When I was in the military, I had the opportunity to change hot M60 machine gun barrels. These barrels sometimes got so hot, they would turn red, then white and froth over. We used a heat-resistant gove to easily handle these hot barrels to make the swap.

I was wondering if anyone has tried charging and storing batteries in fire-resistant fabric? This can include anything from certain types of oven mits to something custom made.

Here is an example of something I found during a quick search:

http://www.chapmaninnovations.com/products/carbonx.html

From the site:

"CarbonX® yarns and fabrics will not burn when exposed to intense heat or flame, because the actual fibers will carbonize and then expand, eliminating any oxygen content within the fabric."

Another option is Nomex:

http://www.dupont.com/nomex/

I wonder if this is the silver bullet needed to make LiPos safer. If nothing else, I'm sure this solution can be used in combination with others.

From the videos I have seen, it looks like a great deal of energy is being released during LiPo failure, but not for a long period of time. It seems that these solutions could act as sort of a seatbelt in a car; you won't necessarily avoid damange, but it seems they would keep you from burning your house down.


Just a thought.

OneHump

Onehump:
Nomex has been tested for containing Li-Poly fires with mixed results. RD Blakeslee is currently doing a series of tests that have added much to our understanding. Here is a link to his testing thread. It also references much of the earlier testing done by others.
https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=316210
Don

A major feature of the new Kokam 4th generation HDT cells is that the chemistry and design permit the cells to handle over voltage up to 18.5V/cell without igniting. When the cell does vent, it generates hot gas and smoke, but no flame. The test pictured was conducted by placing the cell on charge at 5 amps for nearly an hour , then hooking it straight across a 12V battery to expedite its demise. As you can see, there is no flame. The venting and outgassing took about 90 seconds and produces very little pressure wave.

Originally Posted by electroman

A major feature of the new Kokam 4th generation HDT cells is that the chemistry and design permit the cells to handle over voltage up to 18.5V/cell without igniting. When the cell does vent, it generates hot gas and smoke, but no flame. The test pictured was conducted by placing the cell on charge at 5 amps for nearly an hour , then hooking it straight across a 12V battery to expedite its demise. As you can see, there is no flame. The venting and outgassing took about 90 seconds and produces very little pressure wave.

Impressive! Are these cells still in R&D, or in packs now being sold?

I'll take one of the black Lawn and Garden batteries please

Originally Posted by Tom Frank

Impressive! Are these cells still in R&D, or in packs now being sold?

They are being sold now,Kokam 4th. generation LiPolys. Kokam has a Forum in the Vendors Forum here on RC Groups.


Charlesi

gone fishing

Kokam uses Red Heat Shrink on their LiPoly packs. I believe that most f the heat shrink was removed to better show waht happens to the cell during the demo.

You can find electroman and Kokam info here his Vendors Forum.
Charles

gone fishing