Why UPS Lithium Batteries Cannot Be Shipped by Air?

14 Dec, 2021

By hqt

Lithium metal materials are especially prone to chemical reactions, easy to stretch and ignite, and lithium batteries are packaged and transported. If the handling method is incorrect, they are easy to ignite and explode, and safety accidents often occur.

Lithium is an active metal material that releases hydrogen and heat, which in turn causes ignition. In the whole process of air transportation, due to internal and external short-circuit failures, the lithium battery is likely to cause the battery system temperature to be too high, which will cause the battery to catch fire or explode. The molten lithium caused by its ignition can penetrate into the passenger cabin, or cause sufficient working pressure to break The cabin wall panels allowed the fire to spread to other parts of the aircraft.

Once the lithium battery is ignited, it can be extinguished only after it is exhausted, and the foam fire extinguishing agent provided by the plane can not have all the effects of igniting the UPS lithium battery. This shows that the lithium battery aviation safety risks during transportation are particularly prominent.

Basic regulations for air transportation of lithium batteries:

  • Lithium batteries must comply with the UN38.3 testing requirements and the fall package testing of meters;
  • The shipper presents the risk declaration document with the UN number;
  • The outer packaging box must be affixed with the logo of 9 types of risk goods, and the work logo of "*** delivery" shall be affixed;
  • The design plan should ensure that no cracks will occur under all normal transportation standards, and be equipped with reasonable countermeasures to avoid external short-circuit failures;
  • The solid external packaging should maintain the lithium battery UPS to avoid short-circuit failures. In addition, avoid touching conductive raw materials that can cause short-circuit failures in the same package;
  • Other regulations for the transportation of UPS lithium batteries in machinery and equipment: machinery and equipment should be fixed to prevent the rechargeable battery from moving in the package, and the packaging method should avoid the accidental start of the rechargeable battery during transportation;
  • Lithium batteries that are individually packaged with a net weight of no more than 35kgs should be loaded on a tray to prevent obvious vibration during the entire transportation process.