATCO, but I don't like idea of all those freight boys and girls I talk to in the small hours being put in the situation of having about ten mins to get off the airplane if a pallet of these things goes off.
Wasn't one of the many theories on the mystery Air Malaysia crash that it was carrying a cargo of lithium Batteries which could have caused an explosion, depressurisation which would have extinguished the fire but incapacitated the crew and PAX
Yup, give them to those dispensable freighter crews - buncha bums!
Bas, ex 5 yrs on -200F :}
I'd agree that they should not be shipped on pax a/c.
At least, if they are on a freighter main deck, you can get at them with an O2 mask and water extinguishers. There's never a flight eng when you need one. ;)
One of the air carriers listed that is banning carriage of Lithium Ion batteries is CargoLux so don't be in such a rush to think that freighter crews will be taking them either.
Wasn't one of the many theories on the mystery Air Malaysia crash that it was carrying a cargo of lithium Batteries which could have caused an explosion, depressurisation which would have extinguished the fire but incapacitated the crew and PAX
Don't start that hamster wheel again. :=
That falls under the generic fire caused the problem, which doesn't explain the aircraft flying the convoluted route that it did, nor the loss of all the comms except SatCom.
framer
2nd May 2015, 11:22
Shipping is the way.
No the way that will be more effective is a change to a different battery technology. There are several on the horizon - that could be far better than the LiIon batteries Aluminum battery from Stanford offers safe alternative to conventional batteries (http://news.stanford.edu/news/2015/march/aluminum-ion-battery-033115.html)
deltahotel
2nd May 2015, 12:29
Ian W - you may be right, but until then I'm with framer - road, sea and rail only. Even on freighters Li batteries do not have to be visible and accessible. Even if they were, you'd need a massive amount of water to cool them down enough and as has sadly been shown it can all happen a bit quick.
you'd need a massive amount of water to cool them down enough
At least, in that circumstance, you're surrounded by the stuff. As you say, it can happen quickly so you'd need a fire alarm and perhaps auto sprinklers. Prob I can see there is a false alarm trashing that part of the cargo.
Since we have 'fridge containers, I'd guess that a container optimised for sea carriage of Lithium batteries could be designed.
I'm happy to pay a little extra for batteries to be assured that there isn't a pallet of them in my pax a/c hold.
How about a pod or chute to carry batteries?
Brian W May
2nd May 2015, 17:58
Bugger carrying them, glad I've stopped freighting.
The Al Jazeera programme is most interesting - bloody bean-counters driven decision making - again.
bloody bean-counters driven decision making - again.
Do you blame the calculator, or the hand the puts in, or reads the numbers.
darkbarly
2nd May 2015, 23:01
I offloaded 125kg of li batteries (in phones for recycling) on 3 pallets from our pax aircraft baggae hold on the basis that;
1. Halon suppression demonstrated to be ineffective on li battery fires
2. MEL states hold must be empty if Halon system inoperative
3. Loading company stacked and tied irregular pallets on top of each other with old tape
4. ALL my pitch controls and Apu fuel feed run past this hold.
Too many holes.
underfire
5th May 2015, 05:18
Probably ask Boeing to design a container that would handle transport of Li batteries....:E