Tonight, Boeing detailed its solution for the 787 Dreamliner’s battery problems. It involves improving the battery itself, fixing the charging system and adding another layer of protection with an added enclosure. Boeing is still committed to lithium-ion batteries and this solution will allow Boeing to continue to use them in the 787. More »
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner that has been grounded (causing many pilots who were specially trained to fly this technologically advanced plane to hang out at home and being an irritant to their wives) because of a battery issue has yet to take off, but at the very least, the company has picked up a nod of approval from U.S. transport regulators to begin testing a redesigned battery for the 787 Dreamliner, which would clearly place it a step closer to ensuring the Dreamliner is able to take to the skies yet again, electronically dimming windows and all.
So far, 50 of the fuel-efficient Dreamliners in use by airlines have been grounded since January 16th after a battery fire on a Japan Airlines aircraft occurred at the Boston airport. Deliveries of the Boeing 787 has since been stopped, although their factories have not stopped production. It is said that Boeing loses around $50 million weekly as long as the plane remains grounded. Let us hope it happens sooner rather than later, no?
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We do know that the Boeing 787 Dreamliner did runs into battery and electrical issues recently, but that does not detract from the fact that Boeing’s latest attempt at a commercial jet is chock-full of technology, ranging from windows that sport an electrical dimming system to a drastic reduction in engine noise as well as the use of accelerometers to counteract turbulence, the 787 Dreamliner is meant to fly like a dream. Well, all of the technology crammed into the 787 would certainly need some sort of data logs so that engineers can have a record to refer to if something goes wrong, right?
It seems that the amount of data produced by the 787 each flight is not small at all. We are talking about an average of slightly more than 500GB worth of data per flight, which means airlines’ IT departments will need to make the necessary provisions to make sure that they can handle the massive amounts of data being sent back to base with each flight. Will airlines end up as mini data centers of their own eventually?
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There’s been talk for weeks of Boeing developing a fix for the 787 Dreamliner’s battery fire troubles. If the aircraft maker has its way, that should soon translate to action. The company’s commercial airplane chief, Raymond Conner, tells reporters that the company has a “permanent” fix that would place three layers of protection around the batteries and, theoretically, head off fires and their causes. It sounds like just the ticket — the challenge will be getting everyone else to feel the same way. American investigators believe the batteries are at fault, but their Japanese counterparts haven’t yet ruled out external factors. With this kind of ongoing debate, we’re not about to book a 787 to Tokyo for spring break.
Filed under: Transportation
Source: New York Times
No one wants to be on a plane with batteries that are liable to explode, and since Boeing grounded its 787 Dreamliners after such an incident, no one has had to be. Except for the test crew that took one into the yesterday. But don’t worry, it all turned out just fine. More »
Fans of the 787 Dreamliner haven’t had much reason to cheer for the past few weeks when the FAA grounded all US jets over concerns of battery failures. While there’s no update on the reported fix, Boeing can at least say that the 787 is clear to fly again. Sort of. The FAA has given permission to Boeing to conduct flight tests under certain conditions. The company has to conduct battery- and insulation-related pre-flight inspections, watch battery behavior like a hawk, use only its own pilots and fly over unpopulated areas. Harsh terms to be sure, although we won’t have to wait for the dry runs to see the 787 airborne once again: the FAA also gave Boeing clearance to ferry one of the airliners from Fort Worth, Texas to Everett, Washington after some paint work. It went off without a hitch, as you’d infer from the photo above. We’re still some distance away from once again hopping on Dreamliners for long-haul flights, but the aircraft will at least have a chance to flex their muscles before they resume their main duties.
Filed under: Transportation
The Wall Street Journal has gotten word that Boeing is preparing tweaks to its 787’s lithium-ion batteries that could minimize the risk of fire and let its Dreamliners take to the skies before a long-term solution is sussed out. Citing industry and government officials, the WSJ says the modifications will see a larger separation between battery cells in an effort to lessen the risk of heat and fire spreading. Other measures may include keeping cells more firmly in place to prevent them from moving about and interfering with electronics, incorporating heat sensors and a beefed-up battery cover that could contain flames and chemicals. Changes to the aircraft aren’t nailed down across the board just yet, and they still need approval by Japanese and American regulators before they can be applied. According to one of the WSJ’s sources, a best-case scenario could see Dreamliners put back on passenger flight duty in March.
[Image credit: Martin Deutsch, Flickr]
Filed under: Transportation
Source: Wall Street Journal
Since Boeing’s operational 787 Dreamliners were grounded, engineers have been trying hard to solve the problem. Now, the Seattle Times is reporting that Dreamliner test flights could start as early as this week. More »
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner just can’t catch a break. After all of the planes were grounded following some seriously troubling melting batteries, the FAA has been taking a look into what exactly went wrong. They’ll take their time though; it could be years before the birds are back in the sky. More »
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner was recently grounded across the world because its lithium ion batteries would self-combust in a blaze of glory (aka the batteries melt). What’s interesting is that Boeing knew about all the battery problems in the 787 before any flight was grounded. More »
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