Lithium Safety Testing - 8th December

[MrPK]

What does that smoke consist of - dont think id want to be inhaling it if its just spewed out of a battery.
I remember the time Kanopeners NiCads went up - the smoke was terrible.... and the fire wouldnt go out cos it was a chain reaction - is it the same with the Lipo battery's?

[maddox10]

Burning LiPo's give of smoke from burning insulation and evaporating electrolite. Never a good thing.

But at least the amount of heavy metals ain't an issue.


In any case, that is why ventilation should be a thing to invest in.

[adz600]

May sound to easy but i am only running hard case lipo in feathers like in model cars for example, surely this would greatly reduce possible impact damage and contain any possible internal battery damage for the most part. Never in racing cars or many other machines have i ever damaged a hard case lipo battery they are very strong. I would never consider using soft case lipo battery in a robot because there very nature requires such gentle handling and lots of protection, there soft outer must allow for huge internal deflection when taking heavy impacts.

[grant_ploughbot]

Adrian, this is one thing that has been discussed at length, particularly for the HW's.
You can't tend to buy anything more than 2S lipo's with a hard case as they are designed for RC cars as you know. In the RC car world, there is a stipulation to use hard case lipo's due to the amount of crashes in a race and the amount of damage a normal battery takes. Because RC cars are so readily available and popular you get all sorts of people using them who do not have a clue or want to know how to look after packs and the hard case helps with all that.
On that note, I think that all HW lipo's should be secured in some form of hard case. Nothing heavy and expensive, even just a plastic padded box so that if it ends up rattling around inside it can't rub on things or get punctured etc. I believe that this will stop the majority of issues and damage.

Another concern that people have had is the constant shocks in a robot and the possible damage that might cause even with the lipo in a padded box. Luckily this isn't an issue at all (it is an issue for Hawkers etc). In RC heli's we are changing directions at over 20G at times, hundreds of times a flight for hundreds of flights and it has never caused an issue. Even in severe crashes when the lipo is badly bent the chemistry is still safe.

I know people are asking for all sorts of extra tests, sadly I only have a limited supply of lipo's that I can donate to the cause. The large packs I am donating cost me about £100 a pack, so I will only be testing things that are completely relavent. If I have enough, I will do a test to show what happens when you taco a pack (bend it like a taco ).

[mightymouse]

The company I work for has listed the 3 major hazards that are likely to cause serious injury in our line of work (Oil exploration);

Radioactive Sources,
Explosives,
Lithium Batteries.

It is not hard to see why I am a little bit concerned........

Trev

[maddox10]

The company I work for has listed the 3 major hazards that are likely to cause serious injury in our line of work (Oil exploration);

Radioactive Sources,
Explosives,
Lithium Batteries.

It is not hard to see why I am a little bit concerned........

Trev

In the Oil Industry every source of ignition is a source of concern. No discution there.

But what would a LiPo fire do in the arena? Put the floor on fire? Melt polycarb?Ignite the liters of leaked hydraulic oil?
Even the combination of Sir Killalot leaking oil combined with the flamepit and Sergant Bash's flametrower didn't ignite the floor.

And in the pits. I believe the rules take care of that too.

7.8 LiPo
Lithium Polymer batteries have specific limitations and extra precautions which must be adhered to.
7.8.1 Balancers
Appropriate balancers must be provided if not part of the charger. They will be inspected during the
Technical Check. LiPo batteries should be properly balanced to prevent damage occurring to the cells.
7.8.2 Voltage Cut-out (Advisory)
The robot should be fitted with an under voltage cut-out or alarm set at or higher than the battery
manufacturer€Ÿs recommendation to prevent the batteries from becoming damaged by over discharge.
7.8.3 Fusing
A fuse rated below the maximum burst discharge of the battery must be fitted.
7.8.4 Extra Equipment
Roboteers using LiPo batteries must provide a LiPo sack.
7.8.5 Inspection
LiPo batteries must be removed from the robot, inspected and placed into a LiPo sack prior to and during
the charging process.
7.8.6 Charging
Lithium batteries must not be left unattended at any time during the charging process. Leaving batteries
unattended while charging will be considered a serious breach of pit safety and may result in you and
your robot being removed from the event.
7.8.7 Damage
LiPo batteries showing any evidence of damage or swelling must immediately be placed a LiPo sack and
removed to a safe, well-ventilated area such as outdoors.

[leorcc]

The company I work for has listed the 3 major hazards that are likely to cause serious injury in our line of work (Oil exploration);

Radioactive Sources,
Explosives,
Lithium Batteries.

It is not hard to see why I am a little bit concerned........

Trev

Why specifically lithium though and not batteries in general? A123's are lithium based as well yet not the same as Li-Ion or LiPo.

[team_mute]

The company I work for has listed the 3 major hazards that are likely to cause serious injury in our line of work (Oil exploration);

Radioactive Sources,
Explosives,
Lithium Batteries.

It is not hard to see why I am a little bit concerned........

Trev

Just ban Oil exploration in the arena and pit area, wont have any problems with above then

[leorcc]

Just ban Oil exploration in the arena and pit area, wont have any problems with above then

[craig_colliass]

I'm looking forward to the E O's comments on this subject, like Trev I have my concerns, but at the same time would love to use them in the next Saint