Safety official: Battery in 787 swollen from overheating
»Play Video
TOKYO (AP) - The main battery beneath the cockpit of the Boeing 787 forced to make an emergency landing in Japan was swollen from overheating, a safety official said Thursday, as aviation regulators worldwide joined the U.S. and Japan in grounding the technologically advanced aircraft because of fire risk.
U.S. officials, and a Boeing engineer, are due in Japan on Friday to assist with Japan's investigation into the All Nippon Airways 787 that landed in western Japan after a cockpit message showed battery problems and a burning smell was detected in the cockpit and cabin.
The battery in an electrical room beneath the cockpit was swollen and had leaked electrolyte, safety inspector Hideyo Kosugi said on Japanese broadcaster NHK. Investigators found burn marks around the battery, though it was not thought to have caught fire. Kosugi also said the electrolyte liquid leaked through the electrical room floor to the outside of the aircraft, Kyodo news agency reported.
The 787, known as the Dreamliner, is Boeing's newest jet, and the company is counting heavily on its success. Since its launch after delays of more than three years, the plane has been plagued by a series of problems including a battery fire and fuel leaks.
GS Yuasa Corp., the maker of the lithium ion batteries used in the 787s, said it was helping with the investigation but that the cause of the problem was unclear.
"We still don't know if the problem is with the battery, the power source or the electronics system," said Yasushi Yamamoto, a spokesman the company which is based in Kyoto, Japan. "The cause of the problem is not clear," he said. Thales, which makes the battery charging system, has not commented so far.
Air India's decision Thursday to ground its fleet of six Boeing 787, under orders from Indian aviation authorities, and similar decisions in Europe and Qatar mean that nearly all of the 50 Dreamliners in use around the world are now out of action.
Japan's ANA, which has 17 of the 787s and Japan Airlines, which has seven, voluntarily halted flights Wednesday after the emergency landing but aviation authorities have now made the grounding an official directive.
In Washington, the Federal Aviation Administration also required U.S. carriers to stop flying 787s until the batteries are demonstrated to be safe. United Airlines has six of the jets and is the only U.S. carrier flying the model. Aviation authorities in other countries usually follow the lead of the country where the manufacturer is based.
Yasuo Ishii, an official with the aviation safety division of Japan's transport ministry, said Japan Airlines and ANA had been directed not to fly their 787s until questions over safety of the aircraft are resolved.
The 787 relies more than any other modern airliner on electrical signals to help power nearly everything the plane does. It's also the first Boeing plane to use rechargeable lithium ion batteries for its main electrical system. The batteries charge faster and can be molded to space-saving shapes compared to other airplane batteries, allowing the use of lightweight composite materials instead of aluminum.
Worries over potential fire risks from lithium ion batteries, with their well-known flammability, predate the launch of the 787. In a May 2011 report, the FAA outlined various improvements in containing and preventing onboard fires but also noted that electrolyte leaks could make a fire more hazardous due to the high energy density and power capacity of such batteries.
The FAA had issued special precautions for installation of such batteries on board the 787s.
Francesco Ciucci, a mechanical engineering professor at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology who studies fuel cells and batteries, said that lithium ion batteries pose safety hazards but the risks can be minimized with safety systems that would not add much to an airplane's weight or complexity.
Ciucci said that lithium-ion batteries have been known to break down due to "thermal mismanagement," in other words, letting the temperature rise too much, which could cause batteries to swell.
"I'm very, very surprised because some of these issues, such as thermal and electrical management, have been essentially covered by various companies, in various capacities, so I'm thinking that perhaps it's just a single incident or an engineering glitch," he said.
Boeing said it was working around the clock with investigators.
"We are confident the 787 is safe, and we stand behind its overall integrity," Jim McNerney, company chairman, president and CEO said in a statement.
Japan's transport ministry categorized Wednesday's problem as a "serious incident" that could have led to an accident.
The ministry had already started a separate inspection Monday of a 787 operated by Japan Airlines that had leaked fuel in Tokyo and Boston, where the flight originated.
In a Jan. 7 incident, a fire ignited in the battery pack of an auxiliary power unit of an empty Japan Airlines 787 on the tarmac in Boston. It took firefighters 40 minutes to put out the blaze.
A computer problem, a minor fuel leak and a cracked windscreen in a cockpit were also reported on a 787 in Japan this month.
Boeing has said that various technical problems are to be expected in the early days of any aircraft model.
Much remains uncertain about the problems being experienced by the 787, said Masaharu Hirokane, analyst at Nomura Securities Co. in Tokyo.
"You need to ensure safety 100 percent, and then you also have to get people to feel that the jet is 100 percent safe," Hirokane said.
U.S. officials, and a Boeing engineer, are due in Japan on Friday to assist with Japan's investigation into the All Nippon Airways 787 that landed in western Japan after a cockpit message showed battery problems and a burning smell was detected in the cockpit and cabin.
The battery in an electrical room beneath the cockpit was swollen and had leaked electrolyte, safety inspector Hideyo Kosugi said on Japanese broadcaster NHK. Investigators found burn marks around the battery, though it was not thought to have caught fire. Kosugi also said the electrolyte liquid leaked through the electrical room floor to the outside of the aircraft, Kyodo news agency reported.
The 787, known as the Dreamliner, is Boeing's newest jet, and the company is counting heavily on its success. Since its launch after delays of more than three years, the plane has been plagued by a series of problems including a battery fire and fuel leaks.
GS Yuasa Corp., the maker of the lithium ion batteries used in the 787s, said it was helping with the investigation but that the cause of the problem was unclear.
"We still don't know if the problem is with the battery, the power source or the electronics system," said Yasushi Yamamoto, a spokesman the company which is based in Kyoto, Japan. "The cause of the problem is not clear," he said. Thales, which makes the battery charging system, has not commented so far.
Air India's decision Thursday to ground its fleet of six Boeing 787, under orders from Indian aviation authorities, and similar decisions in Europe and Qatar mean that nearly all of the 50 Dreamliners in use around the world are now out of action.
Japan's ANA, which has 17 of the 787s and Japan Airlines, which has seven, voluntarily halted flights Wednesday after the emergency landing but aviation authorities have now made the grounding an official directive.
In Washington, the Federal Aviation Administration also required U.S. carriers to stop flying 787s until the batteries are demonstrated to be safe. United Airlines has six of the jets and is the only U.S. carrier flying the model. Aviation authorities in other countries usually follow the lead of the country where the manufacturer is based.
Yasuo Ishii, an official with the aviation safety division of Japan's transport ministry, said Japan Airlines and ANA had been directed not to fly their 787s until questions over safety of the aircraft are resolved.
The 787 relies more than any other modern airliner on electrical signals to help power nearly everything the plane does. It's also the first Boeing plane to use rechargeable lithium ion batteries for its main electrical system. The batteries charge faster and can be molded to space-saving shapes compared to other airplane batteries, allowing the use of lightweight composite materials instead of aluminum.
Worries over potential fire risks from lithium ion batteries, with their well-known flammability, predate the launch of the 787. In a May 2011 report, the FAA outlined various improvements in containing and preventing onboard fires but also noted that electrolyte leaks could make a fire more hazardous due to the high energy density and power capacity of such batteries.
The FAA had issued special precautions for installation of such batteries on board the 787s.
Francesco Ciucci, a mechanical engineering professor at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology who studies fuel cells and batteries, said that lithium ion batteries pose safety hazards but the risks can be minimized with safety systems that would not add much to an airplane's weight or complexity.
Ciucci said that lithium-ion batteries have been known to break down due to "thermal mismanagement," in other words, letting the temperature rise too much, which could cause batteries to swell.
"I'm very, very surprised because some of these issues, such as thermal and electrical management, have been essentially covered by various companies, in various capacities, so I'm thinking that perhaps it's just a single incident or an engineering glitch," he said.
Boeing said it was working around the clock with investigators.
"We are confident the 787 is safe, and we stand behind its overall integrity," Jim McNerney, company chairman, president and CEO said in a statement.
Japan's transport ministry categorized Wednesday's problem as a "serious incident" that could have led to an accident.
The ministry had already started a separate inspection Monday of a 787 operated by Japan Airlines that had leaked fuel in Tokyo and Boston, where the flight originated.
In a Jan. 7 incident, a fire ignited in the battery pack of an auxiliary power unit of an empty Japan Airlines 787 on the tarmac in Boston. It took firefighters 40 minutes to put out the blaze.
A computer problem, a minor fuel leak and a cracked windscreen in a cockpit were also reported on a 787 in Japan this month.
Boeing has said that various technical problems are to be expected in the early days of any aircraft model.
Much remains uncertain about the problems being experienced by the 787, said Masaharu Hirokane, analyst at Nomura Securities Co. in Tokyo.
"You need to ensure safety 100 percent, and then you also have to get people to feel that the jet is 100 percent safe," Hirokane said.
Everyone knows you dont have to be an expert to figure out that a plane with a history of serious problems from inception might not be a plane you want to trust your life with ! Here we go again with the 787 Fire Bird the problems just keep getting more serious . Great job Boeing you out sourced most of the manufacturing of this aircraft only to end up with a  POS
Â
A trip to Sears for a replacement battery ???
No, no, no. It was vindictive union workers, I read it in the comment section yesterday so it must be true. Lowest bidder foreign made batteries couldn't possibly be the problem! Death to unions!
 @Howard Beale Howard, for lack of a sarcasm font you will have to start using <sarcasm> or people will call you and idiot.
@Howard Beale Idiot....
Ok, from what I've read in international news is that some of these failed batteries were a lot more than just swollen. One pic showed one of these specific batteries had actually eaten through the side of the battery casing, leaving a gaping hole. It was completely scorched as we'd expect, but it had indeed gone the 'thermal mismanagement' way in a really big way. By the way, the actual term for this type of battery failure is thermal runaway. Known term, for a well-known problem with these specific batteries under these type of load demands.
Internationally, as in European, engineers were asked about it, and they apparently think it is more likely that placement, packing, wiring, and environmental conditions are the problem more than the batteries themselves. I found this significant because those engineers probably back EADS products rather than Boeing's.
Titanic: unsinkable Dreamliner: we'll see
Kind of ironic that these batteries are not allowed to be shipped via AIR because of saftey concers, but they can install them on a airplane?
Went to a party over the holidays and a bunch of boeing employees there talking about getting high. Thought they must be janitors but they work in everett in "forms" and "flightline" doing the wiring. Maybe they should start drug testing.
@jui Jealous are you ?????
 @jui Flightline Mechanics are randomly tested.
Wow....who did they get to create that graphic....pretty bad. Locations of electrical and brake components are way off.
Â
What surprises me is after thousands and thousands of hours in flight test there was no sign of battery overheating and now its showing in multiple places. Im curious if it is just a bad production run of the battery or the battery charger.
 @rwgav8 or union installers . . I would check the date of manufacture. if the work were done on a Monday. In years past it was found cars made on Monday by Union workers were deficient in many quality areas. Due to hangovers or drug withdrawal from week end partying.
Yeah right, only Union workers ever get high or have hangovers. Chances are, the batteries are built from another supplier in another country, Maybe even non union.Who will you blame then?Â
@rwgav8: I suspect they will find a glitch in the control package designed to ensure safe operation of the battery. Barring that, a design flaw in the battery itself. At this time I can see no other reason. But, as always, I will let the professionals do their work and let us know what went wrong.
Got a question? Was the battery made in China? That would explain why.
I understand that they are made in Japan. THe company that makes them is a very reputable company.
As with all great advances, be it societal or technology and science, set backs are a part of that equation. Where would mankind be without those who exhibit the pioneering spirit?
Â
If we let doubt and fear rule our hopes and dreams, we stagnate, quickly becoming just another failure for having not tried. Reality TV shows and romance novels absorb our time, and thoughts, just another drug to help us from looking inward to see the real cause, of what is eating away deep inside our being....
We are quickly becoming a society who love to pile on those who fail while trying to succeed.
Â
I ask, if you don't fail from time to time are you then not pushing yourself to its outermost abilities and limits?
Â
Boeing I applaud you for having a vision, and the fortitude, to share with others around the world as you try to advance technology where air travel can become a reality to almost any citizen in this global society. I don't think for a second you will cave under, like so many lessor folk, like cowards, but relish the opportunity to learn from the adversity.
For standing up to these challenges will result in a better product, it will also be a source of character building, by example, for those many people around the world who are rooting for you....
Those who can't be honest, well, its sad to say, will be a great number, and therein bolster themselves to a false belief, by shear ignorance.
Â
As a wee tadpole I think my mother read me the story of Chicken Little, that was many decades ago, nothing has changed for many, so sad.
Â
Mom, thank you for taking the time to instill in me, tho primitive my understanding, a belief that won't buckle under pressure, or cave to the screaming mass, that we as humans were created with a special gift, call it the ability to imagine, and the integrity, and fortitude, to push it forward, and in doing so, helping others, in oh so many ways, achieve goals in their collective lives too....THANKS MOM!
I seem to recall that boiler explosions were a risk with steam locomotives, and there was always the chance that spokes would break on your wagon wheel.
Â
I'm disappointed this problem was allowed to occur, but I'm also confident that great engineering minds will find a solution. This not a problem that would result in dropping the whole plane, like what happened with the Comet http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_Havilland_Comet
@georgef: You are quite right. Back in its day railroads had their problems and covered wagons, well where do you start. The best thing I can say about this brouhaha is that no one has died because of it. For that Boeing and the airlines deserve full credit.
It's amazing to me that a few years ago, everyone was freaking out over the possibility that a cell phone battery or a lap top battery would cause a fire on a plane and bring it down. There were a few issues, but it never happened.
Â
And now the planes themselves are using the same LiOn batteries, just much larger and more dangerous. Brilliant.Â
IATA, International Air Traffic Assn, and the UN have rather onerous restrictions on Lithium-Ion batteries. It would be interesting to find out what their take is on the failures in the 787.
Underwriters Laboritories has done extensive testing on Lithium-Ion batteries and warns that there are still potential causes ot failures that require sophisticated safeguards Link => http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ul-white-paper-examines-safety-issues-of-lithium-ion-batteries-106438973.html
@odrew: It appears those sophisticated safeguards weren't sophisticated enough. But I digress. As I wrote before, I prefer to let the professionals do their work and tell us what went wrong when they are finished.
This makes those 'exploding' batteries in smart phones look like child's play...
@Kermee - the iPods and phones use the same lithium-ion style of battery. It's amazing to me that everyone is so suprised to realized that the giant versions of the batteries have similar problems.
They can make 450,000 pounds fly, but they can't stop a battery from overheating. Â
Maybe Boeing can devise a 6000 mile long extension cord. Think of the jobs in South Carolina that will create.
 @KOMO_Sapiens These planes were built in Everett.
 @KOMO_Sapiens Don't give them any ideas. They just might think that is the answer to the problem and try it.
 @KOMO_Sapiens Tesla had a theory for wireless power transmission decades ago...
Bring all the jobs home,we can do much better than other countries,
save more times and money,do they know or care !?
Â
Boeing needs to keep manufacturing and production in house and in country.
Hire the energizer bunny!
"We still don't know if the problem is with the battery, the power source or the electronics system," well
The problem is obviously the battery, you donât build the electronics to the battery but build a battery to handle the electronics.
Â
As stated before this plane is the most advance passenger plane to date so it rely heavily on electronics. The battery will overheat if charged incorrectly or the load to it too great. Just like how if you put too much load on your home outlet but in your home you have a circuit breaker to prevent your outlet to overheat and catch fire.
@Nathan Boi if the electronic charger is not charging the battery properly then the problem is not obviously the battery.
Spot on Hagar. It takes "smart" electronics to monitor the state of charge of each cell in the battery to prevent overcharge of any cell. As the battery is being charged if a cell is overcharging that cell is shunted until the others catch up.Charging a Lithium cell beyond 4.20 volts creates heat and potential thermal runaway resulting in self sustaining fire (generates it's own Oxygen from the breakdown of the Lithium Cobalt Oxide.)
 @Northriver  @Hagar I fly electric powered planes with Lithium Polymer batteries and use a balancing charger and never leave the batteries unattended while charging. If you would like further insight google LiPo Sack and watch some battery fires. The sack is designed to contain the battery if it catches fire.
 @Hagar  @al_wa Great insight guys same thing happened to my RC car when I used the wrong charger, the regulator was different within the power supply leading to an overcharge and a leaking lithium battery... Time will tell hopefully its a quick oversight
@al_wa did I read somewhere that the spilled electrolyte solution burned through the hull of the aircraft? I also wonder if this is related to the electrical panel fires. Seems like when a string of variables line up just right something goes very wrong. The challenge will be to identify those variables.
Yuasa is like Toyota. Much of the product they sell was made in China. China accounts for up to 80% of the parts inside some Japanese cars. I guess we can stop bitching about Wal-Mart.
@MonroeMad
Very true. "Made in Where-ever" now only means the point of last assy. It is becoming impossible to get a quality product because the manufacturer must go down every single sub-component, sub-sub component and scrutinize country of origin, quality, durability. In the pre-globalization era things were different: (1) products were less complex, (2) OEMs actually manufactured the majority of sub-components, (3) Products were constructed within one culture and values system. Today the global supply-chain is largely a culture of deception and cost-cutting at the expense of quality.
Â
IMO programs like the Space Shuttle wouldn't be possible today using a global supply chain because the quality issue doesn't allow the requisite excellence.
@Duncan Construction: I must say I can't find any support for your conclusions. In fact, I find that today's products are, for the most part, far superior to anything we had "in-the-good-old-days." However, I do agree that unless you have tight control over your supply line, (and Boeing's control on the 787 project is/was non-existant to miserable), you do run the risk of getting substandard black market knock-offs and counterfeit parts.
Boeing, time to consult Toyota.  They have batteries that can drive a car that don't overheat.  Oh, and replace your C- team.  They have successfully detached so much since their move to Chicago that they can no longer effectively lead when building a plane, nor can they effectively negotiate with their unions (who, by the way, also have thier heads up their ***es).  Collectively, you are killing this company.  I never thought I'd see the day when Airbus would start looking good to me.  It's sad. Â
Â
Â
Those lithium ion batteries are picky, they probably need to rewrite the code in charging computers. If charged to fast or to much they do just that, swell up or explode. Cell phones had the same problem about 6-8 years ago. There were lots of people's phones heating up and melting or exploding in their pocket as the result of bad batteries. They got the technology down now so you rarely hear of that.Â
Maybe it's time to consider some different battery manufacturers. Try going for the most reliable instead of the cheapest?
@4ShotLatte Do you absolutely know that is what they did? Where you in the room when they made the decision on the battery, or the charging unit? That's right, no. So speak to what you know please. This is a complete new approach to things. There will be problems. I know this because I develop similar technologies on a much smaller scale and know first hand that buying the "best" doesn't always equate either.
Yuasa actually is an established company thatâs been around for years, even being OEM batteries. Just look at just about any motorcycle or ATV and chances are they are Yuasa.
 @Nathan Boi Yuasa makes a number of different batteries, from lead-acid to lithium to gel cells. Odds are that your motorcycle or ATV is using a lead acid cell.
Time to go back to lead-acid and a vent or nimh and chop 2 passengers from the payload, huh?
Its easy to tell who on these forums actually knows anything about aircraft and who does not. Lead acid batteries were not used on aircraft. Nicad batteries were and are. Nickel-Cadmium. Part of the problem with these forums is all of the crap and misinformation that is spread by people commenting on things they have no knowlwdge or experience in.