Cell phone battery explosion: why this can happen?

We are all in danger, each of us contains portable bombs at home (in your pocket, at work), capable of causing serious harm, up to a lethal outcome. And it's all about the dangerous technology of assembling batteries, which has become the standard for the whole world and does not scare the society at all.

Li-ion battery

Today, we all use a lot of different devices and technical innovations based on lithium-ion batteries. This type of electric battery, different from other similar energy carriers, its versatility, high energy density and unpretentiousness in terms of service.

Despite their positive characteristics, such batteries pose a certain threat. Accumulators of this type can explode, damage or destroy property and, worse, cause serious harm to health or even lead to death.

Nevertheless, lithium-ion batteries are widely distributed in various spheres of human life. A similar type of energy carrier can be found in cars, airplanes, and most importantly, in smartphones and tablets, which most people use daily, on an ongoing basis. Roughly speaking, as it was said above, the whole modern society carries with it explosive devices that can be activated in case of oversight, by an unfortunate accident or due to negligence of the manufacturer.

Possible causes of battery explosion

Lithium batteries are time tested and are considered relatively safe if you follow all the manufacturer's recommendations, but how often is someone even interested in instruction? Any violation can lead to sad consequences. For example, a sudden change in temperature, which is one of the most common reasons why the batteries fail. In this case, the lithium-ion battery starts to produce gas, the battery becomes much more plump, in rare cases it is possible to detect leakage. Both these and other symptoms are the reason for the immediate termination of the use of the device, the disconnection of the battery and its proper disposal. In addition to changing the thermal conditions, there are a number of other common causes leading to the explosion of batteries, which should be emphasized.

Physical effects and handicrafts

Any damage, bending or impact can lead to excessive heating of the battery, which will certainly cause an explosion. The same applies to punctures, which often accompany repair work.

"Masters of all trades" often resort to repair everything and everything, without seeking help from professionals. Perhaps the new experience is even great, people develop their skills and save money, but when it comes to lithium batteries, you should forget about your "skill", because you can not disassemble and repair lithium-ion batteries. The same applies to small "tents" located in shopping centers and responsible for the repair of various kinds of electronics.

Overdischarge and wear

No matter how ironic it may sound, even if you leave the lithium-ion battery alone, it still remains dangerous, since a critical mass of charge can be used up. Usually in such cases the battery simply fails and ceases to function, but human stupidity of courage has no limits. Many attempts have been registered to return the fully discharged battery to life, simply by putting it on charge (in a functioning device or without). And in that and in other case the battery can close, instantly heat up to the temperature of combustion and ignite.

Just like the old cabinet can fall apart at any time, the old battery can overheat. As it is used, it wears out, loses in volume, certain parts are damaged. The time will come, and physical changes in the battery will require replacement.

Scandal with Galaxy Note 7

The most global battery collapse (in the mobile device market) occurred in 2016, along with the release of a smartphone from Samsung. Before the cult date, the battery explosion of the phone was perceived as a rare, unlikely accident. In the summer of 2016, when during the week the media reported more than 35 cases of explosions of smartphones Galaxy Note 7, everything changed.

Note 7, by the way, was very positive, the device pleased everyone, but trying to outrun competitors, Samsung miscalculated and seriously substituted. By early September, officials of the Korean company had announced that they are launching a global campaign to return defective gadgets. The phones were offered to be exchanged for the same model, but supposedly from a new batch. In less than a couple of days, the situation repeated with a new scope. People began to turn to Samsung even more often, cars started to burn, property collapsed, people suffered, getting serious burns. At some point, the Koreans passed back, making a decision to stop selling and building the phone.

Causes of problems with Galaxy Note 7

After more than six months, as of January 2017, the company did not give any clear comments on the incident. Many analysts and persons familiar with the company's activities say that the company's engineers can not reproduce the explosion in the laboratory.

Independent organizations are inclined to the fact that the explosion is due to problems with the power controller. The complex (dense) design of the smartphone, which includes a curved display, provoked contact between two parts of the battery: the cathode and the anode, which in turn led to excessive heating. The lithium battery always tends to rise in temperature, this is normal, but the manufacturer had to take care that at some point, the smartphone was deprived of power. Unfortunately, it did not happen. And, no matter how careful users were with their Samsung, the explosion of the battery became a mass problem, affecting all without exception.

Consequences for the company

To understand what turned out to be such an incident for the company, it's enough to put yourself in their place. What would a consumer think about a product that suddenly became a laughing stock and a threat to life? Most likely, it will be avoided. But one thing is the reputation that exists today, tomorrow there is no, and the day after tomorrow there is again, the real facts are another matter. The company suffered losses, and quite serious and tangible for mobile units - $ 22 billion. The telephones were remotely deprived of the possibility of charging, in order to avoid further explosions.

At the moment, the phone is not being manufactured, the company is investigating and it remains only to hope that the explosion of the Samsung Note 7 battery will serve as a lesson to the Koreans, which will make them stronger.

Cases of explosions iPhone

Despite its special position in the smartphone market and the minimum level of marriage, even an "apple" smartphone can turn into an improvised bomb. One of the most recent cases was the explosion of new items from Apple, the iPhone 7 smartphone, which one of the fans allegedly ordered on the Internet, and received an already torn gadget.

No confirmation of the spontaneous ignition of the iPhone and did not follow, and this case was written off for the usual inflating of rumors. Fortunately, the owners of fresh smartphones from California, the explosion of the battery "iPhone" was only one of the few caused by improper operation (in this case, excessive physical impact), rather than a mass problem.

Other recorded cases of iPhone explosions were the consequence of a short circuit that occurred due to the use of a charger from a third-party manufacturer.

How to avoid an explosion?

The simplest thing any user can do is to look at the instructions once in a lifetime and find out how dangerous the battery is in the smartphone and what care it requires.

You should always strictly observe the temperature regime, do not leave your smartphone in direct sunlight for too long. You can not remove the battery yourself in smartphones, where this option is not provided by the manufacturer (it's about gadgets with a monolithic case).

Give preference to devices that have at least some name, time-tested, avoid impulsive acquisition of the "top" novelties.

The main thing is to understand that the explosion of a lithium battery is real and very dangerous, if possible, do not leave gadgets on charge unattended, who knows at what point the technology will fail and the fire will occur.

What's next?

Now, in terms of technology, lithium batteries - this is the cheapest, with the most energy-efficient option for mobile devices and other electronics. Naturally, this type of battery is still in priority.

Nuclear batteries can replace lithium batteries. Despite its terrible name, this type of battery is completely harmless to humans, and the gadget will allow you to live from one charge many times longer than now. Unfortunately, the development in this area is rather slow and there should not be any progress in the near future. Perhaps the explosion of the battery "Samsung Note 7", will not pass in vain and will force engineers working in the field of information technology to hurry.