Jones wrote: > Since it was a cordless, there was likely a lithium battery. > > These batteries have a history of overheating and explosion.
Mark S Bilk wrote: > Downloading and magnifying the upper photo appears to show that > the top visible cell of the battery (still mostly inside the > handle) had burst, blowing a hole in the handle. Those cells > are pretty small, and if they can power the motor for a while > they must contain a substantial amount of chemical energy. An > internal short in the cell would rapidly convert all of that > energy to heat, turning the electrolyte into very hot, high > pressure vapor. If the cell didn't have an overpressure release > diaphragm, its metal case would burst like a pipe bomb. A lithium battery letting go makes more sense to me than a dust explosion in the canister. I would have expected a dust explosion to produce cuts and bruises, but not a third degree burn on the hand. A bursting battery right next to the operator's hand, on the other hand, seems much more likely to cause that kind of injury. An extremely brief exposure to burning gas, as in an explosion in the dust canister, would seem very unlikely to burn through the skin of the palm which was probably pressed against the handle at the time, which would in fact likely afford it a certain amount of protection from an explosion 8" or 10" away. > > On Fri, Mar 27, 2009 at 10:51:34AM -0700, leaking pen wrote: >> Static buildup, ignition of dust. I've heard of several cases where >> the static buildup from the cyclone style canister vacs spark and >> ignite some of the deodorizing powders that have become popular. I >> got good 5 inch arcs off a vacuum once, so I can believe it. >> >> On Fri, Mar 27, 2009 at 8:15 AM, Harry Veeder <[email protected]> wrote: >>> LENR? >>> Harry >>> >>> Electrolux vacuum explodes, causing third-degree burns >>> >>> Last Updated: Friday, March 27, 2009 | 10:19 AM ET >>> Comments44Recommend29 >>> CBC News >>> >>> A woman is recovering from third-degree burns to her left palm after >>> the cordless vacuum she was using to clean the stairs in her Richmond, >>> B.C., home exploded in her hands earlier this week... >>> >>> http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/story/2009/03/26/bc-vacuum-burns- >>> electrolux.html >>> >>> >
