Samsung Galaxy Note 7 fires – cause – simple solution

Under some circumstances, lithium ion batteries can fail, with emission of heat, smoke, & fire. PC Pitstop demonstrated with a laptop in 2006. Keep in mind that they did something unspecified to the laptop to generate the failure, but this merely initiated a failure mode inherent in the lithium ion battery.



In 2013 they repeated the demonstration – no sign that the technology in use had been made any less dangerous in the intervening years:



Something similar in a Samsung Galaxy S5, with the failure being initiated by a hammer – most of this is, “abuse a phone & see what happens”, nonsense, but as soon as the hammer directly impacts the battery, it rapidly fails, just after the 3:40 mark:



This is fundamental to lithium ion batteries, as fitted to phones, tablets & laptops.

None of the instances above represent normal operation, but reports of battery failures in phones & laptops have appeared over the years, such as when a phone was caught in the reclining mechanism of an aircraft seat on Tuesday 21 June, 2016 on a Qantas flight from Sydney to Los Angeles.

ABC – Plane fire sparked by passenger's phone to be investigated
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-06-30/plane-fire-investigated-after-passenger-sets-seat-alight/7558416

In the last few days, reports have surfaced of a number of spontaneous battery failures in the recently released 5.7" Samsung Galaxy Note 7, phablet:

ABC – Samsung halts sales of Galaxy Note 7 over exploding battery concerns, retailers stop selling phones
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-09-02/samsung-galaxy-note-7-phones-pulled-from-shelves/7810474

Android Authority – Galaxy Note 7 recall: another phone just blew up in Australia
http://www.androidauthority.com/samsung-galaxy-note-7-recall-714419/

Although the Note 7 failures are, apparently, due to faulty batteries, there are two things that Samsung (& other manufacturers) can do to reduce, or eliminate the risks inherent in phones & laptops with LiIon batteries:

1. Replace fire-prone lithium ion batteries with the fundamentally safer lithium iron phosphate chemistry.

Lithium ion phosphate cells are fundamentally safer, & have been available for a number of years.^1,2

How safe? – in the video below, a slow reaction, with less smoke, & no flame, produces an apparently lower temperature – not beyond, “uncomfortably hot”:



2. Return to making batteries removeable

If the Samsung Note 7s had removeable batteries, they could all be defused by simply removing the battery. Storing the battery away from flammable materials would render it safe too. When Samsung has a solution to the problem, they could supply new batteries to customers at a considerable saving of time & expense.
__________

¹ Wikepedia:“Lithium iron phosphate battery”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithium_iron_phosphate_battery#Safety

² Battery University: “Types of Lithium-ion”,
http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/types_of_lithium_ion / Samsung halt sales Galaxy Note 7 exploding battery retailers stop selling phones Samsung halt sales Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphones prepare replacement devices phones already sold multiple reports exploding batteries Australia's biggest phone retailers stopped selling phone reported problems were being investigated Samsung take about two weeks prepare replacement devices phones already sold high-end gadget launched just weeks ago users have complained battery fault caused phones explode catch fire while being charged 35 cases of problems smartphone concerned customers return the phone outlet where they purchased it JB Hi-Fi Optus Telstra remove phones unclear how many phones been affected telecommunications provider paused sales Samsung Galaxy Note 7 investigation by Samsung customers concerns Samsung Galaxy Note 7 handset visit nearest Optus store discuss their options Telstra investigating problem Galaxy Note 7 phones Samsung precaution paused Galaxy Note 7 sales Telstra spokesperson contact existing owners directly issue affecting their phones unclear how many phones have been affected problem nip it in the bud right now analysts expect the Note 7 problems to be resolved quickly ongoing major problems derail Samsung's mobile recovery string of product successes reversed the smartphone leader's declining market share South Korean firm maintain strong sales momentum stiffening competition Apple Inc release its latest iPhone Samsung name exploding battery injury Investors stripped about $7 billion off Samsung Electronics' market value shipment delays on Thursday /