Event
Failure Investigation of the First Large Lithium-ion Battery Used in Aircraft
Monday, April 27, 2026
11:00 a.m.
J. M. Patterson Building, JMP 2217
Dr. Diganta Das
diganta@umd.edu
ABSTRACT
In 2013, the first lithium-ion batteries that powered the main engine and the APU of a commercial aircraft experienced thermal runaway within a week of each other. Both events occurred in January, right after the aircraft had been exposed to several hours of snowy cold weather conditions. The lecture will cover cell and battery design, the failure investigation carried out, and will provide a summary of the probable causes of the failure.
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHY
Dr. Judy Jeevarajan is the Vice President and Executive Director for the Electrochemical Safety Research Institute at UL Research Institutes. With almost 30 years of experience in the area of batteries and a primary focus on the lithium-ion and sodium-ion chemistries, she specializes in battery safety research, including safety trends in aged cells and modules, thermal runaway and its propagation, characterizing fire and fire suppressants for battery fires, flow battery safety, recycling, and hydrogen production and safety.
Dr. Jeevarajan serves on the Technical Working Group for standards organizations such as ULSE, SAE (Automotive and Aerospace), IEC, the UN Informal Working Group, and AIAA, and serves as the Chair of the IEC SC21A subcommittee on battery standards.
She earned her Ph.D. in Chemistry (Electrochemistry) from the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa (1995) and holds a Master of Science in Chemistry from the University of Notre Dame (1991).
Event Location:
J.M. Patterson Building (Building 083) is located across the corner from the Regents Drive Garage.
JMP 2217 is on the second floor of the building.
