How to extinguish a Li-ion battery fire

[tursiops]

Gotta wonder how much a battery pack rated for 360KW spike discharge would cost...

LOL! Dynamite would be cheaper.
But the point was to indicate how the Watt-hour suggests a LOT of energy can be delivered over a short time, the opposite of the assertion of IDNeon357.

 

[dmaziuk]

LOL! Dynamite would be cheaper.
But the point was to indicate how the Watt-hour suggests a LOT of energy can be delivered over a short time, the opposite of the assertion of IDNeon357.

This claims to deliver 40 amps on "spike discharge": IMREN 20700 3200mAh 25A/40A Flat Top Battery - Genuine - Wholesale Discount, that's almost 150W @ 7 bucks/pop.

 

[rjack321]

This claims to deliver 40 amps on "spike discharge": IMREN 20700 3200mAh 25A/40A Flat Top Battery - Genuine - Wholesale Discount, that's almost 150W @ 7 bucks/pop.

Do a direct short and the currents will be a lot higher
And unless you have a finger sized wire it will basically vaporize the copper and the insulation. Don't ask me how I know this

 

[tursiops]

Do a direct short and the currents will be a lot higher
And unless you have a finger sized wire it will basically vaporize the copper and the insulation. Don't ask me how I know this

Aha! it sounds like you were a ham radio operator too!

 

[CaveSloth]

I keep all my batteries in this:

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N52KN5C/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[kelemvor]

I keep all my batteries in this:

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N52KN5C/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Keep in mind there is a limit to what a battery safe/bag can contain. If you've got more than one or two lipo batts in there, they could burn through. There's lots of tests of the containment devices on youtube.

I've got a batsafe box for my lipo batts. It will also filter out most of the smoke from a lithium polymer fire, but the batsafe box cost me a lot more than the hobbymate bag.

I don't think this is much of an issue with lithium-ion, which is the real subject of the thread.

 

[dmaziuk]

Do a direct short and the currents will be a lot higher
And unless you have a finger sized wire it will basically vaporize the copper and the insulation. Don't ask me how I know this

Sure and don't ask how I know that flat tin strips Sony uses for the wire in some of their laptop battery packs burn rather nicely too when shorted. The point is you could deliver a 360KW spike w/o the BOOM! and there is in fact a "hobbyist rating" to help with that.

 

[CaveSloth]

If you've got more than one or two lipo batts in there, they could burn through.

OK well then I am screwed and I guess I wasted my money on this. I have 8 18650 batteries in there and 6 26650.

 

[rjack321]

Sure and don't ask how I know that flat tin strips Sony uses for the wire in some of their laptop battery packs burn rather nicely too when shorted. The point is you could deliver a 360KW spike w/o the BOOM! and there is in fact a "hobbyist rating" to help with that.

I was trying to validate this point and was responding to @IDNeon357 who thinks there's not enough energy in a phone or tablet etc battery to start a fire. That is just patently false.

 

[kelemvor]

OK well then I am screwed and I guess I wasted my money on this. I have 8 18650 batteries in there and 6 26650.

Nope, 18650 and 26650 batts are lithium-ion. Much safer than lithium (energizer disposable) or lithium polymer (RC car/drone batts). I don't bother storing 18650's in a burn proof box, I keep them in a regular hard shell dry box.

I have accidentally pierced an 18650. Few sparks, little heat, no fire is what I experienced. It was not a big deal.