LiPo Battery Prices Going Up???

[Dirtdiver]

An Asiana Cargo plane went missing today off the coast of South Korea. A portion of the cargo contained LiPo batteries.

A recent article found on http://www.flightglobal.com relating to LiPo batteries

FAA issues safety alert on lithium batteries after UPS crash
By Stephen Trimble

"The US FAA has issued a safety alert recommending that airlines adopt new procedures to reduce the risk of onboard fire posed by lithium batteries.

Airlines should ask customers to identify bulk shipments on airway bills and store such items in Class C cargo compartments, the FAA says. The agency also asks airlines to re-examine their own practices for transporting lithium batteries, as well as pay "special attention" to existing regulations.

The recommendations apply only to lithium batteries transported as cargo. Passengers and crewmembers can continue to use the power source without notifying the airline.

The safety alert was issued as the agency considers issuing a final rule with new proposals to reduce the risks of transporting such batteries. The proposed ruling is now under review by the Office of Management and Budget, which the administrative arm of the White House.

Non-peer-reviewed results of a study by the FAA Tech Centre show that lithium batteries can enter a condition called thermal runaway and reach temperatures over 593ºC (1,100ºF).

The safety alert comes one month after UPS flight 006, a Boeing 747-400, crashed in Dubai"

[Charlie don't surf]

I don't know a ton about the chemistry of the cells, but I know that the "qc" of the producing nations is poor, and as a result inferior workmanship and design can cause more than just a lost race-

IMHO

[slotcarrod]

So true Reg!

[jwscab]

meanwhile, in the wings and bulkheads of the aircraft, thousands of gallons of flammable liquid sits waiting to be burned through the turbines.

LIPO batterys are sensitive to puncturing and shorting. If you can package them to withstand a reasonable shipping scenario and prevent those two failures, they should be perfectly safe.

I do think they should be identified for shipment, but otherwise, it's no more problematic that any fuels that we use today.

[Lonestar]

... the "qc" of the producing nations is poor, and as a result inferior workmanship and design can ...

inferior, but vs. what? all lipo batts come from a handul of factory in that region afaik... nothing to compare against... imho "inferiority" doesn't really apply when this can't be compared to another sourcing option...

Paul

[Charlie don't surf]

Very true about the comparison, but I guess I was speaking about the regions products as a whole. And I don't want to forget that the worst aspect of this incident is the loss of the crew- but I have had early gen soft case lipos that are still fine and many internal failures with the newer gens.