If it happened during charging, especially during equalizing, it is a hydrogen explosion. I nearly lost an eye to a hydrogen explosion many years ago so I have a lot of respect for the damage it can do. The energy is not coming from stored energy in the plates - you can't get that energy out quick enough to cause an "explosion" but the hydrogen will ignite explosively.
For battery banks in confined locations where hydrogen can build up, you should consider a battery vent system. It automatically detects when the charging voltage is high enough to generate hydrogen and starts a small BRUSHLESS exhaust fan. This blower will then continue for another 45 minutes after charging stops to remove gasses plus dry and cool the batteries. http://www.backwoodssolar.com/catalog/batteries.htm#VENT%20FAN (scroll down). Regards, Ann-Marie Foster, [EMAIL PROTECTED] ----- Original Message ----- From: "Norm of Bandersnatch" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Cc: "A LiveAboardList" <[email protected]> Sent: Sunday, December 30, 2007 12:56 PM Subject: RE: Battery Explosions > > > Ann-Marie, > > While I have no doubt you are correct in all you say, but I would like to > hear your explaination for batteries exploding during charge. > > There was one at a marina I lived in years ago, Green Cove Springs Marina, > where someone was charging a 8D starting battery on the dock. > > But the one that always comes to mind was in the house bank of the > publisher/editor/owner of Home Power magazine, Richard Perez. His entire > operation, the magazine and his home, "The Plywood Palace", runs on solar > and wind. He described a windy, sunny day when he was doing an equalizing > charge on his large array of L-16 (385 AH each) 6VDC batteries under a > work > bench when one exploded "with the sound of a rifle shot". There was > nobody > in the shop at the time. After he cleaned up the mess with the help of > friends, neither he nor his knoweldgable friends could explain why the > battery exploded. > > Any ideas? > > Norm > S/V Bandersnatch > Lying Julington Creek FL > 30 07.72N 081 38.4W > > >> >> I have worked in telephone exchanges with battery backup systems > consisting >> of hundreds of large cells in parallel. These are tens of thousands of >> amp-hours and copper busbars 2" x 1" and larger to carry the currents. > In >> all the years and experience there has never been a "catastrophic" > battery >> failure due to a bad cell. >> >> Regards, >> >> Ann-Marie Foster, >> [EMAIL PROTECTED] >> >> > > _______________________________________________ Liveaboard mailing list [email protected] To adjust your membership settings over the web http://www.liveaboardnow.org/mailman/listinfo/liveaboard To subscribe send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] The archives are at http://www.liveaboardnow.org/pipermail/liveaboard/ To search the archives http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected] The Mailman Users Guide can be found here http://www.gnu.org/software/mailman/mailman-member/index.html
