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Why Smartphone Batteries Explode And How To Prevent It - Phones - Nairaland

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Smartphone Batteries Explained / Smartphone Batteries: Some Very Vital Info You May Or May Not Know / Top 5 Reasons Why Do Phones Explode And How To Prevent It (2) (3) (4)

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Why Smartphone Batteries Explode And How To Prevent It by Smallbaby(f): 8:13am On Oct 25, 2019
#News Yes, that little smartphone you keep in your pocket has the potential to burst. A lithium-ion battery is the same no matter what device it’s in, and they all carry identical risks.

What are these risks? And how can you reduce them with your phone? That’s what we’re going to explore in this article.

Smartphone Battery Explosions: The Facts
We don’t have a bunch of doom-and-gloom fear-mongering stories for you. Yes, your phone can explode. But no, it’s isn’t likely to happen at all.

Modern lithium-ion batteries—today’s preferred rechargeable batteries for everything from smartphones to Tesla vehicles—have the capacity to be highly explosive.

Have a look at this thermal video of a lithium-ion battery cell under “heat abuse” for two minutes:

The point of explosion is sudden and extremely hot.

But outside of a lab where people apply an extremely hot source to the battery, how do these batteries explode in the real world?

Here is the sequence of events that happen inside a lithium-ion battery before and during an explosion:

One area of the battery starts getting too hot due to a short-circuit in the charging circuit, or some other external cause.
The chemical reaction inside the hot area begins generating its own heat as well, which spreads to other areas in a process known as electrolyte overheat.
Eventually, this building heat causes the electrolyte to give off stream, which bursts the battery casing.
Very flammable, hot liquid (not unlike napalm) escapes and usually burns or melts the surrounding phone casing and whatever the phone is next to.
This reaction, known as “thermal runaway,” does sound pretty horrendous, but there’s one fact that should set your mind at ease: manufacturers are constantly implementing new safety features in lithium-ion batteries that reduce the likelihood of this happening, or at least reduce the damage caused when it does.

Smartphone Battery Safety Features
Some of these safety features include:

Non-flammable additives added to the electrolyte and battery coatings.
Built-in circuitry that protects against current surges.
Circuit interrupt devices that open the circuit if the cell pressure exceeds safe limits.
Fail-safe safety vents that release gases if the cell expands beyond a higher safety limit.
Thermal fuses that break the circuit when temperatures reach a safety limit.
So for a healthy battery installed inside the average phone, the worse-case scenario before the battery ever reaches this nightmare “thermal runaway” scenario is a message that the phone needs to shut down. Or the battery may simply stop working.

Still, there are situations that could still cause a battery to explode.

1. Dropping and Damaging the Battery
As mentioned above, everything will work fine so long as you are dealing with a healthy battery. One problem that can negatively affect a battery’s health is physical damage from drops.

Cracked iPhone

Most people will rush to a local repair center to get their screen repaired when this happens. If the phone still works, they don’t even give a second thought to what damage the battery might have sustained.

Unfortunately, a drop can alter the internal mechanical or chemical structure of the battery. These changes could cause any of the fail-safe circuitry to fail in extreme stress conditions.

How can you tell if a battery might be damaged? Open up the case and take a look at the battery. If any of the following conditions exist, consider replacing it immediately:

Swelling
Deformation
Frequent, unexplainable overheating
In many situations, you can avoid explosive battery failure by paying close attention to signs of existing battery damage. For a smartphone battery to be safe, all its built-in safety features need to function properly. So it’s important to never use a battery that has visible signs of damage.

2. Hot Temperatures and Environments
While there may be safeguards built into your battery to ensure that it sheds excessive heat, or shuts down when too hot, it’s important to keep the battery away from those temperature limits in the first place.

Many elements contribute to your phone naturally heating up. Those include:

Running intensive graphics that put a heavy load on the GPU
Using apps that put too much demand on the CPU
Widgets that run constantly while you’re multitasking with the phone
Regularly connectivity checks when your cellular or Wi-Fi connection is spotty
Long phone calls
Normally any of these uses are fine, but if you’re doing them in an environment that’s extra hot, you could run into trouble. For example, using a phone in direct sunlight at the pool, while listening to Spotify and browsing the web, makes an already straining smartphone struggle to cool itself.

Hot phone by pool

Even if this doesn’t cause the battery to explode, it can contribute to the aging process and make getting long battery life a challenge.

Charging your phone under these conditions can contribute to overheating even further. The phone naturally builds heat during charging.

There are many ways to keep your phone cool and avoid these problems:

Remove the phone from its case when you’re charging it.
Keep the phone out of direct sunlight whenever possible.
Don’t leave your phone in a hot car for extended periods.
Don’t charge the phone while it’s in a pocket or inside a bag, or any other place that can trap heat.
We’ve offered many ways to avoid overheating an Android phone, and tips to keep your iPhone cool. Following these is an important part of being a wise smartphone user.

3. Using the Wrong Charger
I purchased a first-generation Google Pixel when it launched. Not knowing that the Pixel requires a cable with a built-in 56k Ohm resistor conforming to Type C specifications, I grabbed a cheap cable in the checkout line at Walmart to charge it.
READ MORE

I incorrectly assumed all USB-C cables are manufactured the same. The reality is that manufacturers of cheap chargers produce cables that do not always meet specifications required by USB-C devices.

After some time using it, I started noticing my phone became especially hot during charging.

One day when I went to charge my phone in my car, the phone became extremely hot and the charger actually became stuck in the charger port. As I was trying to pull it out, a small puff of smoke came out of the charger port.

I’m lucky I didn’t experience a smartphone exploding in my face.

You can buy non-OEM chargers, but you need to make sure they meet all specifications required by your phone. Cheap knockoff chargers like these use materials with sub-standard quality or an incorrect gauge of wire that lacks appropriate overcurrent protection.

4. Getting Your Phone Wet

Lithium will ignite and burn when in contact with water or water vapor. Batteries come well-sealed, so that kind of contact shouldn’t happen normally.

Many modern phones are waterproof or water-resistant. However, combine a cheap smartphone with a punctured battery, and you’ve got a recipe for disaster.

5. Battery Punctures


Lithium reacts to both water and oxygen, so puncturing a lithium-ion battery will produce a reaction. This could be anything from a little bit of smoke and a terrible smell to a full-on explosion.

And the reaction is rapid.

Obviously, this means there’s always a danger if a smartphone gets punctured during an accident or any other violent situation.

Staying Safe With Smartphone Batteries
It’s important to keep in mind that the battery inside your smartphone has the capacity to become a dangerous hazard under extreme conditions.

So the idea is to avoid those extreme conditions. Store, charge, and treat your smartphone in a way so that should anything ever happen, you are protected from serious injury.

And if you need more battery from your device, consider upgrading to a phone with amazing battery life.

https://www.infinix.club/ng/forum/824/1557617

8 Likes 1 Share

Re: Why Smartphone Batteries Explode And How To Prevent It by dimexy247(m): 5:27am On Oct 28, 2019
FTC
Sleeping now, will come back to read.




Don't even try to steal this land, I have C.O grin


Brb

7 Likes

Re: Why Smartphone Batteries Explode And How To Prevent It by Gudguyz(m): 5:27am On Oct 28, 2019
Interesting....






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Re: Why Smartphone Batteries Explode And How To Prevent It by hacmond(m): 5:28am On Oct 28, 2019
We don hia.
Thank you �
Blessed week ahead.

3 Likes

Re: Why Smartphone Batteries Explode And How To Prevent It by englishmart(m): 5:28am On Oct 28, 2019
While I was reading that, my phone was busy smiling.

5 Likes 1 Share

Re: Why Smartphone Batteries Explode And How To Prevent It by Vikzz(m): 5:29am On Oct 28, 2019
Early morning when I dey read for exam
Make una wish me well in my exams

48 Likes 2 Shares

Re: Why Smartphone Batteries Explode And How To Prevent It by iamapplord(m): 5:29am On Oct 28, 2019
Hmmm
Re: Why Smartphone Batteries Explode And How To Prevent It by Rikze: 5:30am On Oct 28, 2019
OK.


Thanks for sharing...
Re: Why Smartphone Batteries Explode And How To Prevent It by olayemioshiyemi: 5:32am On Oct 28, 2019
Brb
Re: Why Smartphone Batteries Explode And How To Prevent It by ABCthings: 5:32am On Oct 28, 2019
Re: Why Smartphone Batteries Explode And How To Prevent It by Nobody: 5:33am On Oct 28, 2019
This is good to hear

1 Like

Re: Why Smartphone Batteries Explode And How To Prevent It by Favbolu(m): 5:34am On Oct 28, 2019
Best thing is to buy a new phone not all this UK & refurbish phone

3 Likes 1 Share

Re: Why Smartphone Batteries Explode And How To Prevent It by Candoit: 5:36am On Oct 28, 2019
Abeg, who read the post?.
What did he say?

2 Likes

Re: Why Smartphone Batteries Explode And How To Prevent It by aylive02(m): 5:37am On Oct 28, 2019
So we should not buy London used phone again?

2 Likes

Re: Why Smartphone Batteries Explode And How To Prevent It by vicfajeze: 5:39am On Oct 28, 2019
THANKS
Re: Why Smartphone Batteries Explode And How To Prevent It by palmshots: 5:40am On Oct 28, 2019
wink
Re: Why Smartphone Batteries Explode And How To Prevent It by DesChyko: 5:44am On Oct 28, 2019
Never believed this shii until I witnessed a phone explode last week.

My brain is still struggling to grasp how such a small phone could cause that massive bang and damaging impact embarassed

4 Likes 1 Share

Re: Why Smartphone Batteries Explode And How To Prevent It by Goldenheart(m): 5:46am On Oct 28, 2019
cool spot on...
Re: Why Smartphone Batteries Explode And How To Prevent It by Nobody: 5:46am On Oct 28, 2019
Candoit:
Abeg, who read the post?.
What did he say?
Thought, it's only me that's bored by such long posts! grin

2 Likes 1 Share

Re: Why Smartphone Batteries Explode And How To Prevent It by Freemanbobble: 5:50am On Oct 28, 2019
Okay
Re: Why Smartphone Batteries Explode And How To Prevent It by fineboynl(m): 6:03am On Oct 28, 2019
This article one is better than that previous article that claimed smartphone will cause explosion from over charging
Re: Why Smartphone Batteries Explode And How To Prevent It by dfrost: 6:04am On Oct 28, 2019
dimexy247:
FTC
Sleeping now, will come back to read.

Don't even try to steal this land, I have C.O grin
Brb

Any difference between you and those that loot? grin

You are not ready to build on the land and you are hoarding? cheesy grin

Ole, barawo, thief

1 Like

Re: Why Smartphone Batteries Explode And How To Prevent It by umarshehu58(m): 6:11am On Oct 28, 2019
My mind tell me say na samsung phone picture op go use and behold it is the Samsung undecided

1 Like

Re: Why Smartphone Batteries Explode And How To Prevent It by solsticey2k3(m): 6:29am On Oct 28, 2019
Okay
Re: Why Smartphone Batteries Explode And How To Prevent It by Nobody: 6:35am On Oct 28, 2019
Vikzz:
Early morning when I dey read for exam
Make una wish me well in my exams

Success in all of your exams

3 Likes 1 Share

Re: Why Smartphone Batteries Explode And How To Prevent It by jeff1607(m): 6:45am On Oct 28, 2019
Candoit:
Abeg, who read the post?. What did he say?

you can do it, just read

(1) (2) (Reply)

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