Quote:
Originally Posted by CoachKandSportsguy
I believe in one of my other "batteries catch fire" posts I posted a video and article where the lead acid auto batteries did catch fire and burned the vehicles beyond usefulness, with not other ignition source.
All auto batteries are capable of creating a fire, the different battery types each has different scenarios under which they will start to burn.
for most if not all batteries, the size, intensity and duration of the fire is directly proportional to the size of the battery.
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Conventional lead-acid batteries have their dangers, for sure. For one thing they produce hydrogen. I worked in a garage while in College and witnessed a couple of times when a careless tech caused an electrical spark when disconnecting a battery charger on a battery in a customer's vehicle, causing quite an explosion, ruining the battery and getting acid on the tech as well as on parts of the customer's engine. A quick hose job (car and tech) meant that no damage was done other than to the battery, which the garage replaced at no charge. A battery installed incorrectly, or one that is too small for the called-for application, is dangerous as well. They can shift position when the car is in motion (especially in hard turns, stops, etc.) and conceivably cause a spark if the positive terminal contacts metal. Our Rav4 was recalled for that possibility only a few days ago.
But lead-acid batteries themselves don't burn. They merely cause gas (hydrogen) that does. A lead-acid battery is just that: lead, an electrolyte (sulfuric acid) and a plastic housing. Lead and acid don't themselves burn. I suppose the battery case could, but as far as I know that is just plastic that is impervious to sulfuric acid. Lithium-ion batteries on the other hand are far more dangerous if ignited. For one thing they contain lithium, a lot of lithium (11% of the total battery composition is lithium) and any high-school sophomore knows that putting pure lithium in water can have some memorable results. I know. We tried it, tossing a small piece of lithium ribbon into a lab sinkful of water. Quite the kaboom. Got into a little hot water for that trick but no permanent damage was done. They also contain cobalt (5%-10%) and while solid cobalt isn't combustible, finely divided cobalt can spontaneously combust when exposed to air. Finally, a lead-acid battery produces only one combustible substance: hydrogen. A lithium-ion battery on the other hand, when burning, produces a gas mixture generated and released which
"is flammable, consisting of various mixtures of hydrogen, carbon-monoxide, carbon-dioxide and various hydrocarbons including methane and propane. Ignition of these gases result in fire and explosion scenarios that pose a significant risk to surrounding life and property." (osti.gov)