My 18350 aw battery just exploded

[Swer3397]

See "vented" sounds a little less dangerous. I wonder why your entire purse was so hot though.

 

[Ezkill]

Well when they vent it can be extremely hot. Shooting flames hot in fact.

Although this sounds bad it's a lot better then when a LiPo goes nuclear. That kind of explosion, on your lap, would require a trip to the hospital.

 

[Rader2146]

See "vented" sounds a little less dangerous. I wonder why your entire purse was so hot though.

When batteries go into thermal runaway the chemical reaction doesn't actually begin until internal temp is around 400*F (for IMR). Once the reaction has begun it cannot be stopped (exothermic reaction). The temp continues to rise until pressure is released, either by venting or by more violent means. Venting is a little less dangerous than the alternative, but the vented gasses are hot enough to cause severe burns to exposed skin.

 

[thinkingaboutit]

And the OP has purdy fingernails.

 

[L7D4N]

Well when they vent it can be extremely hot. Shooting flames hot in fact.

Although this sounds bad it's a lot better then when a LiPo goes nuclear. That kind of explosion, on your lap, would require a trip to the hospital.

The chemistry of Li-Mn (IMR Battery) is a "safe-chemistry", which means in the event of thermal runaway, it would vent only gas, no flames. They do generate massive amounts of heat in this situation, which would melt foam in the case, but should not have vented flame.

I was hoping to get some info on the adjacent items in the purse in an attempt to deduce if a flame was present, or not.

 

[icanhazvapor]

Jaquelyn, I'm curious about the origin of the batteries you buy. Are they advertised as AW or some other brand? AW started with a guy on one of the flashlight forums who got into the business of selling batteries. He would buy large lots of batteries from a manufacturer, run them all through intensive testing, choose the best batteries for his brand and sell of the rest of the lot wholesale. His are made using Japanese cells ... Panasonic, I think. If you buy AW branded batteries they are supposed to be the cream of the crop for a particular batch and perform to specs.

There are counterfeit AW batts on the market. It's hard to tell them apart and you have to rely on the vendor to ship what they advertise. What was the brand on yours and did they come from a vendor who states that they are genuine? Was there anything in the case that could have shorted the ends together? Was the car hot? Sitting in the sun for a long period?

This is really an unusual occurrence with IMR batteries.

He's actually still over on that forum, and still sells there. I posted the link to that thread earlier (I hope that was okay). And you are correct about the Panasonic batteries.

 

[Kemosabe]

im not sure if this has been brought up, but nhaler sells a protection circuit called the vape safe. im not even sure if this is applicable, but hey figured id mention it.

 

[katann23]

I had a similar incident. I used to throw my spare batteries in my purse. One night I was out and noticed my purse was really hot. Realized the battery had melted or something. I told my husband and he *politely* explained that you can't throw a battery in your purse when there is a bunch of change in there. I honestly didn't know.

 

[becosemsaida]

So we all have seen the batt, knowing where it was and how it was conditioned. Just leaves one option: the diference between temperatures could have influenced the reaction.

As we all have read there is a big temp. diference i know that it will affect the batt. ( just leave them in the sun to get that bit more, i have done it but NOT with vaping batts)

Since there is nothing that could short it in the box or purse it has to be the only explanation. So now we have a new subject to discuss: how do batts "behave" with temp. oscilations??? Since i'm living in Portugal and it's very hot here will this be a problem????

I will try to test this out: charge some batts in a controled environment (20-25ºC, sorry no F), measure them and then take them out for a walk in the sun and measur them again. Just have to "empty" my batts first.

AW IMR 18350 --- "the good ones"

beco

 

[Rader2146]

How do you plan to measure them? They will not "gain" voltage with increasing temp. Increasing temp increases the electrical performance, but also stresses the cells.

 

[Rader2146]

Safety Concerns with Li-ion Batteries

The real problem lies in rare occasions when an electrical short develops inside the cell. In such a case, the external protection peripherals are ineffective to stop the thermal runaway, once in progress

Heat is always an enemy of the battery. When fully charged, elevated temperature causes a harmful reaction between the positive and negative electrodes and the electrolyte. As a small water leak in a faulty hydro dam can develop to a torrent and take a structure down, so also can heat buildup damage the insulation layer in a cell and cause an electrical short. The temperature can quickly reach 500°C (932°F), at which point the cell catches fire or explodes. This thermal runaway that occurs is known as “venting with flame.” “Rapid disassembly” is the preferred term by the battery industry.

Seems appropriate for this situation.....

 

[Berylanna]

Vaping will put your batteries under a strain not seen in cell phones and toothbrushes. With an average resistance atty / carto you can be drawing 2 amps regularly and with a dual coil over 3 amps. Most applications do not put as much strain, I'm not sure about R/C (don't need another hobby..)

I've been using mostly NiMh batteries for vaping lately because they are easier to source, cheaper and will take more abuse in storage. Being a lower density charge, even if they fail they don't have as much ooomph to cause damage.

Can you use them in things that were probably marketed for alkaline batteries? (I'm thinking of my water purifier)

Also, I heard they don't hold a charge for more than 3 days, so do you keep them in the charger all the time? (I'm planning to make some Puck mods.)

One thing about the li-ion, when you pick them up they are ready to use.

 

[Baditude]

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I had a 14500 Trustfire vent in a pocket of a pair of cargo pants that were in my locker at work. The bulbous power switch of my BB was compressed for at least several minutes, setting off the thermal runaway. No fire, but when I reached for the PV for a vaping break it was very hot to touch and had vented a black sooty powder thru the power switch, as designed. The PV continued to work with a fresh battery for a few days, then stopped working and had to be serviced by AltSmoke with a new switch.

Complete user error, I've learned my lesson.