Shoot Expertise: Heart of a Li-ion
Although they''re crucial for many shooters, Lithium-ion batteries can cause problems when it comes to air travel. The 200Wh Frezzi model pictured, for instance, would not be allowed on a plane because it exceeds the 160Wh maximum set by the TSA.
It's no fun anymore. Not for me anyway. Air travel is more than
ever for the birds: high ticket prices, cramped seats, dreadful to
non-existent food, sky-high excess (and standard) baggage charges,
interminable security lines. And now there's something else for pro
shooters to get charged up about: what to do about our Lithium-ion
batteries.
We all love them, of course. Pound for pound, they're very
efficient given their horsepower. So what if they don't last more
than 500 charging cycles? We can live with that. They're
low-maintenance, and they don't lose much charge sitting in our
travel cases for two weeks or on a shelf at home waiting for their
next call to duty. That's a big advantage for the itinerant
shooter; their self-discharge rate is half that of nickel-type
batteries.
At 68Wh, this IDX Endura E-7S would be acceptable in carry-on luggage only.
Li-ion is everywhere these days. In every type of gadget and
gizmo, if it beeps, burps, or percolates, it's probably powered by
a Lithium-ion battery. From cell phones to cordless drills to the
cameras we use every day, we live in an era of lithium-powered
everything. Lithium is good.
But wait. Our good friend that has served us so unfailingly for
so long has an onerous dark side. In 2006, a man in a house trailer
in the Midwest went to bed one night and left his cell phone
charging. The Li-ion battery in it overheated and exploded and
burned his double-wide to the ground.
There's also the case last year of the 100,000 batteries that
Sony recalled after several Dell computers went thermal, including
one in Japan that reportedly exploded in the middle of an
electronics technology conference.
The batteries that power our professional cameras, monitors, and
LED lights are of particular concern. Denny Clairmont of Clairmont
Camera in Los Angeles cites his own experience several years ago of
a battery left charging in a camera truck overnight. A fire erupted
and destroyed his $100,000 investment. Fletcher Chicago has its
tale of woe as well; in that case, the company opted to replace its
entire inventory of Li-ion with nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) after a
“thermal runaway” wreaked havoc at Essanay Studio and
Lighting. The flames from the exploding battery were said to have
shot 10ft. into the air at a temperature of more than 1000 degrees
Fahrenheit. Given these cautionary tales, Li-ion batteries must be
accorded due respect.
Proper care and feeding
Responsible handling of Li-ion batteries should begin day one
and through their entire life. A well-cared-for battery is less
likely to become a news story.
Using a faulty charger or running a battery down too low can
damage and prematurely age the Li-ion cells. As the cells age,
their output voltage drops, resulting in an increase in internal
heat as the battery struggles to maintain the current as demanded
by the load. A fully depleted Li-ion battery produces a tremendous
amount of heat as it is recharged and must come back up quickly.
This is why it is never advisable to run batteries down to a point
of total exhaustion.
Rental batteries are particularly prone to catastrophic failure because they are worked extremely hard and are more likely to be left on charge for long periods of time. Owing to larger and higher-density imagers in today's cameras with ever more powerful processors, higher-capacity batteries of 160Wh and up are in greater demand. It doesn't take much to raise the heat inside of a battery pack to an unsafe level.
We shoot, we fly
Traveling is in our blood, and chances are Lithium-ion batteries are in our bags. It's generally acknowledged that Li-ion batteries aboard aircraft can be a potential fire hazard. Superheated debris thrown off by a burning lithium cell has melted through the aluminum walls of aircraft cargo holds. On Feb. 7, 2006, a fire erupted on a UPS flight carrying Li-ion batteries. The aircraft caught fire and, despite incurring significant damage, was able to land safely. In this case, the likely culprits (there's no conclusive proof that the batteries caused the fire) weren't being used or charged — just shipped.
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A battery can discharge in three ways: in a slow trickle over a period of weeks or months, in a more moderate and controlled way as in the normal running of a camera, and in an instant release of energy that might well result in an explosion or fire.
Sometimes, a battery may explode because of a manufacturing defect such as a short circuit that can produce an incendiary spark. The cells could also be overcharged or physically impacted in some way by a forklift or grappling hook. Once a cell goes thermal, however, there is no extinguishing agent that can stop it. As each cell breaks down, it fuels the next explosion. Not a good scene. And given the number and size of camera batteries we tend to pack for travel, a lithium fire in one battery could quickly spread to others in the case — potentially with disastrous consequences if this were to occur aboard an aircraft in flight.
The rules are up in the air
The rules with respect to the carriage of Lithium-ion batteries aboard aircraft have changed for 2009.
Prior to this year, it was necessary to understand the capacity of each camera battery as its equivalent in lithium content. (Approximately 8 grams of lithium equals 100Wh.) This translation is no longer necessary with the new rules, which specify battery capacity in watt-hours — a term far easier for shooters, FAA officials, and TSA screeners to understand.
The current January 2009 rules specify that a maximum of two 100Wh-160Wh Lithium-ion batteries can be brought aboard in carry-on luggage — including one attached to a camera. This is a clarification from the previous rules that indicated a carry-on maximum in terms of total lithium content. The 2009 regulations also appear to require the airline's permission before carrying on Li-ion batteries with a capacity of more than 100Wh. Thus, the regulation as written is more intended as a guideline, with the air carrier (and TSA) having the ultimate authority to grant or deny carriage.
Li-ion batteries are never allowed in checked baggage, and only batteries with capacities up to 160Wh are permitted onboard an aircraft at all. However, multiple smaller batteries of less than 100Wh are allowed in one's carry-on, subject to the normal carry-on baggage limitations. The TSA defines a spare battery as one transported apart from the gear that it is intended to power. Spare batteries are required to be placed in plastic reclosable bags or in the manufacturer's original packaging to protect the electrical contacts against physical damage or short circuits en route.
The 2008 rules allowed us to check a camera with a mounted battery if the total weight of lithium contained in the battery was less than 25g. That's roughly the same as 300Wh. With the new 2009 regulations, batteries more than 160Wh can never be brought aboard an airplane — either in checked or carry-on baggage. Such batteries can only be shipped via UPS Ground in a properly marked and declared packaging as “hazardous.”
Li-ion in your travel pack
According to the TSA, the regulations regarding Li-ion pertain only to professional or industrial battery packs — the kind we usually use with our full-size camcorders. The rules are not intended to cover consumer electronics, so we need not be overly concerned with the spare cell-phone battery squirreled away in our Petrol bag.
Note that small batteries, such as those used in digital still cameras and cell phones, are still not allowed in checked baggage whether they are installed or spare. The concern according to the FAA is keeping a sufficient eye on the lithium packs while in flight; this task is more practical when the batteries are in plain sight inside the cabin, rather than buried ominously in the cargo hold. Any smoke emanating from an overhead bin would presumably be obvious to the flight crew and thus could be dealt with swiftly.
I still love my Li-ion
Where air-travel safety is concerned, we owe it to ourselves and others to take proper precautions and perhaps investigate other non-Li-ion options. Anton Bauer and PAG now offer NiMH battery packs of about the same physical size as their lithium units. These NiMH packs are heavier and only produce about 60 percent as much power, but it is a solution — albeit less than an ideal.
Perhaps this will change soon, as the latest iteration of NiMH batteries promise a shorter recharge time and longer run capacity. This improvement in performance should make it easier for us to adopt safer, non-explosive NiMH battery packs in the future, especially when air travel is involved.
With respect to complying with the latest FAA/DOT/TSA regulations, there are a few new products that specifically address the air-travel issue. VariZoom has recently introduced a split-style 160Wh Li-ion battery with an unusual design that allows it to be divided in two to meet the latest domestic and international transport restrictions.
Please note that the airline and/or TSA have the right to refuse carriage of Li-ion batteries of any size or quantity for any reason. If you do decide to eschew Lithium-ion batteries in favor of NiMH, you might do well to affix an advisory label for the TSA screeners that states these particular batteries composed of NiMH are safe for travel and mean no harm.
What about specific camera batteries such as the Anton Bauer Dionic 90s and 160s that many of us use every day? What restrictions apply to them?
According to Anton Bauer, the former 2008 rules allowed for two Dionic 160s and as many Dionic 90s as space allowed in our carry-on. This allowance now appears to be more restrictive in 2009. Anton Bauer has an explanation of the air-transport regulations for its Dionic 90/160 batteries at www.antonbauer.com/battery_trans_info.htm.
In 2009, with the rules evolving for the carriage of Li-ion batteries, shooters should check with the appropriate agencies and airlines to verify the latest regulations. By April or May, the DOT intends to publish a unified set of rules synchronizing the terms from various agencies including the FAA, TSA, DOT, and International Air Transport Association (IATA).
— B.B.
To comment on this article, email the Digital Content Producer staff at feedback@digitalcontentproducer.com.
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