22 Years' Battery Customization
Jan 06, 2020 Pageview：910
Battery swelling or puffing is nothing new. You have probably seen how the battery is likely to blow up after a while if you have kept your laptop or mobile device on for two or three years. LiPo batteries are not resistant to swelling or puffing, the popular drone battery types. If your LiPo battery starts to swell, what should you do? Can it still be saved to use, is there any way to fix it? To know all about LiPo batteries read this article.
Why Do Your lipo batteries Puff Up?
To understand why a LiPo battery (or any other battery, for that matter) is swelling, we need to understand how it interacts with its individual components to make it work. Both batteries are made of three fundamental components: a negative end, a positive end, and an electrolyte solution. When moving ions from the positive end to the negative end, batteries conduct electricity and vice versa. Such ions can pass through the solution of electrolytes.
Because of the use of a solid polymer electrolyte, LiPo batteries are distinct from the old fashioned lithium ion batteries. Lithium ions can move between the two terminals of a LiPo battery through this solid electrolyte. Also a LiPo battery has a polymer separator which prevents both positive and negative terminals from coming into contact with each other.
Batteries swell due to the decomposition of the electrolyte. This is the phase where the electrolyte solution breaks down into its individual components, as its name implies. These elements provide oxygen for the majority of cases. In the case of LiPo batteries, the electrolyte's polymeric nature means that when they decompose, they also tend to produce carbon dioxide (CO2) and carbon monoxide (CO). The processing of these gases is what induces the expansion and swelling of the LiPo battery case.
There have been many cases of LiPo batteries catching fire as they are being plugged in. As the oxygen rich gases are very flammable, the risks of a LiPo battery charging fire are even higher once electrolytic decomposition has kicked in.
One thing to remember about the swelling of the battery is that it cannot be stopped. The decomposition of electrolytes is a process that occurs naturally, although it should be sluggish. Improper battery maintenance, however, can accelerate the process of decomposition.
Can A Swollen Lipo Battery Be Fixed?
Those who use Lipo batteries are most likely to encounter a battery that looks bloated or possibly puffy.
While most people wonder what to do next when they look at their swollen LiPo battery, it is important to note that swollen LiPo is risky. So many cases of swollen batteries starting a fire have been recorded.
Although, not all swollen batteries will burst, but it does not guarantee that people will be able to use them.
Several people have been asking how to repair or fix swollen LiPo batteries; the answer remains that it cannot be repaired or fixed, but that it can be disposed of as soon as possible. Another question concerning the swelling of LiPo batteries is about the cause of the swelling of the batteries.
Essentially, the processing of gas is normal in lithium-ion batteries. If you misuse your battery or not it doesn't matter; regular daily use of the same battery will generate gas through a process known as decomposition of electrolytes.
A bloated LiPo battery is a lost cause, the first thing you should say. You can't fix it, and as soon as possible you should look for a replacement of the battery. If you decide to stop using your swollen LiPo battery, it should be properly disposed of as it can be quite dangerous.
How Do You Fix A Puffing Lipo Battery?
The only way to fix a puffing or swelling LiPo battery is to properly dispose it and replace it with another new battery as soon as possible as it is quite dangerous to use puffed LiPo battery because sometimes it can cause fire or can be explode.
That is why the disposal or discharging of the swollen LiPo battery is considered to be a good practice. It means that the LiPo battery does not cause a fire if it unintentionally attaches to its terminals and forms a circuit.
Several battery manufacturers in the past proposed that LiPo batteries can be immersed in saltwater as a way to discharge them. This method has become heavily challenged, as many users have argued that it was not only ineffective, but dangerous as well. Unloading a saltwater battery is a very slow process that can take up to a few weeks for several days. During this time, the saltwater could corrode the LiPo battery's aluminum terminals, resulting in electrolyte leakage to the water. Since battery acids are normally very reactive and poisonous, this is bad news so it's better to avoid it.
A better way of discharging a LiPo battery is by hooking up its terminals to any device capable of acting as an electrical charge, such as a light bulb or a high resistivity resistor. When you want to use a light bulb, you should be able to discharge the battery very easily with a 20W halogen bulb. To speed up the discharge cycle, you can even hook up multiple bulbs in parallel. You will know when the battery is discharged as soon as the light is no longer lit.
You should carry it to the nearest battery recycling facility once the LiPo battery has been discharged. A battery recycling facility near you can be checked online. When you can't find one, if they provide this program, you can try to ask big electronics stores like Target or Staples. Most waste plants, including spent batteries, can also handle hazardous waste. Don't dispose of anything you do.
Conclusion
In such a lightweight and compact package, LiPo battery technology has allowed manufacturers to provide a lot of power. Nevertheless, LiPo's high power density comes at a price. We are vulnerable to mechanical damage, fire capture, and premature swelling of batteries. It takes a little more care to look after your LiPo battery than your regular lithium ion battery. They should be kept cool, stored in partially charged condition, and secured against physical damage.
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