With the continuous progress of science and technology, LiPo Batteries with its long service life, lightweight shape and other unique advantages are more and more to be popular and accepted by consumers. And then, one may ask, are LiPo Batteries safe? So I’m going to give you a general introduction.
LiPo Batteries are absolutely safe when properly used and stored. During use and storage, the batteries should be used and stored in the correct way and in a standard environment.
The Safety of Battery
There are some caveats to charging:
1. The charging current can not exceed the maximum charging current specified in the product specification. Because charging with a current higher than the recommended value may cause problems with the charging and discharging performance, mechanical properties and safety performance of the cell, and may lead to heating and leakage.
2. Charging voltage can not exceed the specified voltage in the specification, 4.2V/cell. Once exceeded, it belongs to overcharging, which may cause problems in charge and discharge performance, mechanical properties and safety performance of the cell and may lead to heating and leakage.
3. Charging temperature must be within the ambient temperature range specified in the specification.
4. Do not reverse-charge, correctly connect the positive and negative terminals of the battery.
There are some guidelines for safe use of LiPo Batteries and precautions:
- Do not use an unspecified or not certified for safety charger to charge the battery.
- Do not put the battery near the source of power and fire.
- Control the amount of charging. Do not let the battery overcharge or over discharge.
- Do not hit the battery mechanically or let the battery fall, to avoid artificial short circuit of the battery.
- During use, charging and storage, if the battery is found to give off heat or smell, discoloration, deformation or other abnormalities, the battery should be stopped using.
- Pay attention to the positive and negative battery can not be reversed when used.
- Do not disassemble the cell under any circumstances, which may cause a short circuit inside the cell.
- Do not mix lithium battery with battery packs.
- Do not directly weld the cell. Do not connect the cell directly with the socket.
- Do not put the battery in the sun or outdoors, not rain or heat.
- Do not put the battery in water to absorb moisture.
- Do not use damaged, deformed or broken cells.
- When transporting, it should prevent violent vibration, impact, and extrusion. When handing, it should be handled with care, not upside down.
How to Store LiPo Battery
After talking about the safety of LiPo Battery, I want to share how to store LiPo Battery.
Short-term Storage
When LiPo Battery is not in use for a short period of time (6 months), the battery should be stored in a place with non-corrosive gas, temperature between -20℃ and 35℃, and humidity between 45-65%. Higher or lower humidity and temperature will lead to rust of the metal parts of the battery or leakage of the battery.
Long-term Storage
When LiPo Battery is not in use for a long time (more than 6 months), the battery should be charged into 50-70% of the power, and the battery should be stored in a dry and cool environment alone, and charged every 3 months, so as to avoid storage time is too long, the battery due to self-discharge caused by low power, causing irreversible loss of capacity.
The self-discharge of LiPo Battery is affected by ambient temperature and humidity. High temperature and wet temperature will accelerate the self-discharge of the battery. It is recommended to store the battery in a dry environment with temperature of 10-25℃ and humidity of 65%, and maintain good ventilation.
Requirements for Storage Warehouses
The warehouse needs to be able to control the temperature and humidity, such as air conditioning and dehumidification equipment, which can avoid the battery being in a high humidity environment for a long time.
Warehouse needs to have automatic fire protection system, emergency sprinkler system, dry powder fire extinguisher and fire sand (sand for construction is fine).
Battery can not be stored together with flammable materials, independent warehouse should be established for storage. Batteries and cells should be neatly placed, take a good electrostatic protection measures.
How to Deal with Battery Fires or Explosions
Another question we need to be aware of is how to deal with battery fires or explosions. If you encounter battery fires or burns, you can use asphyxiation extinguishing method to put it out, the specific operations are as follows:
- When the battery fire, the power supply should be cut off in time, orderly evacuation of people;
- Open the adjacent doors and windows to avoid damage to people caused by smoke;
- Quickly get dry sand or dry powder fire extinguisher, according to the standard method of fire;
- After the fire is extinguished, the battery shall be moved after cooling.
Battery burning does not have an open flame, open flame is usually caused by the battery high temperature ignited next to the flammable goods or external box. The only way to extinguish a single or very few batteries is to apply sand directly to the burning area or the battery that exploded, provided that protective measures are taken. Use a dry powder fire extinguisher if it is a large area burn. Do not use water to extinguish a fire, as water can cause a short circuit in the battery.