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Michigan Occupational Health Conference (MOHC)

2014

Hazards of Lithium Ion Batteries

Del Malzahn, CIH

Mark Roberts, M.D., PhD.

October 18, 2014.

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Today’s Topics

Introduction

Battery Basics

Lithium Ion

Battery Failure Modes

Workplace Risks

Secondary Use of Batteries

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INTRODUCTION

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The First Battery?

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According to History—Volta

First known source of constant current

Made from alternating disks of zinc and copper with each pair separated by brine soaked cloth

Attaching a wire to either end produces a continuous current of low intensity

The resultant battery could hold a charge of several volts

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BATTERY BASICS

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Primary versus Secondary Batteries

Primary cells Zinc chloride Alkaline Zinc nickel Oxyhydroxide Lithium manganese Dioxide Zinc air Lithium iron disulfide Zinc silver oxide

Secondary cells Lead acid Nickel cadmium Nickel metal hydride Lithium ion Lithium polymer

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Battery Safety

Lead acid battery failures

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Battery Safety

NiCAD and NiMH cells overheating

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MOVING TO LITHIUM IONA Paradigm Shift

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What Does Li-Ion Mean?

Li-ion refers to a family of battery chemistries Negative (anode) and positive (cathode) electrode materials

serve as hosts for lithium ions: Ions intercalate into the electrode materials No free lithium metal in a Li-ion cell Rechargeable

No “standard” Li-ion cell

Electrolyte = flammable

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Lithium Ion Battery Powered Products Growth

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Paradigm Shift—Terminology

Cell—electrochemical unit

Battery consist of one or more electrochemical units to form a power source

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What is a Li-ion Battery?

A Li-ion battery pack contains An enclosure One or more cells Protection electronics

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Lithium Ion Battery

An integrated lithium ion battery pack showing the cells, electronics and packaging

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18650 Cells

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Electrodes are in a jelly roll configuration, typical of 18650 cells

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Power Tool Packs

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Power Tool Packs

The unit is constructed using 10 18650 cells in a 5 series, 2 parallel configuration

Positive terminal and vent port

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Paradigm Shift Continues…

Lithium ion cells are significantly different in every aspect compared to traditional chemistries

Organic electrolyte—flammable

Strong oxidizers and reducers

No recombination rate ability

Heat-activated chemical reaction

… requires failsafe controls

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Paradigm Shift Continues…

Cell is manufactured at one location, battery at another, host at another…

…yet all needs to fit and work together; each workplace presents its own challenges

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BATTERY FAILURE MODES

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Failure Causes

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Failure Modes

Electrolyte leakage

Fluorinated compounds for example HF, COF2, and F2

Flammable, caustic fluids (small amount)

Cleanup issues

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Failure Modes (continued)

Thermal runaway

Exothermic chemical reaction

Venting of gas (flammable, toxic)

Ignition of gas

Ejection of cell materials

Cascading involvement of cells

Full battery involvement

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Toxic Gases in LI-Ion Battery SmokeCompound Health Effect OEL

Carbon Monoxide, CO Headache, tachypnea, nausea, lassitude (weakness, exhaustion), dizziness, confusion, hallucinations; cyanosis; death

OSHA PEL: TWA 50 ppm, NIOSH REL: TWA 35 ppm, Ceiling 200 ppm

Hydrogen Fluoride, HF Eyes, skin, nose, and throat irritation; pulmonary edema; eye and skin burns; rhinitis; bronchitis; bone changes

OSHA PEL: TWA 3 ppm, NIOSH REL: TWA 3 ppm, 15-min Ceiling 6 ppm

Phosphorus Trifluoride, PF3 Severe corrosion to skin, eyes and respiratory tract at high concentrations, very toxic by inhalation, delayed fatal pulmonary edema possible, Similar to CO

None established

Phosphorus Pentafluoride, PF5 and Phosphorus Oxyfluoride, POF3

Extremely irritating to skin, eyes and mucus membranes, very toxic by inhalation, pulmonary edma

None established

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FAA Fire Extinguishing Tests Laptop Fire Video

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FAA Fire Extinguishing Tests Laptop Fire Video

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WORKPLACE RISKS

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Industries Involved

Portable consumer products

Toys

Utilities

Telecommunication

Medical

Military

Automotive industry

Aerospace

Construction

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Workplace Risk—External Factors

Regulatory standards—EMC/safety

Transportation regulation—DOT, FAA, IATA

Environmental issues—contamination, recycling

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Electric Vehicles

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Automotive Industry

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EV Battery Workplace Attributes (General)

Large

Heavy (hundreds of pounds)

May contain multiple thousands of cells

High voltage—300 or more volts

Cooling system not active

Require charging in process

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Large Battery Failure

VIDEO

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New Considerations in the EV Industry

Electrical risk

300 (+/-) volt DC batteries

Electrical shock/electrocution

Battery made up of multiple modules in series and parallel

Modules made up of multiple cells in series and parallel

Modules generally sufficient voltage for electrocution hazard

Damaged battery could read “0” voltage at terminals, still have high voltages inside.

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New Considerations in the EV Industry (continued)

Industrial health risk Leaked electrolyte Cleanup

Exposure

Sensing and mitigation of hazardous gas potentially vented from: Stored batteries

Batteries undergoing thermal runaway

Batteries exposed to fire/heat

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New Considerations in the EV Industry (continued)

Fire protection and suppression

Battery storage and handling, charging

Incident response in the event that a battery goes into thermal runaway

Suspect battery identification

Suspect battery isolation/quarantine

Suspect battery discharge

Fire control/suppression

Currently no NFPA Commodity Classification

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How much damage is acceptable?

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New Considerations in the EV Workplace

Storage facility Racking/shelving type and

protocols Volume of batteries State of charge considerations Modules and packs

Isolation of potentially damaged batteries Inadvertent mishandling Incidental damage

Ventilation Detection systems Fire Toxic off-gassing

High voltage exposure Fire suppression and response

systems and protocols Fire/explosion management Storage facility Test facility Charging/discharging facility

Toxic gas detection and mitigation Storage facility Test facility Charging/discharging facility

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New Considerations in the EV Workplace (continued)

Operator and responder training Incident response in the workplace Equipment Personal protection Fire fighting

Protocols Fire fighting Hazardous fumes/vapors/gases Fluid/material spills Battery dischargeWhen to do it How to do it?

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Different Types of EV Workplaces

Vehicle manufacturer Battery test facilities

Prototype vehicle build facilities

Prototype vehicle test facilities Durability testing

Crash testing

Production build facilities

Vehicle shipping

Vehicle sales and service State of charge

Warranty returns

Damage repair Housing of vehicles and batteries

Service parts

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Secondary Use of EV Batteries

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Secondary Use of EV Batteries

42 U.S. Code § 16195 - Secondary electric vehicle battery use program

(b) Program (1) In general

The Secretary (DOE) shall establish and conduct a program of research, development, demonstration, and commercial application of energy technology for the secondary use of batteries, if the Secretary finds that there are sufficient numbers of batteries to support the program

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Secondary Use of EV Batteries

By 2020 about one million large format lithium-ion batteries per year coming available from various automakers for the secondary market.

These batteries have 70-80% capacity remaining

Application ideas are many and quite varied Mobile and stationary Mobile use includes construction equipment

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Chevrolet Volt batteries(5) Used in Residential Backup Power

Photo from Automotive News

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PRBA-The Rechargeable Battery Association Position on Reconditioned Lithium ion Cells and Batteries- Excerpts “Use of lithium ion cells and batteries that are reconditioned (also

referred to as “refurbished,” “re-purposed,” “re-used” and “second use”) may present a significant safety risk for consumers, product manufacturers, shippers, transporters and other entities involved in their handling. The risk increases if the cells and batteries are used as components in products for which they were not originally designed.

PRBA strongly opposes the practice of reconditioning lithium ion cells and batteries unless the certain conditions are met

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Playing with Fire?

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Summary Lithium ion battery technology is complex Not all the potential failure causes are known Experience is lacking with large-format batteries Field experience Real-world workplace exposure risk data During storage During handling Failure/exposure detection Incident response

Real-world environmental risk data Standards and protocols are still in formative stages Secondary battery uses magnify the safety concerns

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Summary (continued)

Drink carts are multipurpose

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Acknowledgements

Don Parker, Principal, Exponent Vehicle Practice

R. Thomas Long, P.E., Principal, Exponent Thermal Practice

Judy Zhong, PhD., Senior Scientist, Exponent Occupational & Environmental Health

Celina Mikolajczak, Manager, Cell Quality, Tesla Motors

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QUESTIONS?