I don't like lithium-ion batteries. I really don't like old lithium-ion batteries. Semi Carrying 32,000 Pounds of Lithium-Ion Batteries Catches Fire - NewsBreak
A semi carrying tens of thousands of pounds of lithium-ion batteries caught fire on Interstate 70 in Indiana on Thursday, according to WTHR-TV. The fire shut down both directions of one of the state’s busiest commercial corridors and created a difficult, hours-long response for emergency crews.
The highway was closed for about 6 hours. It isn't just the fire, and the risk of follow on explosions, it is the toxic gas.
This is the StacheD Training video 32,000 Pounds of Lithium-Ion Batteries Catch Fire on I-70. Pat at StacheD Training gets the hat tip.
Just for comparison, when was the last time you heard of a gasoline or other petroleum tanker truck just spontaneously catching fire? I suppose having the optimum fuel to oxidizer ratio always present has some contribution. Seems like something else must be going on.
ReplyDeleteSelf-oxidizing combustibles, stored in a barrel on a truck, and that truck hits potholes. The batteries - some (most) of which will be charged - can start thermal runaway from the damage from that last pothole. The batteries at the bottom of that barrel are getting pounded at every bump in the road.
DeleteHow long it takes to ignite is a roll of the dice. Once a lithium-ion battery is in thermal runaway, the only way to stop it is to immerse the entire thing in water and wait for the temperature to come down. (Or dump 10s of thousands of gallons of water on it, which is what fire departments do with EV fires)
And storage of gas and oil does catch fire. I grew up a few miles from an oil refinery. The tank farm was many acres of huge (many 10s of thousands of gallons) tanks storing the finished product before trucks or trains would ship it on its way. One of them would catch fire every couple of years. No explosions from the tanks. The next refinery up the road had an explosion when a leak developed at the base of the catalytic-cracking tower, and spark set the whole thing off.
DeletePropane also explodes with some regularity. Not All Explosions in Russia Are Due to War
DeleteI sometimes wonder if my response would be adequate were my cell phone or laptop begin the process toward producing open flame and toxic smoke.
ReplyDeleteI think not. I think I would be fortunate to survive with only severely burnt hands from the struggle to throw the device outside.
The largest, most involved fire in the big town in my county was a tank farm started by a lightning strike. Burned for a week.
ReplyDeleteNot much you can do to fight a gasoline or jet fuel fire on that scale, except to make sure it doesn't spread. Even trying to drain the tank can cause issues. And diesel, once it starts burning, is almost impossible to put out.
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