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Boeing resolves major issue with Dreamliner’s battery system

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Boeing resolves major issue with Dreamliner’s battery system
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Nippon Airways Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner | Wikipedia

Boeing has successfully addressed a significant setback concerning the 787 Dreamliner, one of its prominent widebody airliners. The aircraft, first announced in the early 2000s, was designed for efficiency and cost-effectiveness, targeting a 20% reduction in fuel burn compared to other widebody aircraft like the Boeing 767. The company achieved this through the use of General Electric GEnx or Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines and composite materials for the airframe.

The Dreamliner, introduced with All Nippon Airways (ANA) in late 2011, has been widely successful, with over 1,000 units produced and more than 2,100 ordered globally. However, recent news highlighted a major incident on June 12 when Air India Flight 171 crashed shortly after takeoff, resulting in significant casualties.

A key issue arose earlier with the Dreamliner's battery system. On January 7, 2013, a Japan Airlines Boeing 787 caught fire due to a thermal runaway in its lithium-ion battery cells. A similar incident occurred nine days later with an ANA Boeing 787 during flight NH-692. Both incidents raised serious safety concerns about the aircraft's battery design.

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In response to these incidents, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grounded all Boeing 787 Dreamliners operated by US airlines on January 16, 2013. This marked the first time since 1979 that an entire fleet of US commercial jets was grounded.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) confirmed that both fires were caused by thermal runaway due to internal short circuits within different batteries on each aircraft. The NTSB criticized both Boeing's risk modeling and GS Yuasa's quality control issues.

To resolve these problems, Boeing redesigned the entire battery system of the Dreamliner. Key changes included a stainless-steel containment box around each battery unit and a dedicated venting system to direct smoke or gases overboard safely. Additional internal design changes were made to enhance separation between cells and improve electrical insulation. New software safeguards were also introduced for better monitoring and early detection of anomalies.

After rigorous review processes, the FAA approved Boeing's new battery system in April 2013, allowing the fleet to return to service.

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