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The risks of lithium batteries in aircraft cargo
Reader Comments: Dangerous Goods Shipping By F/O Asif Mahmood on Friday, Oct 15th 2010 16:06Z Addition to my last recommendations,
DANGEROUS GOODS/CARGO should be airlifted only in day light hours to reduce cockpit load on aircrew during critical in-flight emergencies. Dangerous Goods Shipping By First Officer Asif Mahmood on Thursday, Oct 14th 2010 10:43Z Following to be ensured before loading a cargo with internal thermal limits onto an aircraft:-
1. Some means of monitoring the internal temperature of the Dangerous Cargo,like temperature alert (like Laptop Batteries). 2. Cooling the said cargo to the prescribe limit before loading (cold storage). 3. Time limit on cooled cargo to be loaded on Airplane (should not be exposed to hot climate like in Middle East). 4. Authorized/Qualified person from the cargo owner to travel with the cargo. Design review of Cargo Containers By bob on Tuesday, Oct 12th 2010 12:09Z Sounds like it is time for a design review of the cargo containers, now that they are carrying a new type of battery that can cause fires that are difficult to control.
@Dubai Phil By Eric on Sunday, Oct 10th 2010 17:27Z Yes there is a danger with such bulk shipments also on cargo ships. But fighting these fires requires cooling them down; i.e. conventional fire fighting with water. This can be done a lot easier on ships than on aircraft.
As for safe containers it may be possible to develop such, but they would need to be lined with ceramics or similar to windstand the very high temperatures involved. Risks of Qualification of Airport Ground Handling Workers in Dubai By Mike on Sunday, Oct 10th 2010 07:02Z In other news I read that most workers in Dubai are migrant workers from other muslim countries with an average monthly salary of 180 USD. Their homeland in e.g. Bangladesh is flooded every year during the monsoon season, and often they lose their huts, belongings and cattle. So these poor guys are highly motivated to work for a low salary in the Emirates.
Now imagine these functional illiterates cannot read "Handle with care" or "Do not drop". In the desert afternoon sun they drop containers with bulk cargo of lithium batteries on the apron. Some hours later the container is dropped in the hold of a cargo aircraft. The batteries are hot and shocked, and a single battery starts smoldering... This could be the starting point for the UPS Dubai accident. PS: fighting Lithium Battery Fires By Rudolf A. on Saturday, Oct 9th 2010 09:57Z 1) a bulk package of lithium batteries in full thermal runaway is hotter than 1000 degC and cannot be contained, it can melt thru metal sheet
2) but a single smoldering laptop/notebook, cooled down with water, and still thoroughly wet and cool, can be safely controlled in a fire resistent containment. 3) important: do not use ice to cool down the smoldering device - the battery would continue burning under ice - use water instead. The FAA Lithium Firefighting Video provides a good demonstration! some Facts abouts Lithium Battery Hazard By Rudolf A. on Saturday, Oct 9th 2010 09:34Z - Risk of lithium thermal runaway increases exponentially with temperature - so a container with bulk cargo of batteries awaiting loading on the apron of a desert airport in the afternoon sun (see Dubai accident) is EXTREMELY DANGEROUS
- the same cargo in a cooled and shock-protected container would be safe - once ignited, lithium metall burns without air, magnesium metall even burns under water - so gaseous halon is without effect - the big risk is with unattended bulk cargo somewhere in the hold - lithium batteries tend to burn similar to malfunctioning firecrackers - in the passenger cabin smoke and noise clearly points to the problem, which can be easily identified and isolated - put out secondary flames (plastic parts) with the halon extinguisher, cool down the smoldering device with non-alcoholic drinks from the drink cart - put the wet smoldering mess into the galley oven, which provides a fire resistant containment - and continue to your destination without diversion! Jay Meeker By Inkamana on Saturday, Oct 9th 2010 08:59Z You are right Dry Ice (ICE) is Hazmat, but where in the IATA DGR
you find a limit per aircraft? The limit depends on the country or airline rules. So, not automaticaly because its hazmat there is a limit ( even USG does not limit Dry Ice, its within their exception ). And there is also no limit in using temperature controlled containers. All in all, you donīt limit anything. "No air no fire" By Waynefromnscanada on Saturday, Oct 9th 2010 08:31Z Re the comment "no air no fire", this does NOT apply to these Lithium batteries. If only it were that simple. Yes, many years ago it was standard practice to assumed that any fire we might come across, would be extinguished by removing oxygen (air), or heat, or fuel. The old familiar triangle. But those days are long gone. Today there are many products, Lithium batteries among them, which will burn quite nicely without air. Some products produce their own oxygen while in the process of combustion, other products combust using processes that don't utilize oxygen. Another thing to note, this article is referring not so much to "regular" Lithium-ion batteries, rather it is aimed at Lithium-METAL batteries, which are far more dangerous than the former.
Lithium ion Batterys By Jay Meeker on Saturday, Oct 9th 2010 06:33Z A special aircraft container (ULD) should be improvized that is temperature controlled, ie. refrigerated by the lightest method possible. The use of Dry Ice would limit the number of the containers on board due to Frozen CO2 is an ORM-C Haz Mat in itself.
The batteries should be packed in vacumn sealed containers,no air no fire, voila....One could also freeze them prior to loading and actually build the ULD to be loaded last and off- loaded first. No big operational cramp eiether. No ban of laptops By Dubai Phil on Saturday, Oct 9th 2010 04:43Z Please read the article. There is a big difference between the different types of lithium cells.
Bulk transportation of lithium metal cells is not allowed on passenger flights. Hence still allowed on cargo flights. But there is a risk. Which is also the same on cargo ships. And they can also go down with the crew. Lithium-ion bulk transportation on passenger plans is a risk which should be avoided. But single lithium-ion packs like the one used in carry-on laptops is not really a problem. There are other more dangerous items on board an aircraft. By miskidomleka on Saturday, Oct 9th 2010 01:05Z What about lithium AA bateries? Are these dangerous too?
Lithium batteries By PeterPan on Friday, Oct 8th 2010 21:44Z Massive knee-jerk reaction to the UPS crash. In the meantime, many many millions of these have been "safely" transported by air all over the whole world the past decade. It took this one crash to highlight the risk involved.
What they should do now is check unsolved air crashes and see if these little batteries had a role to play in them.... I doubt it By bimbels on Friday, Oct 8th 2010 20:20Z I doubt it will result in banning of laptops. The business travelers would revolt - therefore the FAA would never do it here in the US. I'm a FA and we get training as to how to fight lithium ion battery fires. I'll have to double check my manual but I am pretty sure that because of lith ion batteries being considered "dangerous goods" they are not to be put in checked luggage. It is permissible to check the laptop after removing the battery, however. At least, at my airline.
I'm assuming the thinking is that in the cabin, the fire can at least be fought - and soon after it igniting. Unlike if unseen in a cargo hold. By Marcel on Friday, Oct 8th 2010 19:56Z This will ultimately lead to a ban for laptops, firstly as carry on luggage, and when the quantity is sufficiently big they would then be classed as bulk....prevented the operator to carry them in the hold as well.
By joe on Friday, Oct 8th 2010 18:34Z Lithium ion batteries should only be shipped ground or sea! when will the FAA stop pandering to buisness interests and look after safety as they're supposed to. They're charged with two conflicting missions- to promote air commerce, and enforce safety. Shocker. Lobbyists are winning and supremely guilty in these deaths.
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