Battery Storage. Work in progress.

Ddraiggoch · May 12, 2017

I had a brainstorm, epiphany, call it what you will, last night.

Okay, okay, it may welll have been cerebral flatulence!!!

Your opinions, scoffs, constructive criticism are welcome. Indeed requested.

Okay, here it is.

Take one of those cheap steel, tin?, filing cabinets.

You know the sort. Two large drawers with a smaller one at the top. See image 1

Line the bottom drawer, base, sides, front and back, with cement board. Image 2

In the base of the middle drawer drill a two inch hole.

Place a plastic bag of sand. image 3

Stand the whole thing on another cement board. Surround the back and sides with some (12) narrow cinder blocks. Still working on that.

Top with another cement board (all pieces should will cut from a single sheet) and a trimmed piece of plywood to make it look pretty (Nice place to situate a printer?)

Voila!!!! Relatively safe (self extinguishing in the event of fire) battery storage?

Ddraiggoch · May 12, 2017

Oooops ... Stoopid!!! Should have used thumbnails

R12NDS · May 12, 2017

I like it and have seen similar things done in a single layer box...so a good idea!

I assume you charge LiPo's in the bottom drawer and the heat bursts the sandbag, hopefully extinguishing the fire? How does the sand get from the middle to bottom drawer?

Ddraiggoch · May 12, 2017

R12NDS said:
I like it and have seen similar things done in a single layer box...so a good idea!

I assume you charge LiPo's in the bottom drawer and the heat bursts the sandbag, hopefully extinguishing the fire? How does the sand get from the middle to bottom drawer?

Drill a two inch hole in the base of the middle drawer and place sand bag over it.

Actually i charge lipos on a base and "backsplash" of ceramic tiles and stay with them throughout charging.

I am planning (constructing) this for storage only.

R12NDS · May 12, 2017

Oh i see! So the bag melts and the sand funnels in slowly? Love it!

Without the LiPo's, have you tried melting the plastic over the hole to see if it filters through as intended?

I may use this idea.

Ddraiggoch · May 12, 2017

R12NDS said:
Oh i see! So the bag melts and the sand funnels in slowly? Love it!

Without the LiPo's, have you tried melting the plastic over the hole to see if it filters through as intended?

I may use this idea.

Hmmm not ran a test ... perhaps I should and then replace the bag (line the middle drawer) with some lighter/ thinner plastic.

R12NDS · May 12, 2017

Would be really interested to find out...you may have a saleable product there buddy!

Ddraiggoch · May 12, 2017

R12NDS said:
Would be really interested to find out...you may have a saleable product there buddy!

Modified filing cabinets?

Hmmmm lol

Mind you anyone with a tape measure and a screwdriver could assemble one in less than a couple of hours tops.

Measure and mark the boards, score and snap ... easy peasie lol

R12NDS · May 12, 2017

Modified filing cabinets or not...i would pay for someone to do it for me, if it worked.

People don't want the hassle. Go for it!

PatR · May 12, 2017

Gun safe with slide out drawers, but cheaper. Not bad!

Marine One · May 12, 2017

Interesting idea. How common are Lipo fires? What general activity is most likely to cause one? Is just storage a source of concern? My Gun Safe has a internal power outlet but is full of expensive WWII Curios and Relics. I have other smaller valuables safes but they do not have power inside.

FlushVision · May 12, 2017

Marine One said:
Interesting idea. How common are Lipo fires? What general activity is most likely to cause one? Is just storage a source of concern? My Gun Safe has a internal power outlet but is full of expensive WWII Curios and Relics. I have other smaller valuables safes but they do not have power inside.

On the whole, LIPO fires are not very common in the larger scheme of things, but when they do happen in a person's home the consequences are often catastrophic.

Lipo fires often occur when the battery is misshandled or when the aircraft it is in has crashed. They often occur during the charging cycle so care must be taken during charging.

Once a LiPo fire has started it is very difficult to put out. Probably one of the best methods to extinguish a LiPo fire is to smother it in sand as the OP suggests in his invention.

Eagle's Eye Video · May 12, 2017

The weight of an additional cement board on top of the sandbag,
might help accelerate the flow rate of the sand, once started.

NorWiscPilot · May 12, 2017

Unless there is a funnel with steep enough "sides" it is doubtful the expected sand drop volume will be as expected. Perhaps a larger hole or trap door effect to let more of the volume pass through is in order.

Shadowolf · May 12, 2017

Look into fire dampers. They use a fuse that holds a door open (but in this case closed) and when a fire reaches the fuse it melts and releases the door.
DAYTON Fusible Link,165F - 2TGJ3|2TGJ3 - Grainger

Typhoon Charlie · May 12, 2017

Cut out the bottom of the top drawer and leave a 1" around the perimeter. Drop a BBQ style grill inside and place the sand bag on top of the grill. This should give you a 100% sand drop.

Windluv · May 13, 2017

I have seen in lipo battery testing bunkers a single cell the size of a credit card burn through a 1/4 stainless steel encloser which in turn is surrounded by a cement bunker.

In li fires you are looking to 'cool' down as rapidly as possible the lithium fire as opposed to starving of oxygen. The sand structure will isolate and possibly absorb the heat, so good choice. Counter-intuitve is to put a burning li battery into water to cool down rapidly although the lithium will continue to transform to a plasma state in water, it will cool down enough to stop that.