-How to choose a good lithium battery for forklifts

How to choose a good lithium battery for forklifts
author:enerbyte source:本站 click492 Release date: 2024-02-26 16:26:22
abstract:
Lithium batteries, as a new generation of high-performance batteries, have appeared in people's vision for more than ten years. Among them, large capacity and high-power lithium batteries have been used in the electric forklift industry for three to four years. Due to the fact that lithium batte...

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Lithium batteries, as a new generation of high-performance batteries, have appeared in people's vision for more than ten years. Among them, large capacity and high-power lithium batteries have been used in the electric forklift industry for three to four years. Due to the fact that lithium batteries are different from lead-acid batteries in that they can be used with simple connections, but require assembly, installation of intelligent management and protection controllers, and the production of a complete lithium battery outer box before use, they belong to a typical segmented customization market.

At present, there are not many lithium battery packs available for forklifts in the market, and the industry does not have a deep understanding of this. Most users are still in the stage of observation or trial. In this regard, we would like to provide some suggestions for the application selection of forklift lithium battery packs:

1) Choosing a battery is like buying a car or choosing a horse. Good cars and good horses need to be tested before they can be selected. 

Only in a heavy-duty environment (where the weight of the goods is basically equal to the nominal lifting weight of the forklift), and when using at least 2 shifts per day (16 hours of continuous cycle operation, commonly known as continuous operation without stopping), if the battery consistency is still very good after 2 years (the deviation between the highest voltage value and the lowest value of each battery is within 30 millivolts), you can be considered to have chosen the right forklift lithium battery.

2) The first choice for forklift lithium batteries is to choose the brand of lithium battery cells. 

There are currently about 600 lithium battery factories of different sizes in China, with varying production scales, quality processes, and customer markets; Generally speaking, the higher the level of automation, the stricter the selection channels for raw materials (electrolyte, separator, positive and negative electrode materials, etc.), the larger the production scale, and the better the quality of its lithium battery cells; Taking lithium iron phosphate batteries as an example, China is currently the world's largest producer of lithium iron phosphate batteries. It is a well-known brand of lithium batteries with a large number of export applications and a production scale and capacity that is dozens of times that of many small domestic lithium battery factories. The production process is strict, and it basically achieves fully automated closed dust-free production, so the quality is reliable.

3) The consistency of battery grouping is crucial. 

With a good battery cell, the consistency of its capacity, internal resistance, voltage and other parameters directly affects the lifespan and discharge capacity of the battery. It is recommended to choose a voltage deviation between battery cells within 20mV; Frequently used vehicles should choose battery cells with a voltage deviation of less than 10mV; (This indicator can be observed on the display of the lithium battery management controller, based on the parameters when the battery is stationary (non charging, non discharging) as the standard); The higher the consistency of the battery, the more evenly the capacity shared by its cells, the more stable the output of each cell, the longer the battery life, and the more stable the capacity. This will prevent the phenomenon of a new battery decaying after 1-2 years of use.

4) The selection of a lithium battery protection and management controller - BMS is also crucial; 

Lithium batteries belong to active material batteries, and their internal resistance is very small, about one tenth of that of lead-acid batteries. Therefore, various working conditions that endanger battery performance, such as overcharging, over discharging, high and low temperatures, impulse currents, short circuits, etc., need to be monitored in real time to cut off the source of danger in a timely manner. A good lithium battery protection and management controller is equivalent to adding intelligent protective armor to the lithium battery. When it is affected by external hazards, the BMS can respond to the main circuit of the battery in microseconds to ensure the safety of the battery and personal property; Meanwhile, it is recommended to choose a BMS with a full-time active balancing circuit to ensure that the battery can be promptly recharged or discharged by the balancing circuit in case of inconsistency after long-term use. This can effectively extend the battery life by at least 30%.

5) The safety design of battery packs is a part that everyone is very concerned about but differs the most.

 The safety protection of lithium battery packs is divided into four stages. The protection from inside the battery pack to outside includes cell protection safety valve, inter cell short circuit protection circuit, fuse melting protection, and BMS main circuit on/off protection; Among them, the safety valve for battery cell protection is the most important protective barrier inside the battery cell, and it is not one of them. The safety valves of large lithium-ion battery cell factories are much better in design and inspection than those of small lithium-ion battery factories, just like the airbags of cars, showing their skills at critical moments; Short circuit protection between battery cells is something that many Pack factories overlook or cannot achieve. And this protection is crucial for short circuits between battery cells caused by external device failures, which is equivalent to placing many fire hydrants directly in the battery cells. This function requires good electronic circuit technology and a lot of material costs, so it will be selectively ignored by most industry manufacturers; The fuse blown protection is a well-known device, but even this device is difficult to see on lead-acid batteries; BMS main circuit protection is one of the most basic functions of BMS. The protection method is to cut off the relay or MOSFET static power electronic switch connected in series to the main circuit of the battery for power-off protection. Both of these methods can effectively cut off the main circuit of the battery. The difference is that when the relay passes through a large DC current, the disconnection relies on the force of the mechanical spring. After multiple uses, it is easy to produce cutting force or node arcing, which cannot be cut off; The MOSFET static power electronic switch and the IGBT motor switch on forklifts are different branches of the same technology. They have fast switching speed and can be switched frequently. Due to the use of electronic technology, they have no mechanical lifespan limitations, are compact in size, and operate much faster than traditional mechanical relays. At present, mechanical relays are the main choice for most BMS main circuit components due to their simple development. With the advancement of technology, many manufacturers have ventured into using high-power MOSFET static electronic switches as main circuit components, and have achieved good application results in forklift applications. This should be a development trend for future main circuit components.

6) Box design. 

Lithium battery boxes are compact and aesthetically pleasing compared to lead-acid battery boxes due to their small battery cell size, but each has its own advantages in terms of heat dissipation, waterproofing, collision prevention, and cold resistance. Our country has a vast territory, and the application environment of forklifts varies greatly. It is reasonable to choose a battery box that is suitable for your working conditions and tailor it accordingly.

7) The selection of lithium battery cell types. 

At present, the mainstream lithium battery cell for forklifts in the market is LiFePO4, a lithium iron phosphate battery cell. Due to its stable nested structure, strong safety, and multiple cycles, it is the preferred battery for forklifts in the industry; Ternary polymer lithium batteries have a significant price advantage due to their higher energy density compared to lithium iron phosphate. Therefore, customers who have strict cost considerations will choose ternary lithium batteries. However, the cycle life of ternary lithium batteries is generally only 1/3 to 1/2 of that of lithium iron phosphate, and they are relatively unstable during short circuits or punctures. It is recommended that everyone carefully consider this; At present, there are new types of lithium battery cells such as lithium titanate on the market, which have good low-temperature resistance, but there is still room for development in terms of capacity density, safety, and operating costs. Users can choose the most suitable lithium battery matching solution based on multiple factors such as actual working conditions, operating frequency, cost budget, etc.

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