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U.S. safety board seeks larger lesson in Boeing 787 battery fire

Thomson ReutersApril 23, 2013 10:00

By Alwyn Scott and Andrea Shalal-Esa WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - The top U.S. transportation safety agency is looking beyond what caused a Boeing Co <BA.N> Dreamliner battery to fail in January at larger lessons that can be applied to the airplane certification process and new technologies.

Wider lithium battery use strains technology - experts

Thomson ReutersApril 11, 2013 21:30

By Deepa Seetharaman WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Batteries like the one that burned on a Boeing Co 787 Dreamliner in January can be made safer, but doing so can cut performance and raise costs, experts told U.S. safety investigators on Thursday. The use of lithium-ion batteries has greatly expanded in the past decade, powering everything from Tesla cars to iPads, and the risk of fire is well-understood, experts said at a forum organized by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board.

Boeing sees 787 airborne in weeks; timetable questioned

Thomson ReutersMarch 14, 2013 21:30

By Tim Kelly and Mari Saito and Alwyn Scott TOKYO/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Boeing Co <BA.N> said Friday its 787 Dreamliner jets could be airborne within weeks using a new battery system that includes safeguards against overheating, a prediction that drew scepticism from some regulators and industry experts. Japanese regulators immediately warned that the timetable was impossible to predict, in part because investigators still do not know what had caused lithium-ion batteries to overheat on two 787s.

Boeing stands by lithium-ion batteries

Agence France-PresseFebruary 15, 2013 18:01

US aerospace giant Boeing said Friday it will continue to use lithium-ion batteries, despite rival Airbus saying it would avoid them following two incidents on the Boeing 787. "Boeing is confident in the safety and reliability of lithium-ion batteries," said Boeing spokesman Marc Birtel. "Our years of experience and deep expertise confirm that, like other technologies, when the appropriate battery, system and airplane protections are in place, lithium-ion batteries deliver significant benefits," Birtel said.

Reuters Science News Summary

Thomson ReutersFebruary 14, 2013 09:34

Following is a summary of current science news briefs. Tycoons Slim, Gates open Mexico agricultural research center TEXCOCO (Reuters) - Carlos Slim and Bill Gates, the two richest men on the planet, inaugurated a new agricultural research center outside Mexico's capital, touting the millions they have donated to bolster global food security. The two tycoons participated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony for new laboratories at the headquarters of the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center, known by its Spanish acronym CIMMYT.

Reuters Science News Summary

Thomson ReutersFebruary 14, 2013 02:45

US with new line of inquiry in Boeing probe

Agence France-PresseFebruary 12, 2013 02:31

The National Transportation Safety Board said Monday it is examining whether the Boeing 787's lithium-ion battery problems were due to formation of microscopic structures called dendrites, which can cause overheating. The battery problems caused the entire Boeing 787 Dreamliner's fleet to be grounded last month. Dendrites are tiny deposits of lithium that can grow inside a battery's cells. They can cause short circuits, heat or even fire.

Dreamliner battery suffered 'thermal runaway': probe

Agence France-PresseFebruary 5, 2013 07:01

Japanese officials probing the emergency landing of a Boeing Dreamliner said Tuesday its lithium-ion battery was damaged by a build up of heat that resulted in uncontrollably high temperatures. "The battery was destroyed in a process called thermal runaway, in which the heat builds up to the point where it becomes uncontrollable," said a Japan Transport Safety Board (JTSB) official. "But it is still not known what caused the uncontrollable high temperature," he added.