This is a video about explosions due to lithium ion batteries. I will start talking about several incidents where there has been explosions from lithium ion batteries, then a section about what makes lithium ion batteries produce the flammable gases and how that can affect buildings. Finally some short words about firefighting operations and ways of thinking that can help out by using knowledge we already have.
The key is to think about lithium ion batteries as containers with flammable gas. The major differences are that the flammable gas from the lithium ion battery is visible (which is a good thing) and that the battery also has a built in ignition source (which is a bad thing).
And for all battery haters out there, we have had fossil fuels for more than 120 years and most of the knowledge I present here comes from the work with making them safe. During that period, we have had so many explosions and fires to learn from, and we still have. We have carbon monoxide poisoning from gas heaters and stoves, we have explosions in buildings from that as well, even though we have had so many years to learn. Batteries are just another energy source with its own risks, many of them similar to fossil fuels.
00:01 Examples of explosions due to lithium ion batteries
13:55 The science behind explosions due to lithium ion batteries
27:05 Some words about firefighting operations and the explosion hazard
Link to good pictures of the garage explosion in Germany. It is necessary to accept cookies by pressing the “Akzeptieren und weiter” button, but it is worth it. The images here shows so much more of the scene than I could do in the video:
rp-online.de/nrw/staedte/neus...
Links to information about the explosion in a building in Germany:
www.vogelsberger-zeitung.de/2...
www.pv-magazine.com/2023/10/3...
Link to the analysis video of the exploding jeep:
• Electric Car Explosion...
A good article about quantification of gases during thermal runaway:
incompliancemag.com/article/e...
The report about explosion pressure from battery vent gases. It also contains a lot more interesting knowledge:
www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/15...
And as I said in the video, if you have good routines or knowledge that could be useful, please email at po@utkiken.net.
If you got annoyed by some Swedish texts in the presentation, incorrect and bad English, or some hesitations during me talking. That is by design. I just make the video good enough, to save time. The facts are correct as far as I know, but the video production and my English language are on a basic level.
Thanks for watching the video! / PerOla