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The Reason Your Laptop Hasn't Exploded: Peter Roth's 'Abuse Lab'

by Terrence O'Brien on February 22, 2010 at 04:55 PM

We've seen what happens when laptops and other small gadgets have faulty lithium-ion batteries: they burst into flames. So imagine what would happen if the batteries in the upcoming barrage of hybrid and electric cars failed in the same catastrophic fashion. Since they're several magnitudes larger, it's only logical to assume a meltdown would be that much more severe. That's why Peter Roth's Abuse Lab at the Sandia National Laboratories has become an important stop for all sorts of battery-powered tech.

Roth spends his days subjecting lithium batteries, of various sizes, to different torture techniques in an attempt to get them to fail. He overcharges them, short circuits them, crushes them, bakes them, and even punctures them with nails. Till now, his lab has been operating with a crude mix of self-built contraptions and aging computer systems, but, thanks to the increasing value of his work, the Department of Energy has endowed the Abuse Lab with $4.2 million in stimulus money.

Roth's clients include NASA, the U.S. military, electronics manufacturers, and auto makers -- all of whom shell out cash to have their power packs submitted to levels of torture rarely seen in the real world. But his research has led to several advances that have made batteries safer and more reliable. Thanks to his work, manufacturers have improved fail safes that deflect current from fully charged batteries and feature chemical combinations that more safely store that energy.

The list of the Abuse Lab's clients is so long and diverse that, chances are, if you have a battery powered gadget that hasn't exploded, it's probably thanks to that mad scientist pictured up top. [From: Wall Street Journal]

Tags: battery, laptop, laptop battery, LaptopBattery, Lithium Ion, LithiumIon, science, top

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