http://asq.org/qualitynews/qnt/execute/displaySetup?newsID=15287
Attention is now being focused on the circuitry controlling battery current flow. Don't know who designed those components.
Different materials can be used in these batteries, some safer than others. Based on information posted on its website, Boeing supplier GS Yuasa appears to be using lithium cobalt oxide cathode material, which is the original material used by Sony.
“From a safety point of view, that’s not the best,” said Ji-Guang Zhang, a researcher at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland. He said cobalt oxide batteries ignite at lower temperature than lithium batteries made with other materials, such as iron phosphate.
Supplier GS Yuasa declined to discuss whether the batteries in question use cobalt oxide and referred questions to its partner Thales Group, which didn’t promptly respond.
Sorry for the double post. Slow link today.
Anyone knows why the need two huge (for aircraft) battery packs? Seems to me once the APU is started you don’t need that much juice. Same, same for the engines. They each have dual generators.
Not much technical info on the Boeing site.
And there's the heart of the problem.
When I worked there 30 years ago, Boeing equipment was designed and largely built by Boeing personnel.
Boeing management, in its infinite wisdom, has decided that design, testing and manufacturing can be "subbed out", with major components assembled like tinker toys. The brilliance of their MBAs (Master Bullshit Artists) is clearly visible in the 787.
When we built the prototype wings for the 767 (in Everett, Washington), they broke at 115% of the design breaking load. My group designed a good part of the tooling. But then we built stuff to work, not to be the lowest cost bidder.