[NSRCA-discussion] LIPOs on board?

[John Pavlick]

And I wonder what will happen when there's a major accident involving an
electric car on a highway somewhere.

 

John Pavlick

Cell: 203-417-4971

 

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Integrated Development Services

 

From: NSRCA-discussion [mailto:nsrca-discussion-bounces at lists.nsrca.org] On
Behalf Of John Gayer via NSRCA-discussion
Sent: Wednesday, December 03, 2014 4:15 PM
To: NSRCA Mailing List
Subject: [NSRCA-discussion] LIPOs on board?

 

This article appeared in the Albuquerque Journal this morning. I was not
aware that large shipments of lithium batteries could still be just under my
seat on my next flight. We all know what havoc a single 10S pack can do if
it catches fire. I find it hard to believe that an airliner could survive a
palletfull going up. It's no surprise that the fire suppressant they used
had no effect.
There is a proposed rule going into effect the first of the year that is
supposed to eliminate commercial shipments from passenger airliners- if it
isn't blocked or postponed. I wonder what the checkin counter response would
be to a question of whether there is a shipment of lipos on board? Think
they could even find out that information?

John Gayer


Shipments of lithium-ion units raise concerns over fires, blasts


WASHINGTON - Dramatic U.S. government test results raise new concern that
bulk shipments of rechargeable lithium batteries carried as cargo on
passenger planes are susceptible to fires or explosions that could destroy
the airliners.

This video frame grab shows a test of a cargo container packed with 5,000
lithium-ion batteries and a cartridThis video frame grab shows a test of a
cargo container packed with 5,000 lithium-ion batteries and a cartridge
heater that resulted in a fire and explosion. 

Yet U.S. and international officials have been slow to adopt safety
restrictions that might affect the powerful industries that depend on the
batteries and the airlines that profit from shipping them. The batteries are
used in products ranging from cellphones and laptops to hybrid cars.

Shipments of rechargeable batteries on passenger planes are supposed to be
limited to no more than a handful in a single box, under safety standards
set by the U.N.'s International Civil Aviation Organization and adopted by
the U.S. and other nations. But a loophole permits shippers to pack many
small boxes into one shipment and get around the rules. Tens of thousands of
the batteries may be packed into pallets or containers and loaded into the
cargo holds of wide-body passenger planes.

In an April test by the Federal Aviation Administration, a cargo container
was packed with 5,000 lithium-ion batteries and a cartridge heater added to
simulate a single battery experiencing uncontrolled overheating. The heat
from the cartridge triggered escalating overheating in nearby batteries,
which spread in a chain reaction. Temperatures reached about 1,100 degrees.

Once about 300 batteries had become involved, a fierce explosion blew open
the container door and sent boxes flying, catching FAA and industry
observers by surprise. Within seconds, the cargo container was in flames.
The explosion came from a buildup of flammable gases. A second test in
September produced similar results, despite the addition of a fire
suppression agent.

The U.N.'s civil aviation agency is considering a series of proposals to
strengthen packaging, labeling and handling standards for lithium-ion
battery shipments, and airline pilot unions are pushing for limits on the
number of batteries that can be transported.

 

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