Lithium Polymer Battery fire containment

[steamer]

Interesting video of tests done on typical hobby solutions for storing these very powerful batteries......some are much better than others

My solution is a 50 Cal Ammo box with a vent....it seems to work pretty well....

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tavpXgmL16M" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tavpXgmL16M</a>

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rv_3vwSZmzA" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rv_3vwSZmzA</a>

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10B0ALlO3RY" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10B0ALlO3RY</a>


Dave

[cnr6400]

Just FYI the link appears to be to some nifty buggy tires, but don't see any LiPo battery containment videos......

[crueby]

Seeing the right videos here.




So, store your lipos at a neighbor down the block...

[steamer]

Yeah Crueby....I fixed the link....

Dave

[cnr6400]

Thanks for fixing the link Dave! 

Nice looking rocket powered ammo box! We have liftoff! The jet of gas and fire from the small pizza bag style device was impressive too.

I had seen the bat-safe product video before. Even with that device I'd say there is still a fire risk if stored indoors and a cell fails. Definitely would not want to breathe those fumes either.

+1 for Chris's plan of storage down the street.

Uh, any room in your garage Dave? (hadda ask) 

[Allen Smithee]

I have around 60 lipo packs from single-cell 80mAh up to 6-cell 5,000mAh. I keep them in plastic draws in the workshop, charged/discharged to the "storage charge" state (3.85v/cell). Other than checking for bad cells when I get back from a flying session, and taking care not to physically abuse them, I take no special precautions. I've been doing this since around 2004 and have had no problems - occaisionally I get a pack die with a puffed-up cell but even when I *tried* to create a problem by over-charging, over-currenting, over-discharging and even banging a 6" nail through a pack, the worst I could get was a bit of outgassing. I place batteries in a pyrex bowl while charging (I'm charging 4 right now because tomorrow looks like a good flying day!) and I never leave them charging unattended, but even that is only from habit because I've never had a problem.

In each case where I've seen someone who DID have a fire we've been able to identify that the packs were abused (usually charged or discharged at too high a rate). So I'm afraid I'm not convinced that this whole lipo-fire thing isn't just hysteria.

I once visited one of the UK's major stockists of the things (think non-flying waterbird) and in his warehouse he had over 10,000 lipo packs on their retail cardboard boxes, lying on dexion shelves. He clearly wasn't concerned...

AS

[steamer]

Allen
Off road racing is brutal on packs.    40 foot plus jumps and crash landings , poor maintenance, etc causes problems
Ive witnessed several fires at various tracks and it always looked like that video.

[Allen Smithee]

Thinking about it - I've actually had more problems with NiCad/NiMH batteries than lipos. I had a couple of fires due to overdoing the "hot charge" thing (letting the last bit of the charge deliberately run hot so that the cells self-heat to the optimum 90degC for max power on the launch), and about 40 years ago I blew a small fibreglass boat hull to fragments when I accidently tried to fast-charge an already fully-charged pack at a race meeting.

It's not a mistake you make twice!

PDR

[steamer]

Thinking about it - I've actually had more problems with NiCad/NiMH batteries than lipos. I had a couple of fires due to overdoing the "hot charge" thing (letting the last bit of the charge deliberately run hot so that the cells self-heat to the optimum 90degC for max power on the launch), and about 40 years ago I blew a small fibreglass boat hull to fragments when I accidently tried to fast-charge an already fully-charged pack at a race meeting.

It's not a mistake you make twice!

PDR

Think every time you fly, you crash 5 times into concrete.....coat the connectors with dirt....turn the Low voltage cut off off, run that old pack....just one more race....you get the idea.

We've never had a pack fire... but I'm pretty good with maintenance, and ditching packs that have outlived their useful life....i'm a minority.

Dave

[steamer]

https://www.facebook.com/lcrcraceway/videos/230149800991534/?t=13

The truck starting in P1 is my son.   It had a 8500 MAH 2S  110C battery in it.    2S means 2 cells ( 8.70 volt  LIHV Batteries)  to those of you who don't know that...Allen I'm sure you do.    The main was 10 minutes, on a 1140 foot track.

Most of the trucks didn't make it to the end.    We did.   That's because we know how to do that.

10 minutes is a long time in this class.    the 1/8 scale rides run 4 cell  ( 4S) and 10 minutes is easy.

If you're going to burn a truck down, this race is the one you're going to do it on.

Dave
 

[steamer]

And another.....40 foot plus jumps.    4 cell batteries in these rides

https://www.facebook.com/mcandrew.piper/videos/2134281770182551/

Dave