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In the field of modern logistics warehousing and industrial production, forklift trucks are the core equipment for material handling, and high-frequency heavy duty operations have become the norm. As the "power heart" of forklift truck, lead-acid battery is directly related to the production efficiency and operation cost. It is of great significance to explore the countermeasures to ensure the efficient operation of forklift trucks.

## High frequency heavy duty operation challenge to lead-acid batteries

High-frequency heavy duty operation means that forklifts need to start, accelerate, brake frequently, and carry heavy loads for a long time, which puts strict requirements on lead-acid batteries. From the perspective of current demand, the instantaneous current of the forklift can reach hundreds of amps, and frequent starting makes the battery face a large current impact and accelerates the aging of the plate. When the heavy load is driven, the battery needs to continue to output high current, resulting in increased loss of plate active substances, which affects the battery capacity and service life.

At the same time, the battery charge and discharge cycles are frequent under high-frequency operation. Each time the lead-acid battery undergoes a charge and discharge, the lead sulfate crystal on the plate will undergo a generation and transformation process. The frequent cycle makes the lead sulfate crystal gradually larger and harder, which is difficult to be completely converted into active substances, resulting in plate vulcanization, increased internal resistance, and decreased battery performance. In addition, long-term high-load work generates a lot of heat, if it is not distributed in time, it will accelerate the evaporation of electrolyte water, affect the chemical reaction inside the battery, and even cause thermal runaway, endangering the safety of the battery.

## Coping strategies

(1) Optimize battery design

1. ** Plate material and structure improvement ** : The development of new plate materials, such as the use of high purity lead calcium alloy, improve the corrosion resistance and conductivity of the plate, reduce the plate loss during high current charge and discharge. Optimize the plate structure, increase the surface area of the plate, improve the contact area between the active substance and the electrolyte, so as to improve the charge and discharge efficiency of the battery, and enhance its ability to cope with high frequency and large current impact. For example, some advanced lead-acid batteries use ultra-thin plates and tight assembly technology to increase the number of plates in a limited space, greatly increasing the power density of the battery to meet the high power requirements of high frequency heavy duty operations of forklifts.

2. ** Electrolyte formula upgrade ** : Improve the electrolyte formula, add special additives, enhance the ionic conductivity of the electrolyte, reduce the internal resistance of the battery, and improve the performance of the battery under high current discharge. At the same time, adjust the concentration and specific gravity of the electrolyte, so that it can maintain good electrochemical performance at different temperatures and charging and discharging states. For example, for the high-temperature working environment, the development of high boiling point, low volatility of the electrolyte, reduce water evaporation, maintain the battery internal chemical balance, extend the battery life.

(2) Innovative charging technology

1. ** Intelligent charge Management System ** : The intelligent charge management system is introduced to monitor the battery voltage, current, temperature and other parameters in real time, and dynamically adjust the charging current and voltage according to the actual state of the battery. In the initial charging stage of the battery, a large current is used to quickly replenish the power to improve the charging efficiency; As the battery is close to saturation, the charging current is automatically reduced to prevent overcharging and avoid plate damage. For example, some advanced charging equipment can automatically generate a personalized charging curve according to the remaining capacity and health status of the battery, ensuring that the battery is charged in the best state under the premise of safety, effectively reducing the charging time and extending the battery life.

2. ** Fast charging technology ** : Research and development of fast charging technology to shorten battery charging time to meet the needs of high frequency operation of forklift trucks to quickly replenish energy. By optimizing the charging circuit and using a special charging algorithm, the charging power is greatly increased without damaging the battery. For example, some of the new fast chargers can charge the battery to more than 80% in a short period of time, enabling the forklift to quickly enter the next round of operation, significantly improving operational efficiency. At the same time, in order to prevent the battery from overheating during the rapid charging process, it is equipped with an efficient cooling system to ensure that the battery temperature is always within the safe range.

(3) Strengthen battery maintenance

1. ** Regular in-depth inspection ** : Establish a strict regular in-depth inspection system for batteries. In addition to routine items such as daily inspection of battery appearance and electrolyte level, regular in-depth inspections such as capacity testing and internal resistance detection are carried out on batteries. Through professional equipment to detect the degree of vulcanization of the battery plate, the loss of active substances, etc., timely find potential problems, and take appropriate measures to repair or replace. For example, a comprehensive capacity test of lead-acid batteries for forklift trucks is conducted every quarter to assess the health status of the batteries according to the test results. If the capacity of the batteries decreases significantly, repair or replace them in time to avoid the impact of battery faults on the work progress.

2. ** Reasonable maintenance measures ** : During daily maintenance, keep the battery surface clean to prevent the accumulation of impurities such as dust and acid, which will affect the heat dissipation and insulation performance of the battery. Periodically check the battery connection parts to ensure that the connection is firm, to avoid poor contact resulting in increased resistance and extra heat. At the same time, according to the operating environment and battery use, the electrolyte level and specific gravity are reasonably adjusted. In the high temperature season, the electrolyte level should be appropriately increased to prevent excessive water evaporation; In low temperature environment, the electrolyte specific gravity is adjusted to improve the low temperature performance of the battery. In addition, pay attention to the storage environment of the battery, avoid being in a state of high temperature, humidity or excessive discharge for a long time, and extend the service life of the battery.

## Case study

A large logistics and warehousing center has hundreds of forklifts with high operation intensity, and the operation time of forklifts is more than 10 hours a day, and most of them are heavy load handling goods. In the past, when ordinary lead-acid batteries were used, the battery life was short and frequent failures occurred, which not only affected the efficiency of the operation, but also increased a lot of maintenance and replacement costs.

To solve this problem, the storage center introduced lead-acid batteries with new pad materials and an intelligent charge management system. After a period of use, the effect is remarkable. Battery life has been extended by nearly 50%, from an average replacement every six months to more than nine months. At the same time, the charging time is greatly shortened, and the single charging time is reduced from the original 8 hours to less than 6 hours, which improves the use efficiency of the forklift. In terms of maintenance, the intelligent charge management system can monitor the status of the battery in real time, detect and warn potential problems in time, reduce the downtime caused by battery failure, and reduce maintenance costs.

In the high frequency and heavy duty operation environment, the comprehensive measures such as optimizing battery design, innovative charging technology and strengthening battery maintenance can effectively improve the performance and service life of the forklift lead-acid battery, and meet the needs of efficient operation of the forklift truck. In practical applications, enterprises should choose the appropriate battery products and maintenance programs according to their own operation characteristics, so as to achieve efficient and stable operation of forklift operations and reduce operating costs.