Avionics News January 2014 - 40

ing's 787 - both with redesigned batteries.
But the damage will be slow to overcome.
Offered Winter, "Lithium-ion batteries have gotten
something of a bum reputation because of some of the
issues caused by other chemistries. We want to help our
customers, current and future, to understand the basic

LITHIUM BATTERIES 101
Continued from page 39

ies and assessing their condition varies from the legacy
technologies challenged by Nanophosphate Lithium-ion
chemistry.
"That's the root of the Lithium Batteries 101 workshops," Slater explained.
Winter added, "Aircraft-maintenance
The Lithium Batteries 101 sessions will include a comparison
shops will face different handling, shipping and safety issues accompanying
of two types of lithium-ion chemistries: metal oxide and iron
these new batteries. We want to give
phosphate. It will introduce participants to general information
them the knowledge they'll need to
on the care, feeding and handling of lithium-ion batteries, plus
handle and maintain the new chemisspecifics on pertinent regulatory issues, and relevant handlingtry."
It's a welcome prospect, according
safety practices - put together by True Blue Power.
to a number of avionics shop owners
and managers, since they recognize the
lithium-battery revolution came with its fair share of safety
safety and handling concerns and the regulatory issues."
and handling issues.
While lithium-ion batteries aren't yet standard equipThe shops and staff also need to understand differences
ment in most of general aviation, their time in the muck
in damage tolerance the Nanophosphate Lithium-ion batof misunderstanding should soon end thanks to new techtery designs enjoy, and what can happen from damaged or
nology and new chemistry that essentially neutralizes the
broken cells.
threats demonstrated by other, less-stable, less-attractive
"This is all somewhat different from what most shops are
approaches to making lithium a popular power source.
conditioned to expect," Slater explained.
And the lack of some positive education about these
Early Recognition Reinforced
by Recent Events
Winter and his staff recognized early on that external
events and circumstances would influence both the perception and acceptance of the new True Blue Power batteries.
It's not as if lithium-ion batteries have gotten the best
reviews in recent years. Overheating cellphones, too-hotto-use laptop computers and cargo fires traced to shorted
lithium-ion batteries were bad enough on their own.
But then came last year's lengthy grounding of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner after two models suffered fires and
failures related to their own advanced lithium-ion batteries. And closer to general aviation, Cessna halted use of
a lithium main-ship battery in the Citation CJ4 early last
year - after initially planning to certificate four aircraft
with batteries using lithium-ion chemistry.
The CJ4, the first business jet certificated with a lithium-ion battery, is back to using that chemistry, as is Boe40

avionics news

january

2014

types of batteries could greatly handicap True Blue Power
and acceptance of its new main-ship aircraft batteries.
"We see the potential for a technician other than the aircraft's primary maintenance people having to deal with a
battery they're not familiar with," Winter explained.
After all - aircraft exist to bring fast, diverse travel solutions to the passengers.
The Safer Solution?
Beyond the issues of shipping lithium-ion batteries,
Boeing's issues with the lithium battery packs on its 787
Dreamliner further elevated concerns about using these
new batteries as aircraft batteries.
True Blue Power's very different Nanophosphate
Lithium-ion chemistry and its different construction technology essentially render those concerns moot - even for
batteries mishandled or mistreated.
But the educational opportunity remains a necessity
from Winter's perspective.
"Each chemistry using lithium has different reaction

Avionics News January 2014

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