Hi Paul:


Visiting the TTC the other day, Dan showed us the new "Lithium Iron"
(... not ion) Battery he had installed,.....because it saved ~ 10
pounds from the lead-acid battery.. FYI -  Here is a recent report
from the LONG EZ groups experiences with the Lithium Iron Battery

Apparently, a _special charging circuit is required_ for these
battery types.... To see what really happens when these batteries
fail.....check out PBS- NOVA; Search for a Super Battery:
http:www.pbs.org video2365946487 K Moore

WARNING ABOUT A BATTERY TYPE:

Sent to me by Doug Pitzer, written by member Burrall Sanders, Falcon,
CO:

COZY: Lithium Iron Batteries will kill you!!

We have a Cozy MKIV in the shop that I am working on the wiring. The
builder installed an Aerovoltz Lithium Iron battery.  Yesterday, I
heard a soft poof and then a hiss coming from the battery, and within
ten seconds the battery was spewing a huge smoke plume and was
melting the battery's case. We scrambled to get the hanger door open
and the plane pushed outside. While the smoke decreased after about 3
minutes the heat continued. I decided I could get in the back of the
plane and cut the battery cables with a good set of cable cutters.
So, I held my breath and climbed in and as quickly as I could I cut
the cables and tossed the battery out on the ground.

It was then I was able to get a video of the battery as it continued
to self destruct. The battery burned for at least ten minutes before
it quit spewing smoke, sparks and its internal parts.

https:vimeo.com  206299953

We have just finished installing a pair of these batteries in a
Long-EZ and within a few days of installation _one began showing
signs of not holding a charge and I noticed it was getting warm to
the touch. _I removed it and Aircraft Spruce promptly warranted the
battery and sent us a new one. The one that burned yesterday was
showing similar signs of not holding a charge and about an hour
before it burned I noticed it was warm to the touch. I had no idea at
the time of the first battery failure how close it was to the
catastrophic results that we saw yesterday. It is absolutely
horrifying to think of that happening while airborne. As fast as it
escalated it would have filled the cockpit with that terrible smoke
and fumes in just a couple seconds. By the time I took the video
linked below, the smoke had tapered off considerably.

In my opinion no one in the aircraft would have survived had this
happened while in the air. No one should even consider having these
batteries in the aircraft with them. One of the scariest things I
have seen. Might as well have a wing come off, the outcome is the
same. I have added a link below to the video I took. Have a look at
the video, you'll be shocked.

Follow-up: "I have had a conversation with the owner of AEROVOLTZ,
Steve Johnson. He seems cordial, honest and sincere. He had been
briefed on my recent experience with his batteries and was aware of
my opinion. Frankly, he said nothing to change my mind. He says the
most likely cause of the fire is overcharging of the battery. I
accept that. But, he says it could also be caused by completely
discharging the battery and then trying to charge it. Says if you
completely discharge it such as leaving the master on even once, the
battery is ruined and you might as well throw it away.

He told me he was aware of two fires occurring while in flight. Both
he says were caused by the on board charging systems. Both fires were
in Kitfox aircraft with Rotax engines and charging systems.

Both times the pilot was able to make an emergency off field landing
and no one got hurt. Both batteries were mounted on the engine side
of the firewall.

He told me that he designed a system for maintaining the batteries
installed by a prominent kit manufacturer. He says that they mounted
them in the engine compartment and installed a fireproof case around
the battery that would vent the smoke overboard in the event of a
runaway.

He told me he knew that the batteries were a "smoke bomb" when they
burned. He says he makes a special charger for the batteries but, he
also says it is not required.

I also talked to Jim Irwin, owner of Aircraft Spruce and he says they
are considering what to do, and will take whatever action they feel
appropriate. So there you have it. The follow up on my post a few
days ago which is advice I gave to you, you can do what you want with
it."

BeacKeith Moore

Dan used them before. He knows what he is doing.  I think if they die
they are dead forever.

Paul Lamar



Be very cautious with these batteries, some model aircraft friends
have had them explode. Andrew Campbell.


On both links the message is: 'the site cannot be reached'.

http:www.pbs.org    video2365946487

https:vimeo.com    206299953"

Rolf Pfeiffer


Try again Rolf. I cleaned up the text a bit.

BTW  Everybody don't send HTML if you know what that is. Convert to
plain text.

Paul Lamar


Lead acid batteries use very simple chemistry and are hard to damage. Lithium ion cells (whether lithium-cobalt, lithium-polymer, lithium iron phosphate or any other) are a different animal entirely. Nothing intrinsically wrong with them (except, as NASA, Boeing and Samsung have learned, extremely sensitive to contamination and QC in manufacturing) but they have hard limits beyond which they behave poorly. If you don’t have “a special charger” i.e. a battery management system that is specifically programmed for the cells you are using, there will be problems. The BMS has such things as an automatic load disconnect before you drain the battery too far. Ignore those hard limits at your peril.

David Josephson


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