AMA Safety Committee Announcement - April 23rd, 2004 - Lithiu m Battery Hazard

[Bob]

 I just received this too.  I do use a few Lithium batteries in selected
models and so I read the AMA advisory with interest.  Of special interest to
me is their recommendation #1. "Store, and charge, in a fireproof container;
never in your model".  I'm wondering how many of you guys who use these
batteries actually do this?  I have been charging and storing these
batteries in the model in which they are used for quite some time now with
no problems.  Of course I do watch over the charging cycle but the pack is
in the plane.  It seems impractical to remove the pack after each flying
session to store and charge.  If evidence is to the contrary, I will simply
go back to NiCads and look in other areas for weight savings.  Any comments?

-----Original Message-----
From: flyboy422 at juno.com [mailto:flyboy422 at juno.com]
Sent: Friday, April 23, 2004 5:40 PM
To: discussion at nsrca.org
Subject: Fw: AMA Safety Committee Announcement - April 23rd, 2004 - Lithium
Battery Hazard


I just received this alert from the AMA that I thought I would pass on to
the list
           John S.
            Buffalo, NY
safety at modelaircraft.org>
To: "John A Santonocito" < flyboy422 at juno.com <mailto:flyboy422 at juno.com> >
Date: Fri, 23 Apr 2004 15:22:11 -0500
Subject: AMA Safety Committee Announcement - April 23rd, 2004 - Lithium
Battery Hazard
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EMERGENCY SAFETY ALERT





Lithium Battery Fires


Lithium batteries are becoming very popular for powering the control and
power systems in our models. This is true because of their very high energy
density (amp-hrs/wt. ratio) compared to NiCads or other batteries. With high
energy comes increased risk in their use. The, principal, risk is FIRE which
can result from improper charging, crash damage, or shorting the batteries.
All vendors of these batteries warn their customers of this danger and
recommend extreme caution in their use. In spite of this many fires have
occurred as a result of the use of Lithium Polymer batteries, resulting in
loss of models, automobiles, and other property. Homes and garages and
workshops have also burned. A lithium battery fire is very hot (several
thousand degrees) and is an excellent initiator for ancillary (resulting)
fires. Fire occurs due to contact between Lithium and oxygen in the air. It
does not need any other source of ignition, or fuel to start, and burns
almost explosively. 


These batteries must be used in a manner that precludes ancillary fire. The
following is recommended: 





1.	Store, and charge, in a fireproof container; never in your model. 


	

2.	Charge in a protected area devoid of combustibles. Always stand
watch over the charging process. Never leave the charging process
unattended. 


	

3.	In the event of damage from crashes, etc, carefully remove to a safe
place for at least a half hour to observe. Physically damaged cells could
erupt into flame, and, after sufficient time to ensure safety, should be
discarded in accordance with the instructions which came with the batteries.
Never attempt to charge a cell with physical damage, regardless of how
slight. 


	

4.	Always use chargers designed for the specific purpose, preferably
having a fixed setting for your particular pack. Many fires occur in using
selectable/adjustable chargers improperly set. Never attempt to charge
Lithium cells with a charger which is not, specifically, designed for
charging Lithium cells. Never use chargers designed for Nickel Cadmium
batteries. 


	

5.	Use charging systems that monitor and control the charge state of
each cell in the pack. Unbalanced cells can lead to disaster if it permits
overcharge of a single cell in the pack. If the batteries show any sign of
swelling, discontinue charging, and remove them to a safe place outside as
they could erupt into flames. 


	

6.	Most important: NEVER PLUG IN A BATTERY AND LEAVE IT TO CHARGE
UNATTENDED OVERNIGHT. Serious fires have resulted from this practice. 


	

7.	Do not attempt to make your own battery packs from individual cells.



	

These batteries CANNOT be handled and charged casually such as has been the
practice for years with other types of batteries. The consequence of this
practice can be very serious resulting in major property damage and/ or
personal harm 



Safety Committee
Academy of Model Aeronautics

5161 E Memorial Drive
Muncie, IN 47302


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