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AAA Alkalines Explode

A friend has a small string of tiny LEDs lights powered by three AAA Alkaline batteries. It had been in use for some days, a few weeks even, some hours each evening, when the battery pack exploded. I found two of three cells and one had lost the negative terminal and the center. The noise was a sharp "pop" and a bit loud, nothing like a firecracker, but much louder than a balloon. The battery case was broken from the force and pieces flew.

I found a few references on the Internet, but nothing that explains why this would happen. Any ideas? The one that exploded was a Dollar General brand, one other was a Duracell. Haven't found the third one yet.

--

Rick
Reply to
rickman
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** Alkaline cells can heat & explode if shorted or charged, having one cell in a pack reverse connected does the latter.

IME, a such cells carry warnings about this.

Somehow one of the above happened.

... Phil

Reply to
Phil Allison

Are you saying he had mixed brands in the set of three? And the exploded one isn't identifiable? Nah.

--
 Thanks, 
    - Win
Reply to
Winfield Hill

Mixing different types (and condition) of cells in a string is not good, but I'm surprised there was an 'explosion'. That implies something more like a short circuit than a little reverse charging.

I've been using AA and AAA off brand alkaline cells (Kirkland, 'Definant' - Home Depot's offerings) for years and have noticed no more issues with them than with Duracell batteries (the price difference is certainly noticeable).

The local dollar stores carry 'Sunbeam' button cells, which seem kinda okay, and Panasonic regular batteries (HD zinc-carbon not alkaline) which are okay for low drain applications.

--sp

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Reply to
Spehro Pefhany

If the cells were different, then one could as well have been empty. Then even when you connect it correctly, the discharge current of the other two, full, cells with reversely polarise the one (almost) empty cell. As you say, that can lead to explosion.

joe

Reply to
Joe Hey

Hmm maybe the one that exploded wasn't an alkaline, but something else?

George H.

Reply to
George Herold

Sounds like an internal short to me. It takes a lot of dissipation to get a cell hot enough to cause a steam explosion. The internal resistance of a dead cell would seem to make that difficult.

Cheers

Phil Hobbs

Reply to
Phil Hobbs

Same problem with shorting a 9v alkaline battery: There's a small chance that the battery may have been a counterfeit, but it's too late to check.

I don't know the exact failure mechanism, but I've noticed that only the fully charged and new alkaline batteries will explode. That's logical because they hold the most energy: My guess(tm) is that the cell can't vent the gases produced by boiling electrolyte quick enough or something is clogging the overpressure vent hole such as a melted insulator.

--
Jeff Liebermann     jeffl@cruzio.com 
150 Felker St #D    http://www.LearnByDestroying.com 
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com 
Skype: JeffLiebermann     AE6KS    831-336-2558
Reply to
Jeff Liebermann

All three cells should have been new. They came from my computer bag. Sunbeam cells are sold by Dollar Tree and so are only $1 for 4. I've read a number of reviews that indicate they have as much capacity as any brand of the same type cells. I've used them a lot and had no trouble. The Dollar General cells came from a pack that was maybe 2 years old. I have a lot less experience with them.

--

Rick
Reply to
rickman

** One cell in a pack going flat early and becoming reversed polarised is a common event and does not lead to an explosion.

Another possible hazard is the reverse ( ie positive) polarity of the case of an alkaline cell compared to other types. A punctured plastic cover can result in shorts.

.... Phil

Reply to
Phil Allison

Some counterfeit cells don't have a pressure relief. Heat or rapid reverse charging can clog up the vent.

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Reply to
Kevin McMurtrie

Interesting, we had a small decorative lamp explode one week ago just like the OP did. Have never seem this before. It shattered the lamp and pushed t he AAA cell cleanly apart with the shell and + cap remaining in one piece, the ? end had half of the insides still attached. Just like it had been pushed out. The lamp was off at the time and the batteries had been in the lamp for over a year. Very strange but they were Harbor Freight Thunde rbolt magnum alkaline batteries.

Reply to
joe21214

Thunderbolt Magna, indeed

--
 Thanks, 
    - Win
Reply to
Winfield Hill

Same with a shorted 9V Duracell battery: My guess(tm) is a clogged vent hole.

-- Jeff Liebermann snipped-for-privacy@cruzio.com

150 Felker St #D
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Santa Cruz CA 95060
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Reply to
Jeff Liebermann

Thunderbolt and lighting, very, very, frightening me.

Cheers

--
Clive
Reply to
Clive Arthur

But that's because you're a poor boy and nobody loves you. ;)

Cheers

Phil Hobbs

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Principal Consultant 
ElectroOptical Innovations LLC 
Optics, Electro-optics, Photonics, Analog Electronics 

160 North State Road #203 
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hobbs at electrooptical dot net 
http://electrooptical.net
Reply to
Phil Hobbs

Easy come, easy go, just throw it all away.

Reply to
Pimpom

I stopped using Harbor Freight batteries because of leakage.

Greg

Reply to
gregz

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