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Monday, January 21, 2013

Dreamliners Grounded

These lithium ion batteries are new, powerful and lightweight - my AR 2.0 Drone operates on them - but there is a curious warning in the manual: DO NOT OVERCHARGE! LIKE, EVER! Don't even think about it!

Didn't know what to make of the warning. But my understanding is that they are blaming the Boston fire on overcharging.

This important overcharging warning apparently hasn't filtered down the airlines:
Lithium batteries that can leak corrosive fluid and start fires have emerged as the chief safety concern involving Boeing's 787 Dreamliner, a problem that apparently is far more serious than company officials acknowledged less than a week ago.

The Federal Aviation Administration late Wednesday grounded Boeing's newest and most technologically advanced jetliner until the risk of battery fires is resolved.

...The two incidents resulted in the release of flammable electrolytes, heat damage and smoke, the FAA confirmed. The release of battery fluid is especially concerning, safety experts said. The fluid is extremely corrosive, which means it can quickly damage electrical wiring and components. The 787 relies far more than any other airliner in operation on electrical systems to function.

..."Unfortunately, what Boeing did to save weight is use the same batteries that are in the electric cars, and they are running into the same problems with the 787 as the problems that have shown up in electric cars," said Paul Czysz, professor emeritus of aeronautical engineering at St. Louis University.

The lithium-ion batteries in several Chevrolet Volts used for crash-testing caught fire in 2011. General Motors engineers eventually figured out that the fires were the result of a battery coolant leak that caused electrical shorts after side-impact crash tests. GM retrofitted the car with more steel to protect the battery. No fires were ever reported on real-world roads.

...The lithium-ion design was chosen because it's the only type of battery that can take a large charge in a short amount of time.

1 comment:

  1. You are correct on this. "blaming the Boston fire on overcharging."

    ReplyDelete