>
> I will be receiving in less than 10 days a powerful nicad battery pack
>for the current eliminator,An wish Eric to also receive these same batteries
>for his record breaking jounior dragster driven by his wife Tracy.So Eric
>please call before 7pm, early to bed early to rise Dennis Kilowatt Berube
I would strongly advise against putting flooded NiCads in a Jr
Dragster. While it is not prudent to run them in an adult dragster, there
is no reason to expose a child to the hazards of spraying potassium
hydroxide from flooded NiCads when much safer AGM batteries can be used
instead. It is a performance limited class, after all. Flooded batteries of
any type are specifically prohibited in the electric powered Jr Dragster
draft rules.
For safety reasons, NEDRA has never allowed flooded electrolyte
batteries in dragsters, Jr dragsters, or motorcycles. This is because the
liquid electrolyte poses a hazard in the case of an accident or in the
all-to-common case of a burst battery. The electrolyte sprays out of the
battery and can injure the driver. That is why NEDRA requires "absorbed
glass mat" (AGM), starved electrolyte, or gelled electrolyte batteries in
these type vehicles
While it is technically possible to safely run flooded NiCads in
a dragster, unless proper precautions are taken, this could present a major
safety hazard. Flooded batteries must be housed in a box that will safely
contain the electrolyte in the case of a burst battery (or batteries) or an
accident. This is not easy to accomplish.
Flooded NiCad batteries use potassium hydroxide as an electrolyte.
It is not dissimilar to liquid Drano. The safety hazards are about the
same. A key hazard that is not readily apparent is that the potassium
hydroxide electrolyte produces hydrogen gas when it comes in contact with
aluminum. (This reaction also produces quite a bit of heat.) Thus, battery
boxes for flooded NiCad batteries must NOT be made of aluminum. They must
be made from stainless steel, nickel, Lexan, or some other material that
does not react chemically with potassium hydroxide, but is mechanically
suitable to contain the batteries and electrolyte in a wreck. Also, parts
of the vehicle that are adjacent to the battery box must not be made of
aluminum as they might come in contact with battery electrolyte dripping or
spraying from a damaged battery box after an accident.
_ /| Bill "Wisenheimer" Dube'
\'o.O' <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
=(___)=
U
Check out the bike -> http://www.KillaCycle.com
