NTSB remains agnostic about lithium-ion batteries The report cited FAA for not requiring a thermal runaway test for the battery system for certifying aircraft components. This assumption meant that Boeing did not "incorporate design mitigations to limit the safety effects that could result in such a case," the report stated. NTSB also called out Boeing for assuming that an internal short-circuit within a battery would not cause a fire or affect other cells. The report called for GS Yuasa to improve quality control and to test its batteries under more severe conditions. Though fire destroyed much of the afflicted cell, investigators said they suspected that a defect was introduced during production, causing a short-circuit. In its assessment, the NTSB report criticized the battery manufacturer for faults in production. For the most part, the public has grandfathered these problems and regulatory agencies have a well-established protocol for dealing with problems that arise from hydrocarbons ( ClimateWire, Nov. ![]() However, Pesaran noted that jet fuel and gasoline are more energy-dense than batteries and carry fire risks, as well. Last year, a spate of fires in the all-electric Tesla Model S car prompted concern among auto safety experts ( Greenwire, Nov. With larger cells and more of them packed together in batteries, managing heat becomes all the more important. "Smaller cells have the tendency to reject heat faster," explained Ahmad Pesaran, energy storage group manager at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. But doing so at larger scales and with new systems requires additional scrutiny and training for the unique challenges posed and the growing pains that may arise. Storing electricity is also crucial for smoothing over peaks and valleys in output from wind and solar.īatteries, especially the lithium-ion variety, are largely filling this role. Saving electrons for later is important for applications like electric vehicles, and denser batteries mean vehicles can go farther with less weight, a major consideration for fuel-conscious airlines. Though the aircraft are now flying again with safety retrofits, the episode highlights some of the emerging concerns around cutting-edge clean technologies, particularly those that store large amounts of energy. The agency faulted Boeing, GS Yuasa and FAA for shortcomings in their respective roles in the 787 grounding. National Transportation Safety Board released its report on the Japan Airlines fire. Federal Aviation Administration to ground the entire 787 fleet, the first time the agency had given such an order for a line of aircraft since 1979.Įarlier this month, the U.S. ![]() Five days later, another 787, this one operated by All Nippon Airways, made an emergency landing in Japan after pilots received a battery malfunction warning. In that time, the plane logged 22 flight cycles without incident. The incident was troubling because Boeing had delivered the aircraft to the airline just 18 days prior. ![]() The culprit was a lithium-ion battery manufactured by GS Yuasa, which was found to be under a condition known as a thermal runaway, in which the heat from a failing cell causes itself and surrounding cells to fail, thereby generating more heat. The batteries hissed, leaked fluid and popped, giving one firefighter a minor burn on his neck.īy 12:19 p.m., firefighters had declared the event "controlled," having removed the APU battery after extinguishing it with further doses of Halotron. The flames went out, but another firefighter saw that the batteries were still giving off heat and appeared to rekindle. Responders attempted to extinguish the heat source with Halotron, a fire suppressant. He tried to use a fire extinguisher, but the blaze didn't go out.įirefighters arrived at the scene at 10:37 a.m., and using a thermal imaging camera, they looked through the smoke in the equipment bay and saw a softball-sized glow. 7, 2013, about a minute after all 183 passengers and 11 crew members from Japan Airlines Flight 008 disembarked at Boston's Logan International Airport, a member of the cleaning crew spotted smoke in the aft cabin of the Boeing 787-8.Ī mechanic then opened the aft electronic equipment bay of the plane, parked at the airport gate, and saw billowing smoke and flames coming from the batteries for the 787's auxiliary power unit (APU).
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