Battery explosion, house nearly burnt down

[Cymruflyer]

Did the batteries ever show sign of slight swelling on the flat bottom of the batteries? Also, what are the serial numbers on that and the remaining batteries please?

 

[HanAries]

So I was putting my batteries on the charger this morning in prep of flying my Mavic 2 Pro this afternoon when one of the batteries suddenly shot out a stream of gas (?), instantly starting smoking then burst into flames. Thank God I was in the kitchen right next to the sink. If this had happened anywhere else in our home, it would have burned the place down. The flames were strong in the sink shooting up almost a foot. The smoke was so bad that I couldn’t see the other side of the kitchen. Now the other two batteries are on the concrete in the garage until I figure out how I’m going to dispose of them. I don’t want them in my vehicle and they are not ever coming back into our home.

I just wanted to share with everyone my near disaster.

Thank for sharing it. Actually I aware with my drone lithium battery all the way since first day I bought and received my drone back on 2019, and since first time I always charge 4 of my Mavic 2 battery inside the lipo safe bag although I don't really know how it will help buy at least I will more confidence charging it even I never leave it when charging.



And also all my spare lithium battery when not in use although only 50% power left I usually put them all inside individual lipo safe bag before put in in my camera bag, only leave the one in the drone without the lipo safe bag like this. I never really leave them outside the lipo safe bag.



Regards,
Han

 

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[chiangmaicharlies]

Thank you all for a very interesting and helpful discussion. Wow!

 

[Torque]

I also charge in the kitchen near the sink. Water is useless on these, but I can push/dump the tray into the sink and cover it if there is a fire.
This is a good reminder of the potential damage these batteries can do, but I think this is the first smart battery I've heard about igniting.
I fly RC planes with the lipo batteries that are basically a rectangular bag of gel. When they get puffy I dispose of them buy clipping the wires and immersing them in a bucket of salt water on my patio for a week or so - until they stop emitting bubbles. Not sure if this can be done with DJI batteries?

 

[EpicFlight]

This report is very sobering. I charge my batteries without concern, no more.

A few things: Contact DJI. Be very upset. You should be. Talk legal action. YOU SHOULD BE COMPENSATED, GENEROUSLY, FOR THE DANGER TO PERSONAL SAFETY AND PROPERTY.

This simply shouldn't happen. It is possible to design li-ion battery systems that don't do this. Do you put your cell phone in a charge bag? Your RC? FPV goggles battery?

I'm getting/making an enormous lipo charge bag, and charging in that from now on.

 

[peterc4]

Got rid of my 2 pro because of swelling batteries, this doesnt suprise me in the least

 

[God Is Love]

WOW !!! That is a scary situation. I purchased charging bags and i fail to used it. I will start doing it again.

Glad the house didn’t burn down.

 

[stonecherub]

This comment is about data. The story does not mention the fire department which implies that they do not know about this LiPo fire in their jurisdiction. It is not in their database but I suspect it probably should be. You might call them and ask if they're interested.

 

[slup]

...Do you put your cell phone in a charge bag? Your RC? FPV goggles battery?

To be honest ... no.

But on the other hand, never ever leave any lithium battery to charge unattended, no matter what gadget it's powering. All lithium batteries can burst into flames if they fail... it's very rare though & it will usually not happen out of the blue without any signs before, that the battery isn't healthy.

But as it can happen, it's wise to do what can be done to lessen the consequences ... usually I do other thing's in the same room or next with everything visual during the approx. 50 minutes it takes to fully charge from storage level ... the risk is greatest with high amperage, with a full parallel charge for my quads all is charging with over 20 amps for instance, there I also check the battery temps by hand several times during charge just so I can spot abnormalities early. Also have everything on a bigger tin tray so I can toss everything out if something happens.

Always think what if ... when it comes to lithium batteries, & act accordingly.

 

[Cymruflyer]

So I was putting my batteries on the charger this morning in prep of flying my Mavic 2 Pro this afternoon when one of the batteries suddenly shot out a stream of gas (?), instantly starting smoking then burst into flames. Thank God I was in the kitchen right next to the sink. If this had happened anywhere else in our home, it would have burned the place down. The flames were strong in the sink shooting up almost a foot. The smoke was so bad that I couldn’t see the other side of the kitchen. Now the other two batteries are on the concrete in the garage until I figure out how I’m going to dispose of them. I don’t want them in my vehicle and they are not ever coming back into our home.

I just wanted to share with everyone my near disaster.

It would be very useful for you to let us all know a few very important bits of information that may protect us all, yet despite several members asking you still have not given us any further info.
It would be helpful for us to know :
What was the age of the battery,
If you had seen any swelling sign previously.
What the serial number was.

That way we could check our batteries.

I had 3 of my M2Pro batteries swell up, all past warranty. DJI asked for the serial numbers and photos and video of them wobbling. Once supplied they replaced all three batteries at no cost to me. Never had any swelling on the new ones.

Please let us have the info asked above in those 3 questions.

 

[mucek]

Not ALL lithium based cells are subjected to fireworks, but yes, lithium ion cells (especially LiPos without solid structure and housing such as 18650 casing) are especially vulnerable. Especially when running on the edge (charging to high voltages, drqining huge currents), which is usual scenario for drones ...

Be safe, if pack gets swolen, do not use it anymore. This is first indication.

Regards,
G

 

[Cymruflyer]

Not ALL lithium based cells are subjected to fireworks, but yes, lithium ion cells (especially LiPos without solid structure and housing such as 18650 casing) are especially vulnerable. Especially when running on the edge (charging to high voltages, drqining huge currents), which is usual scenario for drones ...

Be safe, if pack gets swolen, do not use it anymore. This is first indication.

Regards,
G

When I experience the swelling batteries, they remained swollen, I put them aside. They stayed swollen for several months. DJI did not want them returned to them, so I kept them in our detached garage. One day I found someone who bought swollen batteries for a few dollars. When I went to get them to sell, all 3 had returned to their original flat state, so they looked like they were fine again. Now I would be concerned buying a used battery that was flat, after seeing how mine went.

 

[Tiger64]

I am happy it had a good outcome for you.
I have a question for those that are putting their lipo batteries in lipo bags to charge.
Does that not increase the temp of batteries as they are charging?
Wouldn't that increase the chance of thermal runaway if it does?
They can't be vented for better air flow or they won't contain any fire that happens.
I have noticed that batteries get considerably warmer when charged in a drone as opposed to being on the tray on a bench. That is just a reduced air flow, not cutting it off all together like putting it in a foil bag that resembles a smaller version of the bag pizza delivery guys use to ensure it's still hot when it arrives.

When I first started flying electric planes I purchased both types of lipo bags that were available here. Looking at the instructions and knowing that heat is the enemy with these batteries, it didn't make sense to me. I only use them to transport batteries that have been compromised in the field. Generally following a crash.
I put the potentially damaged battery into a bag (after it has cooled) and have it on the front seat of the car on way home so if it does start to smoke I can toss it quickly.

 

[Faster]

I've been dealing with lipo batteries since the beginning of their use in RC. I hate how this "intelligent batteries" work. They have a chip doing all the work that WE should be doing with a real battery charger. Not knowing the charge rate, cell voltage, capacity and cell RESISTACE when charging a lipo battery sounds to me almost surrealistic. If you can check all those parameters during charging, you'll never be able to detect any battery damage before things like this happen.

 

[bcfd29]

I work as a fire and explosion investigator and see this continually with various types of LIPO batteries, it is classic thermal runaway and failure behavior of the device. I have seen this occur in homes, offices, garages, and once on board an occupied commercial aircraft (thankfully still at the gate) where a juice pack fell from a customers seat to the floor and went into thermal failure venting smoke and flame violently. Filled the aircraft with smoke, melted the aisle carpet (required to be fire resistant) and was kicked off and out and submerged in a large bucket of water. Hover boards, E-bikes, even vaping devices are a constant source of problems.

INSPECT YOUR BATTERIES! Look for any discoloration, changes in the case color, deformity, etc. and STOP using them if you observe anything. Charge cycle is not necessarily a predictor of failure, but getting hotter during the charge/discharge cycle IS. Physical damage from dropping a battery can also cause this type of failure to occur.

I recommend that the OP contact his insurance carrier as they may be interested in the actual mode and point of failure, which may often be ascertained by imaging of the batteries using CT or other enhanced x-ray imaging techniques including looking at the as of yet undamaged batteries for similar artifact. One case I had involved a large battery array for an underwater device and we had to prove it was not the source of failure, which the CT imaging was able to do. This fire also involved a brand new Porsche Taycan (all electric vehicle) and took out the entire house and garage.

ALWAYS charge batteries in an occupied and attended space, on a non-combustible surface. The people posting about baking pans and the like are on track here, I go further and use sand or a layer of brick on the bottom as an insulator. Having another pan or tray to act as a cover is also smart. The off gassing of even a small LIPO battery is quite violent and will be hard to deal with. One residential fire I did involved a hobbyist builder of elaborate quad copters, and his battery failed and went airborne spreading fire throughout his attached garage. Get some big oven mitts in case you have to try and carry the smoking mess outside.

NEWER BATTERIES ARE TYPICALLY SAFER: Original designs involved a long metallic ribbon type element acting as the lithium coated "plate" in the battery, and chemical reactions would cause these to grow dendrites between the ribbon layers, which once they touched the next plate this resulted in thermal runaway (the undesired connection between plates - basically a dead short which could speed up by physical damage like dropping the battery or device). Newer designs incorporate multiple sealed cells with a small thermal cut off devices to protect it from going into full thermal failure; as a cell overheats it isolates itself from the rest of the array reducing the electrical potential and resulting risk. Instead of one big cell (using the very long folded foil ribbon) it is a bunch of smaller cells.

Be careful, pay attention, have fun!

 

[HoozierDroneDaddy]

I work as a fire and explosion investigator and see this continually with various types of LIPO batteries, it is classic thermal runaway and failure behavior of the device. I have seen this occur in homes, offices, garages, and once on board an occupied commercial aircraft (thankfully still at the gate) where a juice pack fell from a customers seat to the floor and went into thermal failure venting smoke and flame violently. Filled the aircraft with smoke, melted the aisle carpet (required to be fire resistant) and was kicked off and out and submerged in a large bucket of water. Hover boards, E-bikes, even vaping devices are a constant source of problems.

INSPECT YOUR BATTERIES! Look for any discoloration, changes in the case color, deformity, etc. and STOP using them if you observe anything. Charge cycle is not necessarily a predictor of failure, but getting hotter during the charge/discharge cycle IS. Physical damage from dropping a battery can also cause this type of failure to occur.

I recommend that the OP contact his insurance carrier as they may be interested in the actual mode and point of failure, which may often be ascertained by imaging of the batteries using CT or other enhanced x-ray imaging techniques including looking at the as of yet undamaged batteries for similar artifact. One case I had involved a large battery array for an underwater device and we had to prove it was not the source of failure, which the CT imaging was able to do. This fire also involved a brand new Porsche Taycan (all electric vehicle) and took out the entire house and garage.

ALWAYS charge batteries in an occupied and attended space, on a non-combustible surface. The people posting about baking pans and the like are on track here, I go further and use sand or a layer of brick on the bottom as an insulator. Having another pan or tray to act as a cover is also smart. The off gassing of even a small LIPO battery is quite violent and will be hard to deal with. One residential fire I did involved a hobbyist builder of elaborate quad copters, and his battery failed and went airborne spreading fire throughout his attached garage. Get some big oven mitts in case you have to try and carry the smoking mess outside.

NEWER BATTERIES ARE TYPICALLY SAFER: Original designs involved a long metallic ribbon type element acting as the lithium coated "plate" in the battery, and chemical reactions would cause these to grow dendrites between the ribbon layers, which once they touched the next plate this resulted in thermal runaway (the undesired connection between plates - basically a dead short which could speed up by physical damage like dropping the battery or device). Newer designs incorporate multiple sealed cells with a small thermal cut off devices to protect it from going into full thermal failure; as a cell overheats it isolates itself from the rest of the array reducing the electrical potential and resulting risk. Instead of one big cell (using the very long folded foil ribbon) it is a bunch of smaller cells.

Be careful, pay attention, have fun!

Thank You for the added education on these batteries!

 

[Desert Adventures]

So I was putting my batteries on the charger this morning in prep of flying my Mavic 2 Pro this afternoon when one of the batteries suddenly shot out a stream of gas (?), instantly starting smoking then burst into flames. Thank God I was in the kitchen right next to the sink. If this had happened anywhere else in our home, it would have burned the place down. The flames were strong in the sink shooting up almost a foot. The smoke was so bad that I couldn’t see the other side of the kitchen. Now the other two batteries are on the concrete in the garage until I figure out how I’m going to dispose of them. I don’t want them in my vehicle and they are not ever coming back into our home.

I just wanted to share with everyone my near disaster.

As I read this My Batteries are sitting right net to my recliner inside the charger…..maybe I’ll move them.

 

[Faster]

I work as a fire and explosion investigator and see this continually with various types of LIPO batteries, it is classic thermal runaway and failure behavior of the device. I have seen this occur in homes, offices, garages, and once on board an occupied commercial aircraft (thankfully still at the gate) where a juice pack fell from a customers seat to the floor and went into thermal failure venting smoke and flame violently. Filled the aircraft wit smoke, melted the aisle carpet (required to be fire resistant) and was kicked off and out and submerged in a large bucket of water. Hover boards, E-bikes, even vaping devices are a constant source of problems.

INSPECT YOUR BATTERIES! Look for any discoloration, changes in the case color, deformity, etc. and STOP using them if you observe anything. Charge cycle is not necessarily a predictor of failure, but getting hotter during the charge/discharge cycle IS. Physical damage from dropping a battery can also cause this type of failure to occur.

Be careful, pay attention, have fun!

Your lecture is excellent and really appreciated but,
How can we see a color discoloration, change in color or even a deformity in a DJI battery that is double enclosed? Even change in temperature is difficult to detect for the same reason. As I said before, If we can't check the Internal Resistance, how can we know the battery is toasted? We are playing a Russian roulette with these batteries for sure.
Is there any other way to know or predict this accident? Do you have any other advice?. I would really appreciate it.

 

[Dbez1]

Thanks for the report. I’m changing my recharge technique.