Tulsa businesses offer products to help airlines deal with lithium ion battery problems
By Casey Smith
© 2016 BH Media Group, Inc.
Lithium ion batteries haven’t become more dangerous in recent years. But with more and more devices being powered by the batteries — and with portable technology becoming increasing prevalent — more opportunities for problems have developed.
That, at least in part, is a reason that the potential hazards are more on the public’s radar, said Kent Faith, CEO of SpectrumFX.
“There’s more events just based on more opportunity,” Faith said, citing a 2013 Royal Aeronautical Society study that estimated as many as 500 lithium batteries would likely be aboard in a 100-seat jet, with most of them in the cabin.
If one of those devices bursts into flame, Faith said, passengers can’t just walk away — not at 35,000 feet.
“So far the events that have happened have worked out OK,” Faith said. “I’m worried about that laptop bag that catches fire in an overhead compartment, where it’s not seen right away.”
Faith has a unique perspective on the matter. A pilot for 35 years, he currently flies with a major commercial carrier. In 2012 he started a second career by launching the Tulsa-based SpectrumFX, a company that uses its patented technology to create a suite of nontoxic fire suppression products marketed primarily to the aviation and auto racing communities.
Included in the product line is the LIFE Kit — short for Lithium Fire Extinguishing — that uses the patented biodegradable extinguishing agent Firebane to extinguish and cool lithium battery fires quickly and safely.
The driver for the public’s current conversation about the risks of lithium ion batteries lay in high-profile problems with Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7.
According to Associated Press coverage of Samsung Electronics’ recent investors meeting, the South Korean company reported that there have been 140 confirmed cases of the smartphone overheating or catching fire. There have been 339 total reports of the phones overheating, with 140 of those incidents related to battery problems.
On Oct. 13 Samsung issued a voluntary recall on all 2.5 million of the phones that were manufactured. The next day the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration announced an emergency order banning the devices from all flights.
Another Tulsa-based company, Viking Packing Specialist, also has technology aimed at allowing airlines to safely deal with lithium-ion battery fires in flight. Viking recently ann