A technician solders the wires of a lithium-ion battery. Lithium-ion battery repair module. Engineer’s hand holds a soldering iron and tin lead and solders an electronic board. |Photo courtesy of Faroni
What happened so far: On January 2, the International Federation of Airline Pilot Associations (IFALPA) released three position papers regarding the fire hazards of lithium-ion battery use in airport and aircraft environments. These papers are motivated by airlines’ increasing use of electric vehicles (EVs) and lithium-ion batteries in their drive toward carbon neutrality, and by the increasing energy density of batteries.
What is Ifalpa?
IFALPA is a global nonprofit organization representing the international community of professional pilots. After World War II, the United Nations established the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in 1947 to coordinate air transport and its principles around the world.
A year later, ICAO held a conference in London where pilots could interact with leaders. IFALPA was born at this event with 13 pilot associations. According to sources on the ICAO website, IFALPA encompassed 104 member associations representing 100,000 professional pilots worldwide around 2013.
The source said: “It is believed that the unique perspective of pilots who fly scheduled flights will greatly benefit ICAO in the development and adaptation of the ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices (SARP) that regulate international civil aviation. ” IFALPA also provides input to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Airports Council International, and the International Federation of Air Traffic Controllers Associations.
Why are lithium batteries a concern?
Almost every major industry in the world has been heavily mechanized, and the energy for these machines has traditionally been produced by burning fossil fuels. As climate change mitigation becomes more urgent, industry is under pressure to replace this thermal energy, a major cause of global warming, with electrical energy.
For example, an EV extracts electrical energy from a battery to drive an electric motor, which provides kinetic energy to the wheels. In an internal combustion engine, the heat energy released by the combustion of fossil fuels moves a piston, and that movement is converted into rotational motion of the wheels.
Lithium-ion batteries have emerged as a popular solution for storing electrical energy because they have high energy density, are rechargeable, and can be manufactured into almost any shape. This is useful when space is at a premium, such as on an aircraft. However, lithium-ion batteries are known to catch fire when subjected to certain physical stresses.
Fires occur when stress creates a short circuit inside the battery, which continues to generate electrical current, heat, and oxygen. This is called thermal runaway. Internal parts of the battery may corrode, increasing the risk of fire. Short circuits can be the result of mechanical, electrical, and/or thermal abuse, which deform internal structures, degrade electrical performance, and accumulate heat, respectively.
A January 2024 IFALPA opinion states that “cooling reacting personal electronics with large amounts of non-alcoholic liquid can be very effective in controlling the propagation of thermal runaway. It has been proven.”
Most recently, 48 lithium-ion batteries reportedly caught fire after Hurricane Helen hit the United States in November 2024. Xinyu Huang, a mechanical engineer at the University of South Carolina, said this may be because EV batteries are rarely rated as waterproof if left in salt water for more than 30 minutes. Ta. Such situations are common during floods, which are becoming more common due to climate change and poor urban planning.
What does the IFALPA document say?
The three position papers are numbered POS01, POS02, and POS03. POS02 and POS03 are more general, while POS01 is more specific.
POS02 is motivated by the different types of fires caused by lithium-ion batteries (compared to internal combustion engines). Huang writes: “When a lithium-ion battery pack catches fire, it releases toxic gases, burns violently, and is extremely difficult to extinguish. Often, firefighters’ only option is to let it burn out naturally.” The opinion therefore calls on “airports, rescue and firefighting services, operators, and ground service providers” to acquire or develop specialized fire protection equipment and protocols.
POS03 extends these concerns to the flight deck (the area colloquially known as the “cockpit” in commercial aircraft), where batteries may be present among the components needed to operate the aircraft. It also calls attention to research by the US Federal Aviation Administration and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency that found existing firefighting kits do not adequately respond to fires involving lithium-ion batteries with energy ratings of 100Wh or more.
POS01 concerns the safe transport of lithium-ion batteries, specifically UN Regulations 3480 and 3481. Because the United Nations classifies these batteries as “other dangerous goods,” regulations specify the packaging and labeling standards required for transport by air. UN3480 applies to lithium-ion batteries that are transported in bulk, and UN3481 applies to lithium-ion batteries that fit inside some equipment that is transported in bulk.
One difference between the two regulations is that UN3480 requires the battery to be charged to less than 30%, or less than 30% state of charge (SOC), whereas UN3481 does not. POS01 argues that UN3481 did not adopt this limit because it assumed that manufacturers would install safety devices in their equipment to prevent a fire from one battery from spreading to other batteries. There is. However, as the energy density of batteries and the number of settings in which they are used increases, and the size of equipment that uses batteries decreases, IFALPA’s position is that the SOC 30% limit should be extended to UN3481. There is.
issued – January 8, 2025, 5:00 AM IST
