Source: https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2007/10/11/E7-19980/special-conditions-boeing-model-787-8-airplane-lithium-ion-battery-installation
Timestamp: 2014-03-08 19:59:24
Document Index: 184649174

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 25', '§ 25', 'art 34', 'art 36', '§ 11', '§ 21', '§ 25', '§ 25', '§ 25', '§ 25']

-57844 (3 pages)
Document Number: E7-19980
Shorter URL: https://federalregister.gov/a/E7-19980 Related Topics
Under provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 21.17, Boeing must show that Boeing Model 787-8 airplanes (hereafter referred to as “the 787”) meet the applicable provisions of 14 CFR part 25, as amended by Amendments 25-1 through 25-117, except §§ 25.809(a) and 25.812, which will remain at Amendment 25-115. If the Administrator finds that the applicable airworthiness regulations do not contain adequate or appropriate safety standards for the 787 because of a novel or unusual design feature, special conditions are prescribed under provisions of 14 CFR 21.16.
In addition to the applicable airworthiness regulations and special conditions, the 787 must comply with the fuel vent and exhaust emission requirements of 14 CFR part 34 and the noise certification requirements of 14 CFR part 36. The FAA must also issue a finding of regulatory adequacy pursuant to section 611 of 92, the “Noise Control Act of 1972.”
The FAA issues special conditions, as defined in 14 CFR 11.19, under § 11.38, and they become part of the type certification basis under § 21.17(a)(2).
We are very concerned with a fire erupting in flight, and being able to rapidly extinguish it. The Special Conditions should require that there be a means provided to apply extinguishing agents by the flight (cabin) crew instead of promoting it as an option in managing the threat posed by the use of lithium-ion batteries. ALPA maintains that the petitioner must provide means for extinguishing fires that occur vs. listing it as an option in § 25.863.
The proposal states that the certification requirements of § 25.283 [§ 25.863] must be complied with; however, the FAA report (FAA report DOT/FAA/AR-06/38, September 2006) indicates that a relatively small fire source is sufficient to heat the lithium-ion cell above the temperature required to activate the pressure release mechanism in the cell. This causes the cell to forcefully vent its electrolyte through the relief ports near the positive terminal. The electrolyte is highly flammable and easily ignites when exposed to an open flame or hot surface. Fully charged cells released small white sparks along with the electrolyte.
FAA Response: The FAA agrees with the commenter. Special Condition (7) requires means to prevent overheating or overcharging of lithium ion batteries in the event of failure or malfunction of the automatic disconnect function. The issue of failure modes of the lithium ion batteries is covered by Special Conditions (1), (2), and (6). We made no change as a result of this comment. ALPA Comment re Special Condition (8): Finally, ALPA commented on monitoring and warning features that will indicate when the state-of-charge of the batteries has fallen below levels considered acceptable for dispatch of the airplane. The commenter suggested that the special conditions address the location of the warning indication; whether it is displayed to the captain, the crew, or both; and the training to be incorporated in the crew training programs.
FAA Response: Flight deck warning indicators associated with the state-of-charge of the lithium ion battery and appropriate training of the crew will be addressed during certification as part of the flight deck evaluation. As required by § 25.1309(c), this evaluation will ensure that the warning indication is effective and appropriate for the hazard. We made no change as a result of this comment.