5 ms·
If even half of these amazing battery technologies had come true, my car would be driven by a D cell battery. But I'm ok that it hasn't, because I once heard a
by linsomniac 8y ago
If even half of these amazing battery technologies had come true, my car would be driven by a D cell battery.
But I'm ok that it hasn't, because I once heard a battery chemistry guy say that "the higher capacity a battery is the more it resembles a bomb." I can't find the reference any more, but with all the Samsungs and Teslas catching fire, it rings true.
- roryisok 8y ago> with all the Samsungs and Teslas catching fire, it rings true. Are there really a lot of Samsungs catching fire though, in the grand scheme of things?
- abc_lisper 8y agoMore than the teslas I think ;)
- Amygaz 8y agoThese have not much to do with attempt at increasing power density, but everything to do with particle contamination during the manufacturing process.
- Tloewald 8y agoThey have everything to do with increasing power density. By definition power density is potential energy and when you release that energy you get waste heat.
- givinguflac 8y agoThe capacity is relevant to the intensity of the event, but the reason the event occurs has nothing to do with capacity.
- arithma 8y agoThe probability of an event could be related to density. High chemical density possibly required for capacity could mean higher gradients which also could have implications on not only intensity of an event, but also on its probability.
- hn_throwaway_99 8y ago> "the higher capacity a battery is the more it resembles a bomb." You mean like gasoline?
- Tloewald 8y agoRight but worse when batteries contain the “oxidizer”. If the battery uses atmospheric oxygen (e.g. as with hydrogen fuel cell vehicles) then it’s exactly like gasoline.
- Bluestrike2 8y agoOr even a flywheel. Any energy storage device is going to be energetic when things go wrong. One of the many challenges is in assessing and managing the risk of such an outcome.
- overcast 8y agoGasoline only explodes under very specific environmental conditions, otherwise it just burns.
- givinguflac 8y agoOne could say the same about lithium :).
- ksec 8y agoWhen was the last time you read about a Car carrying tank of fuel sudden burst into frame? When was the last time you read about battery explosion?
- akvadrako 8y agoI can't think I've heard of an actually battery explosion yet, just people using the word "explosion" to mean burning or expanding.
- gregpilling 8y ago
- taneq 8y ago> the higher capacity a battery is the more it resembles a bomb A battery is a package containing the reagents necessary for a highly energetic reaction. A bomb is a package containing the reagents necessary for a highly energetic reaction. A high-capacity battery is effectively a bomb, pretty much by definition.
- mianos 8y agoActually a bomb is something that is programmed to detonate intentionally under certain conditions. There are plenty of other similarly energetic chemicals around the house, like gas in cylinders. The problem with some batteries is, unlike a bomb, the detonation conditions are hard to control. Luckily battery ignition, as enegetic as it is, is low velocity.
- taneq 8y agoFair, I should have said "an explosive", not "a bomb."
- zimablue 8y agoThis sounds reasonable but I think it's actually pretty silly. In physics everything is at some high energy level rolling doesn't to some lower state. Your body has tons of energy. If we threw you into the right sort of fusion reactor or dropped you down a giant well you'd release massive amounts of energy. It's not about "high energy" "low energy" or even "by definition an explosive" it's about how likely and favorable the pathway to releasing that energy in a bad way is. Just because you can release it slowly doesn't mean you can release it quickly. Some radioactive materials have lots of energy and a long Half-Life, try making a bomb out of them. It is not a simple question it's a lot of chemistry physics and engineering to answer.