AMA Safety Committee Announcement - April 23rd, 2004 - Lithium Battery Ha...

[Rcmaster199 at aol.com]

Hopefully you feel a little vindicated Mike. As I recall, you took quite a 
merciless whipping from this list about a year and half ago, when you first 
announced this problem
.

We missed you dude. I hope you are back and healthy. We missed Cameron too. 

See you guys in P'cola next weekend, maybe???

Matt K

> Subj:Re: AMA Safety Committee Announcement - April 23rd, 2004 - Lithium 
> Battery Hazard 
> Date:4/23/2004 9:36:44 PM Eastern Daylight Time
> From:kerlock at comcast.net
> Reply-to:discussion at nsrca.org
> To:discussion at nsrca.org
> Sent from the Internet 
> 
> 
> 
> Gee, I'm suprised.....not =)
>  
> -Mike
>  
> 
> >> ----- Original Message ----- 
>> From: flyboy422 at juno.com 
>> To: discussion at nsrca.org 
>> Sent: Friday, April 23, 2004 5:40 PM
>> 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>
>> Date: Fri, 23 Apr 2004 15:22:11 -0500
>> Subject: AMA Safety Committee Announcement - April 23rd, 2004 - Lithium 
>> Battery Hazard
>> Message-ID: <7f0ee483f16e47d28b5da26d3c073354 at modelaircraft.org>
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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: 
>> Store, and charge, in a fireproof container; never in your model. 
>> 
>> 
>> Charge in a protected area devoid of combustibles. Always stand watch over 
>> the charging process. Never leave the charging process unattended. 
>> 
>> 
>> 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. 
>> 
>> 
>> 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. 
>> 
>> 
>> 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. 
>> 
>> 
>> Most important: NEVER PLUG IN A BATTERY AND LEAVE IT TO CHARGE UNATTENDED 
>> OVERNIGHT. Serious fires have resulted from this practice. 
>> 
>> 
>> 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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