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Battery Spill Kit Contents
The kit is mentioned in several places and there are a few clues about suitable contents. I'm sure baking soda, rubber gloves are in there. Let's hear about what else would make sense to have quickly at hand in case of battery case fracture.
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An appropriately large and sturdy ziplock bag.
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I've heard my electronics friends joke many times that despite all the fuss FIRST makes about battery spills, they essentially never happen.
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And place it all in a Tupperware or similar hard plastic container large enough to hold the battery in the bag and any contaminated baking soda or similar consumables for secondary containment for transport.
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Your Battery Disaster Pack should be a medium-sized plastic bin, the thicker the better. Inside that bin should be a pair of rubber gloves, paper towels (these don't necessarily have to be stored in the bin) and a box of baking soda. Should your battery spill, put on the gloves and move the battery to the bin. Pour baking soda on the spilled fluids and on the inside of the bin to absorb the leaking fluids. Once soda-tized, the acid will be in two non-caustic components (I don't know what they are, I just know they're non-caustic) and can be cleaned up with the paper towels. Go safety!
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You should also have a plan to dispose of a leaky/deformed battery, since they shouldn't go in the trash.
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H2SO4 + Na2CO3 ---> Na2SO4 + H2O + CO2 The result of the reaction is the carbon dioxide bubbling off and water forming, in addition to the sodium sulfate salt as the sodium bicarbonate is neutralized with the sulfuric acid. Though sodium sulfate on its own is not harmful, in the case, because of the strong acid/weak base reaction, the pH of the resulting product will still be in the acidic range, closer to neutral than the acid alone, but still acidic. Care should still be taken when handling the acid/base mixture and should be disposed of appropriately to avoid contamination. Also immediate washing should be done if contact occurs with skin or clothing. Again after disposing of waste, hands and any possibly contacted areas should be washed as a precaution. One final thing I will suggest to keep in battery spill kits is a pair of splash proof safety goggles. Eye protection should always be work when around hazardous chemicals and cleaning up hazardous spills/waste. |
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I expect to combine and edit the advice given here, print it, and paste a copy inside the lid of that battery-containing plastic box. Is one box of baking soda enough? |
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In addition to everything that was already mentioned, our spill kit includes two small flat plastic shovels, actually sandbox toys, to use for scooping the contaminated baking soda into the plastic bag with the leaking battery. Our gloves are hazmat-type gloves with rough surfaces so that a wet, slippery battery can be safely handled.
The best training video I've found to illustrate how to spot and properly take care of a battery leak can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=noRe87GWIqI. Students and mentors who handle our batteries or are part of our safety crew will all see this video, and then we discuss how this would relate to our size batteries and environment. Please be careful with batteries, and be ready for an accident, even if it never happens. |
Re: Battery Spill Kit Contents
Thanks to all who replied. I'm still looking for small plastic shovels. Maybe this summer I'll steal them from a kid not looking at the beach. :rolleyes: :yikes: I wouldn't do that. Maybe I'll trade for a tootsie pop.
I've posted version 1 of my included usage instructions in the media area. Maybe I can get it linked here, if the CD-gods are smiling. |
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I've been involved with FIRST teams, competitions and workshops 15 years. *** SAFETY FIRST *** 1. Most frequent problem is SHORTED Battery terminals or cables bypassing 120A circuit breaker via robot frame or mechanism pinch cut thru taped terminals or heavy wire insulation, causing local &internal overheating =smoke ref: Team 362 at ATL CMP a few years ago. 2. Battery pierced by sharp conductive on-board or another robots mechanism (aluminum/steel) bypassing batteries over-current protection plus acid leak Battery sides are very thin, pierced easily, shorted cell bypasses cell to cell fusible link creating instant local heating up to ~1000 amps, enough to melt plastic case and metal that pierced it -- aluminium, copper & Pb. Like solder, if molten metal spews on human skin, it sticks. unfortunately It won't shake off!!! it is pretty much an instant bond. Biggest molten threat is working in pit, competition queue line & robot shop: screwdriver or other metal tool falls across battery terminals: keep both Batt term mtg's fully covered even double insulated, always wear safety glasses. Eyes are especially vulnerable & irreplaceable Caution: Wiping only smears molten metal over a larger skin area. Permanent scarring is unavoidable. Molten metal will penetrate most common clothing instantly. Possible additions to emergency kit: Thicker non synthetics hold up best like welding gloves & aprons Heavy sturdy cloth to wrap battery especially if it's hot, even if it's not Heavy duty Fireplace log scissors to handle hot battery at safer distance Burn ointment (heat & neutralize acid), impact activated coolant packs #1 occurs when robots get vertical (ref: this years ramp), or tumble and battery bounces around inside due to ineffective battery straps. Velcro should NEVER be used as sole heavy battery support. Velcro is better used to hold a rigid 3 point Z-shaped material (top part overlaps battery edge, one could be the rectangular block in this years kit, but needs supplemented with hard overlapping case stops to prevent impacts from popping battery up off block breaking 1/2"W Velcro loose from full weight + leverage. Best strap and one I recommend is snap action web belt such as used on grocery carts for child restraint, back packs, etc. 2 straps =best (safe 2nd) Smoking, Pierced, Leaking SLA Battery Summary: Fear here is good. No one wants or should approach a smoking Batt situation. Heated acid contents even bound in AGM, Absorbed Glass Mat still represent great danger. (AGM uses less liquid acid & less free than flooded liquid types) Knowing a pressure valve should vent &/or fusible Pb cell interconnects should melt open around 800-1000A (if short lasts long enough) should not lead to a false sense of confidence that such a Batt is SAFE or adequately "protected". An internally shorted fully charged battery could remain hot a long time. Immersion in tub or flush with water &treating diluted solution may be safest i.e. treat cause of heating most quickly (acid dilution and cooling) |
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