A lithium-ion battery failed on a recycling conveyor and produced a high-energy thermal event. AVIAN detected the extreme heat immediately, giving the operator time to stop the belt and respond before the surrounding waste stream ignited.

AVIAN thermal monitoring identified the sudden thermal spike from the battery failure on a moving conveyor. Even with debris and motion in the scene, the system isolated the event as a real fire threat.

Lithium-ion battery failures burn hot, spread quickly, and can ignite paper, plastic, rubber belts, and nearby material. In a recycling facility, a single battery event can move from belt to bunker if it is not caught immediately.

For recycling and waste facilities, hidden batteries are one of the hardest hazards to screen out manually. Early thermal detection gives operators a chance to stop the belt before fire reaches the main material stream.

The alarm shortened the time between battery failure and operator action. Instead of waiting for smoke, flame, or a downstream pile fire, the team could stop the line and contain the event at the conveyor.

If lithium battery fires are driving insurance, downtime, or suppression concerns at your facility, talk to AVIAN about conveyor and bunker monitoring.