Lithium battery boom driving up thermal imaging camera demand: Raymarine

More boaters are adopting lithium-ion-based systems for house batteries as a viable alternative to banks of traditional lead acid batteries, largely due to their higher energy density – lithium-ion batteries can deliver up to 80 per cent of their stored charge compared with around 50 per cent for lead acid ones – as well as weighing up to 70 per cent less.

However, Raymarine says that boaters are becoming increasingly aware that lithium-ion batteries have also been responsible for an “escalating number of yacht fires occurring worldwide” – if the batteries are damaged or overcharged there is a risk that the flammable electrolyte they contain will catch fire.

“The need for yacht owners to become educated on the potential risks associated with lithium-ion batteries and taking necessary precautions to prevent fires from occurring is crucial,” Raymarine warns.

The marine electronics group, a subsidiary of Teledyne FLIR,  has noticed a jump in sales of its AX8 thermal monitoring camera. The camera is used to monitor engine rooms, with the increase in interest attributed by Raymarine to an increase in the number of yacht owners putting systems in place to detect fires.

Teledyne FLIR marine thermal systems sales director Hans Groenenboomt said it was positive to see an increase in boat owners putting safety protocols in place to detect early warnings of a fire. 

“By installing a thermal monitoring camera owners are given extra time,” Groenenboomt said. 

“They are not waiting for smoke to be detected. The change in temperature will sound the alarm long before that stage, giving valuable minutes to ensure the safety of those on board as well as the opportunity to extinguish the problem.”

Raymarine’s praise of yacht owners’ preparedness relates to the number of people installing its YachtSense modular digital control system that allows them to easily upgrade a boat’s electronic smarts to take advantage of new technology.

It allows owners to easily add features such as a thermal imaging camera in the boat’s engine room or battery locker and feed that information in real-time to anything ranging from the owner’s smartphone via a 4G modem while they’re off the boat to an onboard tablet connected to the boat’s wireless network or even the main multifunction touchscreen mounted at the helm.

Combined with the thermal imaging camera, the YachtSense 4G router can monitor onboard temperatures and report any unusual rise to the owner via text message.

Australia’s marine safety watchdog, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, has links to guidelines for how lithium-ion batteries should be correctly installed on commercial vessels, including fitting battery monitoring systems and planning for what happens should they catch fire.