Sunday, January 20, 2013

Auxiliary Power Unit - 787 Probe Puts Spotlight On Arizona Battery Firm - News

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Tucson, Arizona-based Securaplane Technologies Inc, which makes some sort of charger to get electric batteries used to the Boeing Co's 787 Dreamliner, on Sunday explained it'd support an investigation directly into power supply issues that have grounded this new planes.

Securaplane, a model of Britain's Meggitt Plc, very first started working on your charger throughout 2004, however encountered countless cash associated with injuries around November 2006 after a lithium-ion power supply utilised in assessment exploded and also sparked a fire this burned an administrative building that will that ground.

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board upon Sunday reigned over away excess voltage since the reason for a battery fireplace for the 787 at the Boston air port this month.

It stated investigators would likely take a trip about Tuesday that will Tucson, Arizona, wherever Securaplane will be based, to find out as well as study the particular charger plus download storage from that controller for any auxiliary energy unit. They furthermore intend to vacation to be able to Phoenix along with perform related tests at the website where a unit connected with United Technologies Corp creates the ability unit.

Fiona Greig, a spokeswoman pertaining to Securaplane, explained that company had been asked to help "contribute to the investigation process" and organized for you to absolutely assist it.

"In series with all the NTSB's practices, however, it will not really become helpful to that particular analysis to comment further," the lady mentioned in the statement provided to help Reuters.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) upon Sunday stated that had viewed basic safety issues flattened by a past Securaplane personnel in 2008 along with 2009 but determined in which the allegations guided toward prototypes that were not necessarily ultimately found in your new lightweight airliner.

Shubhayu Chakraborty, president of Securaplane, before explained to Reuters that will his company's lithium-ion battery charger ended up being currently simply utilized around the Boeing 787, even though it is building several techniques for utilize on various other aircraft.

Securaplane is creating some sort of lithium-ion power supply technique for the KC-390 military transfer planes currently being designed by Brazil's Embraer SA, that is thanks to possess it has the initial airfare throughout 2014. Embraer declined comment.

The company is also acquiring burn battery packs to the Embraer Legacy 450 along with 500 company jets and will generate the lithium battery pack regarding the actual next-generation Eurocopter EC-135 helicopter being developed by EADS, based on the company's website.

The charger will be section of a new elaborate procedure in which functions a lithium-ion battery created by Japan's GS Yuasa Corp along with electro-mechanical programs produced by France's Thales to present initial strength intended for a good auxiliary energy unit, that is developed by Pratt & Whitney, a model of United Technologies.

A separate lithium-ion battery, which often additionally uses your Securaplane charger and also Thales electrician electric power transformation equipment, is employed like a main battery power back-up to get flight journey important systems, as outlined by Boeing.

The NTSB's selection to travel for you to Securaplane's ability started clean doubts regarding a fireplace which messed up a great admin building presently there around 2006.

Boeing spokesman Marc Birtel claimed a study towards the 2006 spice along at the Securaplane facility was soon after decided to acquire been due to a strong incorrect test set-up, not really your power supply design. He dropped discuss the actual 787 investigations.

After this fire, some sort of former Securaplane workforce termed Michael Leon filled out some sort of maintain for federal whistleblower protection, alleging that he or she seemed to be fired for elevating safety worries about the design and style in the charger and also differences among assembling your equipment paperwork for that chargers and the actual accomplished chargers.

A national administrative legislations appraise ignored Leon's suit around 2011, saying the corporation experienced proven your dog ended up being fired intended for repeated misconduct, n't any health and safety complaints. The assess wouldn't rule with Leon's alleged basic safety concerns.

Greig revealed that suit ended up being submitted as well as dismissed, however explained the corporation would not want to discuss personnel issues.

Leon couldn't possibly be arrived at pertaining to comment.

FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown stated the particular FAA looked into Leon's complaints, nonetheless motivated that the electric battery charging units this they addressed were prototypes, as well as it's unlikely that any were set up throughout Boeing 787 aircraft.

"Our testimonials furthermore decided Securaplane's generation of a particular imprinted world aboard complied with FAA requirements," Brown said.

(Reporting By Andrea Shalal-Esa; additional confirming by means of Brad Haynes within Brazil, as well as Noeleen Walder throughout New York; Editing by simply Maureen Bavdek and Marguerita Choy)

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