Increasing Risks from Transporting Lithium Batteries on Airplanes Prompt New FAA Regulations
A few days ago, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a ban on carrying spare batteries in checked luggage. In fact, prior to the FAA’s ban, several major U.S. airlines, such as Delta Air Lines and American Airlines, had already implemented various regulations prohibiting the transport of spare batteries, particularly Lithium-ion batteries, on flights.
These regulations and the ban stem from safety concerns, as some tests have shown that the fire and explosion risk of Lithium-ion batteries in aircraft cargo holds is quite high.
Explosion in Lithium Battery Production
The market for spare batteries has rapidly expanded over the past two years, alongside the growth of smartphones. While smartphones have become increasingly powerful, there have been no significant technological breakthroughs in phone batteries, making the growth of the spare battery market understandable.
The risks and dangers of these batteries have not just emerged recently. Fortunately, until now, incidents of fires or explosions on airplanes caused by these batteries have been recorded as rare occurrences rather than frequent events. However, these risks have become increasingly apparent as the production of Lithium batteries is rapidly increasing. In 2013, approximately 4.8 billion Lithium-ion cells were produced, and this number is expected to rise to 8 billion by 2025. With such a large volume of batteries being manufactured, safety concerns when flying with these products are clearly justified.
What Happens If a Battery Catches Fire?
A series of tests conducted by the FAA last year demonstrated that when a Lithium battery overheats, it can trigger a chain reaction with nearby batteries, leading to a short circuit and overheating.
Within just 10 minutes of overheating, steam and smoke from the battery will escape and spread to the cockpit and passenger cabin. In a real flight scenario, pilots and passengers would need to wear oxygen masks to avoid smoke inhalation. Moreover, the heat escape can cause the battery to emit flammable gases inside the cargo hold. Numerous tests have shown that the amount of gas produced is sufficient to blow open the cargo door and jeopardize the aircraft’s safety.
The most recent tests were conducted last month at the FAA technical center in Atlantic City, New Jersey. This test confirmed previous findings, showing that batteries can emit explosive gases. The chemical reactions inside the battery produce a mixture of gases, with hydrogen being the most significant. The temperature of the fire can reach up to 1100 degrees Fahrenheit.
Reasons Behind Battery Fires
Part of the reason for this phenomenon stems from the common structure of energy batteries. Specifically, a Lithium-ion cell is constructed with many positively and negatively charged plates stacked together and separated by insulating layers.
However, since the two opposing electrodes are only separated by a thin insulating layer, in special cases, these layers can be damaged, allowing the charge to flow directly through the opposing plates, causing the entire battery to heat up rapidly and ignite.
The Economist has previously published an article explaining this phenomenon with Lithium batteries. The advantage of Lithium-ion batteries is that they have a higher energy density than other types of batteries, meaning that for the same weight, Lithium batteries can provide more energy. This advantage comes from the fact that these batteries use an electrolyte filled with Lithium salts to provide electrons to the electrodes. However, issues with Lithium batteries arise if there is a fault or damage in the thin separator wall between the battery components. This can lead to short circuits within the battery and overheating, potentially causing the battery to catch fire. According to Airbus engineer Paul Rohrbach, aircraft can still operate normally if only a few small flames emerge from batteries, but with a large number of batteries in the cargo hold, the flames could destroy the airplane.
Nonetheless, this regulation also poses significant challenges and inconveniences for airlines and passengers. To date, no passenger flights have reported incidents of cargo holds catching fire due to the transport of Lithium batteries. However, as major airlines set this ban as a safety standard, smaller airlines feel pressured to adhere to these standards.
According to regulations from the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam, passengers are only allowed to carry a maximum of 10 spare batteries with a capacity under 20,000mAh onto the plane. For batteries with a capacity between 20,000mAh and 32,000mAh, passengers are permitted to bring a maximum of 2 batteries. Batteries with a capacity exceeding 32,000mAh are not allowed on the aircraft. The Civil Aviation Authority also requires that spare battery conditions be intact, without damage, dents, or leaks. Additionally, some airlines have mandated that users must not use spare batteries during takeoff and landing or even throughout the entire flight. The reason provided is that pressure differences can lead to short circuits and electrical faults, which can result in fires or explosions. Therefore, users should proactively contact ticket agents or customer service of the airlines to understand the regulations regarding bringing spare batteries on board. This will help users avoid being prohibited from boarding and forced to discard their spare batteries at the airport. |
