There is usually fire. The smoke this time emanates from a recent safety directive issued by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) stressing the fire hazards posed by lithium batteries – used in everything from pace makers to watch batteries, cell phones, portable computers and car batteries. The fire in this case is a FAA proposal regarding lithium battery safety that is sitting on US President Barack Obama’s desk – a dossier that most likely contains measures that could have a very significant impact on the air cargo industry, not to mention electronics manufacturers heavily reliant on just-in-time supply chains.
Action on this important safety issue is long overdue. Since the early 1990s, there have been numerous incidents of batteries igniting in flight or during cargo handling and tragically, the recent fatal crash in Dubai of a UPS B747-400 freighter killing both pilots – said to be carrying a substantial cargo of lithium batteries – propelled the issue onto centre stage.
Pilots’ groups have been pushing for action for years, including an outright ban on carrying the batteries, but that seems quite unlikely given the importance of this product. More likely will be a mandate on the number of batteries that can be carried or specifications for storage or new container types.
The FAA’s directive said that recent research conducted by its scientists shows that when batteries – both lithium metal and lithium ion – are exposed to high temperatures they have the potential to create “thermal runaway,” a chain reaction leading to selfheating and the release of a battery’s stored energy. A cargo compartment fire can be hot enough to ignite batteries even if they aren’t involved the initial fire, “creating a risk of a catastrophic event,” the directive said. Once one battery experiences thermal runaway, it generates enough heat to trigger nearby batteries. Aside from explosions that can damage cargo compartments a battery on fire can generate temperatures veryclose to the melting point of aluminum, which is a most unpleasant thought.
The next crucial issue is fire suppression. While virtually all passenger and freighter aircraft carry fire detection equipment in both belly and maindeck cargo holds, typically only belly holds have any form of fire suppression equipment, usually in the form of halon gas. But halon isn’t completely effective for fires caused by lithium metal batteries.
Ask any freight pilot what his biggest worries are when airborne and an onboard fire will likely top the list. Fire suppression systems on the maindeck are overdue, full stop. They won’t be easy to develop – cargo mixes of palatised, unpalatised and ULDs – will make it a challenge. And this will all come at a cost as well – probably why this issue has languished. But we must take our hats off to FedEx for the being the first and only air cargo carrier to develop and implement a specialised maindeck fire suppression system. Seven years in the making, the system will be installed in all its 59 MD-11 aircraft by early 2011 and will also go into all new B777 Freighters.
Another age-old problem is the simple issue of either inadvertently or purposefully misdeclaring dangerous goods, including batteries. The evolving security environment will likely help to clean up this shady and outright dangerous practice and the sooner the better.
Meanwhile, the industry waits with baited breath for the outcome of the FAA proposal now before the US Administration. It will largely determine what direction the industry is thrust with regards the lithium battery issue. Let’s hope a solution that embraces industry input and proper study is put on the table and one that will not allow this vital issue to be swept under the table yet again.