4 ms·

You ever try to put out a gasoline fire with a garden hose?

dragontamer 11y ago
While you are correct, you can at least snuff out a gasoline fire. Lithium fires do not require oxygen, so your typical Class ABC fire extinguishers won't actually work on it. You need a class D (dry powder) extinguisher, which is very rare and expensive.
- viewer5 11y ago
  > Lithium fires do not require oxygen I thought fire is by definition a combustion reaction, meaning some kind of material reacting with oxygen. What's fire, then? (I feel like a little kid, having to ask that...)
  - TeMPOraL 11y ago
    Some substances bundle together their oxygen source (think of rocket fuel, or napalm), so they don't need to consume it from air.
  - tedunangst 11y ago
    Generally, a fast exothermic reaction. Oxygen may be the most popular oxidant, but not the only one. Lots of stuff burns in pure chlorine gas, for instance.
  - CamperBob2 11y ago
    It's possible for something to burn hot enough to split water molecules apart. I don't know if lithium metal qualifies, but that could be what the MSDS is referring to.
- warfangle 11y ago
  While true for lithium fires, a venting lithium-ion battery is not a typical lithium fire. According to the MSDS for lithium ion batteries, fires involving them can be extinguished with a typical ABC fire extinguisher. Lithium batteries (not the rechargeable kind) are the ones that need a class D extinguisher. Edit: > CO extinguishers, halon or copious quantities of water or water-based foam can be used to cool down burning Li- ion cells and batteries. Do not use for this purpose sand, dry powder or soda ash, graphite powder or fire blankets. > Extinguishing media Use water or CO2 on burning Li-ion cells or batteries http://www.uscg.mil/hq/cg4/cg432/docs/msds/MSDS_LiIon.pdf http://www.uscg.mil/hq/cg4/cg432/docs/msds/MSDS_LiIon.pdf
  - dragontamer 11y ago
    Using water on an electric fire sounds like a dumb idea to me. But yeah, the MSDS does seem to say that...
    - warfangle 11y ago
      A venting lithium ion battery isn't usually an electrical fire.
      - dragontamer 11y ago
        And what of all the molten wires that _were_ charging said battery?
        warfangle 11y ago
        Overcharging a battery isn't the only way to cause it to vent :) Obviously there should be a physically separate circuit for cutting off power in the event of catastrophe. That's pretty much rule-of-thumb for large li-ion battery banks.

While you are correct, you can at least snuff out a gasoline fire. Lithium fires do not require oxygen, so your typical Class ABC fire extinguishers won't actually work on it. You need a class D (dry powder) extinguisher, which is very rare and expensive.

viewer5 11y ago
> Lithium fires do not require oxygen I thought fire is by definition a combustion reaction, meaning some kind of material reacting with oxygen. What's fire, then? (I feel like a little kid, having to ask that...)
- TeMPOraL 11y ago
  Some substances bundle together their oxygen source (think of rocket fuel, or napalm), so they don't need to consume it from air.
- tedunangst 11y ago
  Generally, a fast exothermic reaction. Oxygen may be the most popular oxidant, but not the only one. Lots of stuff burns in pure chlorine gas, for instance.
- CamperBob2 11y ago
  It's possible for something to burn hot enough to split water molecules apart. I don't know if lithium metal qualifies, but that could be what the MSDS is referring to.
warfangle 11y ago
While true for lithium fires, a venting lithium-ion battery is not a typical lithium fire. According to the MSDS for lithium ion batteries, fires involving them can be extinguished with a typical ABC fire extinguisher. Lithium batteries (not the rechargeable kind) are the ones that need a class D extinguisher. Edit: > CO extinguishers, halon or copious quantities of water or water-based foam can be used to cool down burning Li- ion cells and batteries. Do not use for this purpose sand, dry powder or soda ash, graphite powder or fire blankets. > Extinguishing media Use water or CO2 on burning Li-ion cells or batteries http://www.uscg.mil/hq/cg4/cg432/docs/msds/MSDS_LiIon.pdf http://www.uscg.mil/hq/cg4/cg432/docs/msds/MSDS_LiIon.pdf
- dragontamer 11y ago
  Using water on an electric fire sounds like a dumb idea to me. But yeah, the MSDS does seem to say that...
  - warfangle 11y ago
    A venting lithium ion battery isn't usually an electrical fire.
    - dragontamer 11y ago
      And what of all the molten wires that _were_ charging said battery?
      - warfangle 11y ago
        Overcharging a battery isn't the only way to cause it to vent :) Obviously there should be a physically separate circuit for cutting off power in the event of catastrophe. That's pretty much rule-of-thumb for large li-ion battery banks.