Best way of handling puncturedcells

I've recentlygot my hands on 6 ebike batteries, that I'm working on getting the cells out of. One of them had all the cells was welded very tightly with 4 weldingpoints on each side. When pulling off the strips, it multiple timescaused a small hole in the negative terminal of the cell...

I'm wondering what you guys does, when something like that happens?

How dangerous are they after have been punctured?

How do you handle them from that point?

Although punctured cells might still work, I put them in the "To be properly Recycled" pile.

You con't want leakage causing problems in your power pack or wall.

As far as dangerous..... gases that are explosive could come out of the cell. And the cell could easily also become a heater if not catch fire.

Do you get a funny smell from the cell, it is a dangerous gas (TOXIC). Don't take a chance, just send it to a recycler to be destroyed.

Bubba said:

Although punctured cells might still work, I put them in the "To be properly Recycled" pile.

You con't want leakage causing problems in your power pack or wall.

As far as dangerous..... gases that are explosive could come out of the cell. And the cell could easily also become a heater if not catch fire.

Do you get a funny smell from the cell, it is a dangerous gas (TOXIC). Don't take a chance, just send it to a recycler to be destroyed.

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Didn't expect them to be working but for sure I won't try them out.

I didn't smell much but I did hear a small "Fizzing" sound on most of them. Also a small hole appeared. So for now I have taped the postive terminal to make sure no current would run through them and put them in a plastic bag for now.

when removing the safer lifepo4 A123 26650 cells, I shorted out one ofthe cells, this short somehow punctured a small hole on the side of the cell, I hear the gas escaping and then there was a fire, like a blowtorch.

I had a water bottle with me and poured it over the cell, this would reduce the flames but when I stopped pouring water it would reflash. When the gases finally stop escaping the fire went out.

I would avoid shorting the cells as much as possible and definitely do not punctured. And yes lifepo4 will catch on fire that would be comparable to any li-ion or lipo, I learned the hard way. But don't let it scare you away, sometimes we get complacent or in a hurry like I was. But now I know to take it slowand haven't had anymore incidents. Lithium benefits outweigh the very small risks that we might encounter.

jonyjoe505 said:

I had a water bottle with me and poured it over the cell, this would reduce the flames but when I stopped pouring water it would reflash.

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Never ever do that!!! Search youtube to see how water reacts with lithium. I even saw a video when a guy was unrolling a disassembled cell and it caught fire because microscopic sweat drops on his hands reacted with lithium!

The main problem of a punctured cell would be solvents.

You never want to be breathing solvents at all. Tape the end that is leaking gas, and then get rid of it in a safe manner.

I have a empty metal paint bucket with lid, which I have outside where it can catch fire to nothing.
I throw all my dead/punctured/rusty cells in that pile there.

thunderheart There is no lithium in those cells in that form so you cannot compare it to pure lithium exposed with water. It wont happen on the battery.

Its common to use salted water for many in RC to discharge cells before disposal

I just bin my cells into a can and go to the recycler.