Tag: Lithium-ion battery

Air Transport of Lithium Metal and Lithium Ion Batteries

IATA has published changes to Lithium Battery transport regulations document can be downloaded here

Transport of Lithium Metal and Lithium Ion Batteries

Lithium-ion_battery_IBM ThinkPad560

CLASS 9: MISCELLANEOUS DANGEROUS SUBSTANCES AND ARTICLES AND ENVIRONMENTALLY HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES

Certain substances and articles possessing certain hazard not covered by any other classes (class 1 to 8) are assigned to Class 9.

Class 9 includes, inter alia (Among other things):

.1 substances and articles not covered by other classes which experience has shown, or may show, to be of such a dangerous character that the provisions of part A of chapter VII of SOLAS 1974, as amended, shall apply.

.2 substances not subject to the provisions of part A in chapter VII of of SOLAS 1974, as amended,, but to which the provisions of Annex III of MARPOL 73/78, as amended, apply.

 The substances and articles of Class 9 are subdivided as follows:

Substances which, on inhalation as fine dust, may endanger health

  • 2212 BLUE ASBESTOS (crocidolite) or
  • 2212 BROWN ASBESTOS (amosite, mysorite)
  • 2590 WHITE ASBESTOS (chrysotile, actinolite, anthophyllite, tremolite)

 Substances evolving flammable vapour


  • 2211 POLYMERIC BEADS, EXPANDABLE, evolving flammable vapour
  • 3314 PLASTICS MOULDING COMPOUND in dough, sheet or extruded rope form evolving flammable vapour

 Lithium batteries

 

  • 3090 LITHIUM METAL BATTERIES (including lithium alloy batteries)
  • 3091 LITHIUM METAL BATTERIES CONTAINED IN EQUIPMENT (including lithium alloy batteries) or
  • 3091 LITHIUM METAL BATTERIES PACKED WITH EQUIPMENT (including lithium alloy batteries)
  • 3480 LITHIUM ION BATTERIES (including lithium ion polymer batteries)
  • 3481 LITHIUM ION BATTERIES CONTAINED IN EQUIPMENT (including lithium ion polymer batteries) or
  • 3481 LITHIUM ION BATTERIES PACKED WITH EQUIPMENT (including lithium ion polymer batteries)

 

Life-saving appliances


  • 2990 LIFE-SAVING APPLIANCES, SELF-INFLATING
  • 3072 LIFE-SAVING APPLIANCES NOT SELF-INFLATING containing dangerous goods as equipment
  • 3268 AIR BAG INFLATORS or
  • 3268 AIR BAG MODULES or
  • 3268 SEAT-BELT PRETENSIONERS

 Substances and articles which, in the event of fire, may form dioxins

 This group of substances includes:

  • 2315 POLYCHLORINATED BIPHENYLS, LIQUID
  • 3432 POLYCHLORINATED BIPHENYLS, SOLID
  • 3151 POLYHALOGENATED BIPHENYLS, LIQUID or
  • 3151 POLYHALOGENATED TERPHENYLS, LIQUID
  • 3152 POLYHALOGENATED BIPHENYLS, SOLID or
  • 3152 POLYHALOGENATED TERPHENYLS, SOLID

Examples of articles are transformers, condensers and apparatus containing those substances.

 Substances transported or offered for transport at elevated temperatures

 

  • 3257 ELEVATED TEMPERATURE LIQUID, N.O.S., at or above 100°C and below its flashpoint (including molten metal, molten salts, etc.)
  • 3258 ELEVATED TEMPERATURE SOLID, N.O.S., at or above 240°C

 Environmentally hazardous substances


  • 3077 ENVIRONMENTALLY HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCE, SOLID, N.O.S.
  • 3082 ENVIRONMENTALLY HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCE, LIQUID, N.O.S.

 Genetically modified micro-organisms (GMMOs) and genetically modified organisms (GMOs)

 

  • 3245 GENETICALLY MODIFIED MICRO-ORGANISMS or
  • 3245 GENETICALLY MODIFIED ORGANISMS

 Other substances or articles presenting a danger during transport, but not meeting the definitions of another class:


  • 1841 ACETALDEHYDE AMMONIA
  • 1845 CARBON DIOXIDE, SOLID (DRY ICE)
  • 1931 ZINC DITHIONITE (ZINC HYDROSULPHITE)
  • 1941 DIBROMODIFLUOROMETHANE
  • 1990 BENZALDEHYDE
  • 2071 AMMONIUM NITRATE BASED FERTILISER
  • 2216 FISH MEAL (FISH SCRAP), STABILIZED
  • 2807 MAGNETIZED MATERIAL
  • 2969 CASTOR BEANS or
  • 2969 CASTOR MEAL or
  • 2969 CASTOR POMACE or
  • 2969 CASTOR FLAKE
  • 3166 ENGINE, INTERNAL COMBUSTION or
  • 3166 VEHICLE, FLAMMABLE GAS POWERED or
  • 3166 VEHICLE, FLAMMABLE LIQUID POWERED or
  • 3166 ENGINE, FUEL CELL, FLAMMABLE GAS POWERED or
  • 3166 ENGINE, FUEL CELL, FLAMMABLE LIQUID POWERED or
  • 3166 VEHICLE, FUEL CELL, FLAMMABLE GAS POWERED or
  • 3166 VEHICLE, FUEL CELL, FLAMMABLE LIQUID POWERED
  • 3171 BATTERY-POWERED VEHICLE or
  • 3171 BATTERY-POWERED EQUIPMENT
  • 3316 CHEMICAL KIT or
  • 3316 FIRST AID KIT
  • 3334 AVIATION REGULATED LIQUID, N.O.S.
  • 3335 AVIATION REGULATED SOLID, N.O.S.
  • 3359 FUMIGATED CARGO TRANSPORT UNIT
  • 3363 DANGEROUS GOODS IN MACHINERY or
  • 3363 DANGEROUS GOODS IN APPARATUS
  • 3496 BATTERIES, NICKEL-METAL HYDRIDE.

DG Reefer – Commercial Reasons

Certain Dangerous Goods require mandatory transport in reefer containers due to safety reasons. These are some of the Self-reactive Substances under Class 4.1 and some of the Organic Peroxides, Class 5.2. This requirement is listed in column 16 of DG List in chapter 3.2 and respective sub sections in chapter 2.4 & 2.5 of IMDG Code (35-10). 

Let us look at the provisions of other dangerous goods which do not require refrigerated containers but are offered sometimes as temperature controlled.DSCN3753

So what goods which do not require a reefer is sometimes transported in reefer? Generally these are Perfumes ( UN 1266), Safety Matches ( UN 1944), Paint (UN 1263), Lithium Batteries (UN 3090,3091,3480,3481). Some shippers transport these in live reefers to maintain the product quality. Of course Calcium Hypochlorite require live reefers by most of the shipping lines due to its bad past. 

IMDG Code has certain provisions for Dangerous Goods in reefers for commercial reasons, these are specifically related to Flammable Gases ( Class 2.1) and Flammable liquids ( Class 3). When Flammable liquids having flashpoint less than 23 °C c.c is transported in live reefer  then

1/ Substance shall be precooled and

2/ Transported at a temperature at east 10 Deg C below its flashpoint

Or explosion proof reefer is required.

At any moment during transport In case the reefer fails then  power supply shall be disconnected and must not be switched on again.

No line will accept flammable gas in live or non-live reefers.  ( For full details refer 7.7 of IMDG Code)

A container truck carrying reefer

UPS pilots ‘could not steer plane’

Jen Thomas

Dec 8, 2011 

DUBAI // The pilots of the UPS cargo plane that crashed in Dubai last year may have been unable to steer because a fire in the cargo area caused the control cables to slacken, an interim report says.

Smoke that filled the cockpit could also have prevented the two US pilots, both of whom died in the September 3 accident, from seeing the instruments.

An interim investigation report released by the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) last month also noted problems with the oxygen flow to the pilots’ masks may have been related to rising temperatures from the fire.

The GCAA report, the first since a preliminary report was released in April, offered new details about what went wrong aboard the Boeing 747, which crashed in the Nad Al Sheba military camp less than an hour after taking off from Dubai International Airport.

The pilots reported a fire 22 minutes into the flight and turned back towards Dubai, but overflew the airport. It crashed on the way to an emergency landing at Sharjah International Airport.

“The investigation has centred on a probably uncontained fire on the main cargo deck as the primary significant factor,” the interim report reads.

“The investigation is focusing on several possible ignition sources, primarily the location in the cargo of lithium and lithium-derivative batteries that were on board.”

The interim report used data from flight recorders, air-traffic control transcripts and a cockpit voice recorder. About 25 minutes into the flight, Capt Doug Lampe could be heard on the cockpit recorder saying he was not able to manually control the plane. The control cables ran above the probable location of the fire, the report said.

Although Capt Lampe’s controls were limited, First Officer Matthew Bell had almost no control of the plane, but the autopilot was working normally because it used a different control system. Both men struggled to breathe.

The report also notes at least two shipments of lithium-ion batteries, which should have been declared hazardous materials, were in containers “beneath the area of interest, due to systems indications on the flight recorders”.

The company sending those particular shipments was not identified in the report.

“While the shipper indicated that testing of the batteries was completed in accordance with [United Nations] standards, no UN test report was provided to verify that such tests were completed,” the report said.

Since 2006, 34 aviation incidents related to batteries and battery-powered devices have been reported to the US Federal Aviation Administration, and 22 of those involved lithium-ion batteries. Of 34 incidents, 22 involved fire.

The investigation continues “with further testing and detailed analysis currently ongoing”. Main testing should be completed this year, and a final report is due next year.

jthomas@thenational.ae

http://www.thenational.ae/news/uae-news/ups-pilots-could-not-steer-plane

NICKEL-METAL HYDRIDE BATTERIES

For NiMH AA batteries.
NiMH AA Cells

Nickel-Metal Hydride Batteries are rechargeable batteries. These batteries have equivalent energy density as lithium-ion batteries but looses its charge more quickly in shelf than lithium-ion batteries.

During transport these batteries do not pose much danger however they can be a concern sometimes.

APL Peru during a voyage experienced fire in cargo hold attributed to two containers carrying Nickel-Metal Hydride Batteries. These containers were said-to-contain merely 46 cartons of NiMH batteries only!

There are further cases involving fire due to NiMH batteries, one in a non-live reefer. Considering these experiences and facts IMO DSC agreed to include Nickel-Metal Hydride Batteries as Dangerous Goods.

Requirement as per IMDG Code 35th Amendment

35th amendment of IMDG Code came with new entry UN 3496 BATTERIES, NICKEL-METAL HYDRIDE, Class 9 with Special Provision 117 and 963 assigned.

Though not subject to any other provisions of IMDG Code these batteries  require to meet following provisions

  • Shall be securely packed and protected from short circuit.
  • When gross mass of nickel-metal hydride batteries per container is 100 Kg of more then they shall be subject to below three requirements :
  1. Dangerous Goods Declaration
  2. Inclusion in Dangerous Goods Manifest placed on board vessel
  3. Stowage “Away from” sources of heat

 

Example

Container no. AAAA1234567 Container no. BBBB1234567
Commodity Total Package Weight Requirement Commodity Total Package Weight Requirement
BATTERIES, NICKEL-METAL HYDRIDE  

99 KG

  NIL BATTERIES, NICKEL-METAL HYDRIDE  

100 kg

Or more

 1.DGD,

2.Include in Manifest

3. Stowage away from sources of Heat

 

Now we know that when weight per container is 100 KG or more the changes in requirement is triggered.

However Nickel-metal hydride button cells or nickel-metal hydride cells or batteries packed with or contained in equipment are not subject to any requirement of IMDG Code. Example packed with Radios or Cameras, or Packed inside Radios or Cameras.