IMCA Safety Flashes issued a summary related to a lead-acid battery blew up incident when an engine was started.
About the incident
The incident occurred when, after conducting pre-start checks on a generator, the Engineer attempted to start the engine. As the lube oil pressure reached start pressure and the starter motor engaged, there was a loud bang from behind the engine in the vicinity of the port side battery box.
The Engineer on investigating, found that one of the batteries in the bank for the generator had suffered a critical failure resulting in the top of the battery case being destroyed. He left the space immediately in case of release of hydrogen gas and woke the Chief Engineer to inform him of the incident.
Probable causes
- The battery tie connection on the negative terminal had formed a hot joint. This would have ignited any excess hydrogen built up inside the battery box when the generator started;
- The manufacturers instructions stated that the battery should not be used in hot environments.
Recommended actions
- Replace lead acid batteries with a type that does not release hydrogen when being charged, such as AGM (Absorbent Glass Mat) batteries;
- Check all battery terminals and connections.
- Follow manufacturers instructions when installing batteries.
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Source : IMCA
