Why lipo battery swell

Electrolytic decomposition may be a natural process but keeping your LiPo batteries cool can significantly slow it down. The opposite is also true: allowing your LiPo battery to experience high temperatures will speed up the decomposition process. This means not leaving them plugged in when they are already fully charged, and not leaving them out under the scorching sun for example at the beach or in your car when the car is not being used and the air-conditing is off on hot days.

LiPo batteries naturally heat up when they are used or charged, so you need to give the batteries time to cool down before using or storing them, the same is true if your LiPo battery is hot after use wait until it has cooled down before recharging it.

LiPo battery technology has allowed manufacturers to provide a lot of power in such a lightweight and compact package. However, the high power density of LiPo batteries comes at a price. They are prone to mechanical damage, catching fire and premature battery swelling.

Caring for your LiPo battery takes a little more care than your typical lithium-ion battery. They should be kept cool, stored in a partially charged state, and protected from physical damage. Once your LiPo battery swells, the best advice is to stop using it as soon as possible. You will also need to replace it as a priority, as a swollen LiPo battery probably cannot hold much of a charge. Remember to follow proper battery disposal practices once you decide to discard your spent LiPo battery.

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Also a LiPo battery has a polymer separator which prevents both positive and negative terminals from coming into contact with each other. Batteries swell due to the decomposition of the electrolyte.

This is the phase where the electrolyte solution breaks down into its individual components, as its name implies. These elements provide oxygen for the majority of cases. In the case of LiPo batteries, the electrolyte's polymeric nature means that when they decompose, they also tend to produce carbon dioxide CO2 and carbon monoxide CO.

The processing of these gases is what induces the expansion and swelling of the LiPo battery case. There have been many cases of LiPo batteries catching fire as they are being plugged in.

As the oxygen rich gases are very flammable, the risks of a LiPo battery charging fire are even higher once electrolytic decomposition has kicked in. One thing to remember about the swelling of the battery is that it cannot be stopped. The decomposition of electrolytes is a process that occurs naturally, although it should be sluggish.

Improper battery maintenance, however, can accelerate the process of decomposition. Those who use Lipo batteries are most likely to encounter a battery that looks bloated or possibly puffy. While most people wonder what to do next when they look at their swollen LiPo battery, it is important to note that swollen LiPo is risky.

So many cases of swollen batteries starting a fire have been recorded. Although, not all swollen batteries will burst, but it does not guarantee that people will be able to use them. Several people have been asking how to repair or fix swollen LiPo batteries; the answer remains that it cannot be repaired or fixed, but that it can be disposed of as soon as possible.

Another question concerning the swelling of LiPo batteries is about the cause of the swelling of the batteries. Essentially, the processing of gas is normal in lithium-ion batteries. If you misuse your battery or not it doesn't matter; regular daily use of the same battery will generate gas through a process known as decomposition of electrolytes. A bloated LiPo battery is a lost cause, the first thing you should say.

Never leave charging batteries unattended. Never overcharge them. Only use official chargers and do not assume fireproof containers are foolproof. You should be looking for a replacement as soon as your battery starts to show some swelling. It will only get worse over time, and you can only push your luck so much. To understand why a LiPo battery or any other battery, for that matter swells, we need to understand how its individual components interact to make the battery work.

All batteries are made with three basic components: a negative end, a positive end, and an electrolyte solution. Batteries conduct electricity via the migration of ions from the positive end to the negative end and vice-versa.

These ions can travel through the electrolyte solution. LiPo batteries are distinct from the old-fashioned lithium ion batteries due to their use of a solid polymer electrolyte. Through this solid electrolyte, lithium ions can move between the two terminals of a LiPo battery.

A LiPo battery also has polymer separator that keeps the positive and negative terminals from coming into contact with each other. Batteries swell because of the phenomenon of electrolyte decomposition. As its name implies, this is the process where the electrolyte solution decomposes into its individual components.

For most cases, these components include oxygen. In the case of LiPo batteries, the polymeric nature of the electrolyte means that they also tend to produce carbon dioxide CO 2 and carbon monoxide CO when they decompose.

The production of these gases is what causes the case of the LiPo battery to expand and swell. There have been a lot of instances of LiPo batteries catching fire while they are plugged in.

The chances of a LiPo battery charging fire is even higher once electrolytic decomposition has kicked in, as the oxygen-rich gases are very flammable. One thing to remember about battery swelling is that it cannot be avoided.

Electrolyte decomposition is a naturally occurring process, albeit it should be a slow one. However, improper maintenance of the battery can accelerate the decomposition process. The first thing you should know is that a swollen LiPo battery is a lost cause. You cannot fix it, and you should look for a replacement battery as soon as possible. Once you have decided to stop using your swollen LiPo battery, your next order of business should be to dispose it properly. Before disposal, it is considered good practice to discharge the swollen LiPo battery completely.

This decreases the chances that the LiPo battery will cause a fire, should its terminals somehow accidentally get connected and form a circuit.

In the past, some battery manufacturers recommended submerging the LiPo batteries in saltwater as a means of discharging them. This method has become heavily contested, as many users have argued that not only was it ineffective, but it was also dangerous.

Discharging a battery in saltwater is a very slow process that can take several days to a few weeks. During this time, the saltwater can corrode the aluminum terminals of a LiPo battery, resulting in electrolyte solution leaking out to the water. This is bad news, since battery acids are typically very reactive and toxic.

A safer method to discharge a LiPo battery is by hooking up its terminals to any device that can act as an electrical load, such as a lightbulb or a resistor with high resistivity rating. If you decide to use a lightbulb, a 20W halogen bulb should allow you to discharge the battery pretty quickly.