LITHIUM BATTERIESThe safe transport of lithium Ion batteries by air

Presented by David AlexanderGeneral Manager: AVSEC

ICAO Aviation Security Professional Manager

www.professional.za.com

Have a Note 7?

•Range withdrawn•Direct Losses now estimated at USD 5.3 Billion•Future of Samsung phone operations under threat

•Consensus is that the Note 7 is history, killed by the battery

And………

Samsung made their own batteries so,

What went wrong?

A 3500 mAh batterySamsung has provided an explanation in the statement given below:

“Based on our investigation, we learned that there was an issue with the battery cell. An overheating of the battery cell occurred when the anode-to-cathode came into contact which is a very rare manufacturing process error.

As good as your last……“Pocket explosives maker Samsung claims it has started the "mass production" of the world's first 10nm FinFET system-on-chips”

An Acer 4400mAh Laptop battery

Similar power but 60 times the physical size

HP Spectre X3604920 mAh (56Wh)

Similar power 1/10 size

Output growthWe all want for and more power from smaller and smaller batteries, consider:

Nokia 101 1000 mAh

iPhone 6 Plus 2915 mAh

Galaxy Note 7 3500 mAh

  

Size matters……..In batteries the smaller the better with the most possible power

In other words?

A bomb

So……..

Let’s put together a shipment of 1000’s and put these on a plane, what a great idea!

And….We hide them in other shipments, don’t label them correctly, because proper handling and labeling costs money

Not that anybody here would ever do that…

What is Lithium?

a soft, silver-white metal belonging to the alkali metal group of chemical elements

Can be used for: Medicine Alloys for aircraft Heat Resistant

glass Batteries

Lithium Batteries are considered to be Dangerous Goods when transported by air

Lithium batteries are classified into Class 9.

This means proper:

Packing

Labelling

Documentation

Why do we need to know about lithium batteries?

Lithium batteries are normally safe, but they can pose a hazard in air transport. 

Incidents involving lithium batteries catching fire on board aircraft have occurred and have led to disastrous situations

Why do we care?

Because of the increasing demand for lithium batteries, billions of batteries are shipped annually on cargo and passenger aircraft. 

It is estimated that lithium batteries are present in more than 20% of cargo shipments

3 Evils…….Short circuitDamageHeat

In the air…

Reduction in pressure can result in liquid and gaseous contents bursting out of their containers. This can be very messy and very dangerous.

Matches and cigarette lighters subject to vibrations have been known to ignite while in suitcases, brief cases and even in pockets. 

Lithium Ion batteries

For transport purposes, lithium batteries are divided into two categories based on the battery chemistry.

Lithium Metal Batteries

Packed by themselves are

classified as

 UN 3090(shipping as air

cargo is forbidden on

passenger aircraft, unless exemption

issued by all States concerned)  

Lithium Metal Batteries

Packed in or with equipment are classified as 

UN 3091(shipping as air

cargo is allowed on passenger and all cargo aircraft if

properly packed and labelled)

Lithium Ion Batteries

Lithium ion batteries

Rechargeable and used in consumer electronics such as cell phones, laptops, E-cigarettes but also motorized vehicles such as drones or e-bikes.

This is not the drone you are looking for…

Lithium Ion Batteries (includes Lithium Poly)

Packed by themselves are classified as

 UN 3480(effective April

1st 2016 UN 3480 shipping as air cargo is forbidden on passenger

aircraft, unless exemption issued by all

States concerned)  

Lithium Ion Batteries (includes Lithium Poly)

Packed in or with equipment are classified as 

UN 3481(shipping as air cargo

is allowed on passenger and all cargo aircraft if

properly packed and labelled)

30% Rule

All Lithium Ion batteries must be shipped at a state of charge (SoC) not exceeding 30% of their rated design capacity. 

UN Manual of Tests and Criteria Subsection 38.3 of the UN Manual of Tests and Criteria   Each battery

series/type must be approved

Certified as safe for air transport

Manufacture Certified Substantial risk

Counterfeit batteries Sub standard

components No built in safety

features Incorrectly

repaired Substantial

risk of fire

Sub standard manufacturing process which is not properly tested to UN standards is a substantial risk.

Growth in demand..The demand for Lithium batteries has grown exponentially, more and more devices require power, and… ”the global lithium-ion battery market is projected to grow at a CAGR of more than 17% during 2016 – 2021” TechSci Research report "Global Lithium ion Battery Market

Thermal Runaway

Lithium Dendrites

iPhone battery burn

How do we make all of this WORK?

TRAINING

L ithiu m B atteries by A ir

Aw areness P rog ram m eversion 2.1 2016

But why must we train?

To prevent this

(well, the DG equivalent)

Training

Because you know it is the right thing not because you must

DGR CAT 6Minimum 2 people with

ALL other personnel – DG Awareness

Additional Lithium Battery Training

Training and Education

Train your personnel, Educate your customers!

Ongoing internal training

Job-specific training for those who handle or could handle Lithium

Battery shipments

Sales Consultants

Online Retailers

e-DGR

Training

Be a responsible corporate citizen

Software Solutions

DG Campaigns

The Tools

We ALL need to play our part…..Every person, company and organisations needs to be responsible, be proactive and part of the safety chain, or

People will die

Could be your family

Resources provided by Professional Aviation

ServicesTraining Dangerous Goods Awareness Courses – All

Categories Lithium Battery Awareness Programme

Publications ICAO Authorised Reseller IATA Publication Sales Agent

+27 11 397 1222info@professional.za.

com

Questions?

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