brad wrote:I saw some kids riding these the other day for the first time. I wonder what exactly the trigger is for these to catch fire?
Lithium is classified as a hazardous material and has to be shipped with a UN number:
UN 3090 9 Lithium batteries
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U ... 01_to_3100
Lithium oxidizes and anything that oxidizes has special containment rules for transportation. See your local Commercial Driving Manual for the rules on transporting oxidizers but the rule in the Emergency Response Guide is #138.
http://environmentalchemistry.com/yogi/ ... n/138.html
Oxidation is where the Lithium is losing its electrons due to a chemical reaction to water or steam (your breath, humidity, etc) and those electrons are lost to another element like air or water so if there is heat or electricity present (Lithium Battery) then there is a source for combustion. I am not a chemist so you can take this explanation with a lot of scrutiny.
Lithium oxide is used as a flux in ceramic glazes; and creates blues with copper and pinks with cobalt. Lithium oxide reacts with water and steam, forming lithium hydroxide and should be isolated from them.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithium_oxide
There was a case in the news where a man put a cree flashlight in his mouth and the flashlight exploded giving him burns and sending him to the hospital. I believe the flashlight had a lithium battery. The air we exhale has a small amount of humidity or water in it as most of us are made up of water and the air propels the water particles.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nati ... /21926663/
If you go to Youtube, there is a video where someone drops a lithium battery in water and the result is disastrous. I would post the video but there is bad language in it. So if you had a lithium battery in your basement or shed and it flooded, I can only imagine the reaction from water.
Why Lithium Batteries Catch Fire
http://chemistry.about.com/od/everydayc ... h-Fire.htm
BU-304a: Safety Concerns with Li-ion
http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/arti ... ith_li_ion
Data compiled by the FAA from 1991 to 2007 states that 27 percent of all incidents occurred with lithium batteries and 68 percent with other battery chemistries. With lithium battery, 68 percent failed by external and internal short circuits, 15 percent by charging and discharging and 7 percent by unintentional activation of devices; 12 percent covers the rest. About 70 percent of non-lithium incidents occurred by short circuit, 11 percent by unintentional activation of devices and 2 percent by charging and discharging; 17 percent covers the rest. In another study from 1991 to 2012, the FAA recorded 132 batteries leading to smoke, extreme heat, fire or explosion.
http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/arti ... _batteries
I have energizer brand lithium batteries made for the American market and most of mine are AA type batteries. The charger that Energizer gave me makes the batteries red hot and I emailed them and they wanted me to exchange the charger for the same charger. I since bought an intelligent charger for Lithium batteries made with fire resistant plastic and my 18650 batteries are always cool to the touch. I haven't tried charging the Energizer Lithium batteries in it.
There are fires with regular batteries. A lot of people use battery maintainers to maintain antique vehicles but vehicles with dual batteries can present a challenge to those electronics because one battery can place a strain on a second vehicle battery and batteries can catch fire at 3 AM in the morning when no one is paying attention.