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Introduction

In the field of modern logistics and industrial production, forklifts, as key material handling equipment, are being used more and more frequently. Especially against the backdrop of the vigorous development of e-commerce logistics and the continuous expansion of warehousing scale, forklifts often need to operate continuously under high-intensity and high-frequency working conditions. Lead-acid batteries, due to their mature technology, relatively low cost and certain high-rate discharge performance, have become one of the mainstream choices for forklift power sources. However, the frequent use of forklifts poses severe challenges to the performance, lifespan and reliability of lead-acid batteries. How to make lead-acid batteries effectively cope with the high-frequency use of forklifts, ensure the efficient and stable operation of forklifts, and reduce operating costs has become an important issue that needs to be urgently solved in the industry. An in-depth exploration of this topic is of great practical significance for improving the operational efficiency of forklifts, prolonging the service life of lead-acid batteries, and promoting the sustainable development of logistics and industrial production.

The frequent use of forklifts poses challenges to lead-acid batteries

Frequent charging and discharging cause sulfation of the plates

In high-frequency usage scenarios, forklift lead-acid batteries frequently undergo charging and discharging processes. When the battery discharges, lead dioxide on the positive plate and lead on the negative plate will react with sulfuric acid in the electrolyte to form lead sulfate. Under normal circumstances, the charging process can reconvert lead sulfate into lead dioxide and lead. However, frequent charging and discharging will prevent lead sulfate from being completely transformed in time. Some of the lead sulfate crystallizes on the plates, forming coarse and insoluble lead sulfate crystals, which is the sulfation phenomenon of the plates. Sulfation of the plates can lead to clogging of the plate pores, making it difficult for the electrolyte to penetrate, thereby increasing the internal resistance of the battery, reducing the charging and discharging efficiency, and gradually decreasing the battery capacity. For instance, in some large logistics warehouses, forklifts work for more than 8 hours a day, frequently charging and discharging. After half a year of use, some lead-acid batteries show obvious sulfation of the plates, and the battery capacity drops to about 80% of the initial capacity, seriously affecting the forklift's endurance and operational efficiency.

Insufficient charging time and non-standard charging

The frequent use of forklifts makes their charging time relatively tight. To meet the operational requirements, the battery is often put back into use before it is fully charged. This insufficient charging situation will prevent the active substances inside the battery from being fully restored. Long-term accumulation will accelerate the aging of the battery. Meanwhile, there are still many non-standard operations during the charging process, such as using mismatched chargers, improper Settings of charging voltage and current, etc. Charging with a charger that has a voltage higher than the specified one will cause overly intense chemical reactions inside the battery, generating a large amount of gas and heat, leading to water loss in the electrolyte, deformation of the plates, and shortening the battery's lifespan. According to statistics, lead-acid battery failures caused by insufficient charging time and non-standard charging account for more than 30% in the high-frequency usage conditions of forklifts.

The loss of electrolyte intensifies

During the charging and discharging process of frequently used forklift lead-acid batteries, due to electrochemical reactions and temperature rise, the water in the electrolyte will continuously evaporate and electrolyze. When a battery is charging, water is electrolyzed into hydrogen and oxygen and escapes. During discharging, as the battery temperature rises, the evaporation rate of water increases. If the water in the electrolyte cannot be replenished in time, the density of the electrolyte will gradually increase. This will not only accelerate the corrosion of the plates but also affect the electrochemical reaction efficiency of the battery and reduce its performance. For forklifts operating in some high-temperature environments, due to the accelerated loss of electrolyte, distilled water needs to be replenished every 2 to 3 days; otherwise, the battery capacity will decline rapidly, and even the plates may dry up and get damaged.

The problem of battery overheating is prominent

When forklifts are used frequently, lead-acid batteries continuously discharge at high currents, and the heat generated by the internal resistance increases. Meanwhile, the efficiency of converting electrical energy into chemical energy during the charging process is not 100%, and part of the electrical energy will be lost in the form of heat energy. If the heat dissipation conditions are poor, the battery temperature will rise rapidly. Excessively high temperatures will accelerate the chemical reactions inside the battery, causing the electrolyte to dry up and the active substances on the plates to fall off, seriously affecting the battery's lifespan. In some logistics centers where forklifts operate intensively, due to limited ventilation and heat dissipation conditions, during the hot summer period, the temperature of some lead-acid batteries often exceeds 50℃, resulting in a 20% to 30% reduction in battery life.

Strategies for dealing with the frequent use of forklifts

Optimize charging management

Adopting intelligent charging technology: The intelligent charger can automatically adjust the charging voltage and current based on the real-time status of the lead-acid battery, such as voltage, current, temperature, remaining capacity and other parameters, to achieve the best charging curve. At the initial stage of charging, charge quickly with a large current to shorten the charging time. When the battery is nearly fully charged, the charging current is automatically reduced to prevent overcharging. Some advanced smart chargers also have a fault diagnosis function, which can promptly detect potential problems with the battery and issue an alarm. After adopting intelligent charging technology, the charging time can be shortened by 10% to 20%, while the battery life can be extended by 15% to 20%.

Implement equalization charging: For lead-acid batteries used in groups, due to individual differences among each battery, some batteries may experience undercharging or overcharging during the charging and discharging process. Long-term accumulation will lead to a decline in the overall performance of the battery pack. Equalization charging can regularly perform special charging on battery packs, enabling each battery to reach a fully charged state and eliminating the imbalance among batteries. Generally, a balanced charge of the forklift lead-acid battery pack is carried out every 1 to 2 weeks, which can effectively improve the consistency and overall performance of the battery pack and extend its service life by 10% to 15%.

Arrange charging time reasonably: According to the operation plan of the forklift, formulate a scientific charging schedule. Try to avoid charging the battery when its power is too low. Instead, arrange charging when the remaining power is around 30% to 40% to reduce the damage caused by deep discharge to the battery. At the same time, take advantage of the forklift's rest breaks, such as the lunch break at noon or shift changes, to conduct a short period of rapid charging to replenish some of the battery power, ensuring that the forklift has sufficient power for subsequent operations. By reasonably arranging the charging time, the effective operation time of forklifts can be increased by 10% to 15%.

Strengthen battery maintenance and care

Regularly check the electrolyte: Check the electrolyte level of lead-acid batteries at least once a week to ensure it is within the standard range. If the liquid level is too low, distilled water should be added in time. It is strictly forbidden to use tap water, as impurities in tap water will contaminate the electrolyte and affect the battery performance. Regularly test the density of the electrolyte. Adjust the density of the electrolyte to an appropriate range according to different seasons and usage environments. Generally, it is 1.26-1.28g/cm³ in summer and 1.28g/cm³ in winter. Regular inspection and adjustment of the electrolyte can keep the battery performance stable and extend the battery's service life by 10% to 15%.

Clean the battery surface: Regularly wipe the battery surface with a damp cloth to remove dust, dirt and electrolyte spills. Keeping the battery surface clean can prevent the corrosion of the battery terminals, reduce the self-discharge rate of the battery and improve the reliability of the battery. Especially in a dusty working environment, the cleaning frequency should be increased even more, at least 2 to 3 times a week.

Monitor battery status: By using professional battery monitoring equipment, the voltage, current, temperature, internal resistance and other parameters of lead-acid batteries can be monitored in real time to promptly detect any abnormal conditions of the batteries. By analyzing these parameters, the remaining lifespan of the battery can be predicted, and battery maintenance or replacement can be arranged in advance to avoid forklift shutdowns due to sudden battery failures, which could affect production operations. For instance, when the internal resistance of a battery increases significantly, it indicates that the battery may have problems such as sulfation of the plates or poor internal connections, and timely maintenance is required.

High-performance lead-acid batteries are selected

Select high-quality plate materials: High-performance lead-acid batteries typically use lead with higher purity as the plate material, such as 1# electrolytic lead, which can effectively reduce the self-discharge rate. The positive grid is formed by die-casting with enhanced multi-element low-antimony corrosion-resistant alloy, featuring low internal resistance and high-rate discharge performance. It can reduce sulfation and corrosion of the plates and extend the battery's service life. Compared with ordinary lead-acid batteries, batteries made of high-quality plate materials can increase the number of charge and discharge cycles by 20% to 30%.

Adopt advanced battery design: Some new types of lead-acid batteries have adopted innovative designs, such as using tight assembly technology to reduce the shaking of the plates during charging and discharging and lower the risk of active material shedding. Optimize the internal structure of the battery, improve the circulation efficiency of the electrolyte, and enhance the heat dissipation performance of the battery. These advanced designs can make the battery perform more stably and have a longer lifespan under high-frequency usage conditions.

Consider matching the battery capacity with the forklift's working conditions: Based on the actual operation intensity and usage scenarios of the forklift, select the battery capacity reasonably. For forklifts that frequently handle heavy objects and operate for long periods, large-capacity batteries should be selected to ensure an adequate power supply. For forklifts with light loads and short operating hours, choose batteries of appropriate capacity to avoid cost waste caused by excessive configuration. At the same time, pay attention to the discharge rate of the battery to ensure that it can meet the high-current discharge requirements of the forklift during start-up, acceleration and other moments.

Conclusion

Under the current situation of frequent use of forklifts, lead-acid batteries are confronted with numerous challenges, such as sulfation of the plates, charging issues, electrolyte loss and overheating. By optimizing charging management, adopting intelligent charging technology, implementing balanced charging and reasonably arranging charging time; Strengthen battery maintenance and care, regularly inspect the electrolyte, clean the battery surface and monitor the battery status; Select high-performance lead-acid batteries, pay attention to the material of the plates and battery design, and ensure that the battery capacity matches the working conditions of the forklift. The comprehensive application of a series of strategies, such as improving the usage environment, controlling the working temperature and maintaining the cleanliness of the operation site, can effectively enhance the ability of lead-acid batteries to cope with the high-frequency use of forklifts. From actual cases, these measures have achieved remarkable results, extending the battery life, reducing the failure rate, improving the operational efficiency and reliability of forklifts, and bringing considerable economic benefits to enterprises. In the future, with the continuous advancement of technology, lead-acid batteries are expected to be further optimized in dealing with the high-frequency use of forklifts. At the same time, it is also necessary to keep an eye on the development of new technologies to provide more options for the upgrade of forklift power systems.