Batteries and Chargers - training.nmhglifttrucks.comtraining.nmhglifttrucks.com/.../downloads/ynh013_batterieschargers.…• Explain basic battery construction and the different types

Batteries and Chargers

Copyright © 2009. Yale Materials Handling Corporation. For use by Yale Dealers and Employees only.

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Batteries and Chargers Location

TKC Module: Batteries and Chargers [Module ID: YNH013] Module Goal

By the end of this module, you will be able to: • Explain basic battery construction and the different types of batteries available

• Describe how work environment impacts battery and charger selection and performance

• Identify the information needed to effectively match a battery and charger to a customer application

Test

There is a 10 question test at the end of this module. You must score 90% correct to pass. Once passed, this module will be marked “completed” and moved to your transcripts.

Time

This module will take approximately 45 minutes to complete. Resources

Electronic copies of documents are available in the Resources folder on the New Hire Training page (Dealer Resource Site > Training > New Hire> Resources). You can open and save to your computer for future reference. • Case Study – NITCO-Clean Harbor (LP to Electric)

• Case Study – Del Monte Foods (LP to Electric)

• Case Study – CB Farms (LP to Electric and Opportunity Charging)

• Case Study – GM Spring Hill Plant (Fast Charging)

• HF Chargers Energy Study

• What is the Correct Battery?

• Flat Versus Tubular

• Battery Order Form (sample)


2 Copyright © 2009. Yale Materials Handling Corporation. For use by Yale Dealers and Employees only.

Introduction Batteries come in all shapes and sizes. Your understanding of basic battery construction and operation probably will not make or break a sale, but it is important to grasp some fundamentals and standard terminology so you are more confident fielding customer questions, reading sales literature, interpreting spec sheets, or simply speaking with your battery supplier.

What is a Battery? A battery is essentially a container full of chemicals that produces electrons. Most batteries have four basic components:

• electron donor

• electron acceptor

• electrolyte

• suitable container

Primary cell batteries, like a standard AA battery, get used up and properly discarded. Secondary cell batteries, like those in your car, can be recharged and reused. They will eventually break down, but it may take years.

Lead Acid Batteries

Lead acid batteries are a type of secondary cell batteries. Electric lift trucks use industrial lead acid batteries. Lead acid batteries contain plates with a porous red lead oxide paste suspended in an electrolyte solution of distilled water and sulfuric acid.



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Industrial Lead Acid Battery Industrial lead acid batteries are made up of multiple cells connected in series to form one big battery. The number and size of plates in each cell and the number of connected cells determine the battery’s overall power. Plates can be scaled up to very large sizes providing for higher currents and higher capacities.

This industrial lead acid battery contains 18 cells connected together in a series. Each cell is approximately two (2) volts. So this would be a 36 volt battery.

Reading the Battery Model

Every battery is rated with important clues to its voltage and capacity. Battery rating information is usually provided in coded form on a sticker on the side of the battery case or stamped into the connector under the cap of the first negative terminal. Let us look at a sample battery rating: 18-125-17

18 = number of cells in battery 125 = amp hours per positive plate 17 = plates per cell



If you know the battery rating you can determine the voltage, amp hour capacity, and watts using simple calculations.

Let’s use the sample battery rating 18-125-17

to work these calculations.

Voltage Knowing the voltage is important to correctly match the battery to both the lift truck and charger. You can increase the voltage of a battery by increasing the number of cells. Each cell in a lead acid battery has a standard voltage of approximately 2 volts. So the overall voltage of a battery is equal to the number of cells times 2 volts per cell.

number of cells x 2 volts 18 x 2 volts = 36 volts

Amp Hours The electrical capacity of a lead acid battery is usually expressed in ampere hours or amp hours, sometimes shown as AH. Amp-hour capacity is the size and limit of the available electrical energy a battery can store and deliver to power the motor. The larger the plates or the greater the number of plates per cell, the greater the amp hour rating.

number of positive plates x amp hour rating per positive plate 8 positive plates* x 125 amp hours per positive plate = 1000 amp hours

*There is always one more negative plate than positive plate so a battery with 17 plates would have 8 positive and 9 negative plates.

Watts Another important electrical component is wattage or watts. Watts are really a measure of power. You can calculate watts by multiplying the number of volts in a battery times the total amp hours. Using the totals we previously calculated we can figure out watts and kilowatts (kW).

number of volts x total amp hours

36 volts x 1000 = 36,000 watts or 36 kilowatts (kW)



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Matching the Battery to the Lift Truck When matching a battery to a lift truck you are basically matching up three things: • will it physically fit the truck

• will it meet the minimum battery weight requirement

• will it fit the application

Will It Physically Fit the Truck? Each electric lift truck is designed with a battery compartment. Although spacers are used to hold the battery in position, the selected battery should not move more than ½” in any direction. Use the price book to check the size the of the battery compartment and determine the recommended battery size for each truck model. Measurements Batteries are measured by length, width, and height. These measurements are usually denoted as X (length), Y (width), and Z (height).

Calculate the volts, amp hours, and kilowatts for each of the following battery ratings

Volts Amp Hours Kilowatts

18 – 155 - 17

12 – 125 - 13

12 – 75 - 7

PR

AC

TIC

E



Lead Position and Cable Length Lead position is the location of the battery cable used to connect the battery to the lift truck. Think of it like where your gas tank is on your car. On a battery there are four possible lead positions designated as A, B, C, and D. Cable length, or lead length, is measured in inches and refers to the length of the cable connecting the battery to the truck connector.

Covers, Connectors, and Rollers In addition to length, width, and height there are other specifications that can impact the how a battery will fit in the battery compartment: covers, connectors, and rollers or slides.

Covers

Connectors

Rollers and Slides



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Will It Meet the Minimum Battery Weight? The battery is part of the counterweight of an electric truck, so the weight of the battery has a direct relationship to the capacity rating of the truck. An underweight battery can dangerously reduce the lifting capacity.

In this sample Price Book page you can easily find recommended battery specifications including battery size (both in terms of physical dimensions and capacity), minimum weight and weight range, cover requirements, and actual battery compartment dimensions. You should now be able to understand and interpret this basic battery information.



Will It Fit the Application? Fitting an application has less to do with the battery’s physical size as it does with the battery’s capacity. Battery capacity for a specific application should be based on the size of the lift truck, attachments, and type of work.

Plate Design There are two basic plate designs for industrial lead acid batteries: flat and tubular. Each produces different power levels (battery capacity). Understanding these different designs will help you match the right battery to the right application. Different designs (flat, tubular, or VRLA) and different plate sizes within the cell of a battery mean that batteries with the same external dimensions might offer very different power levels.

Flat

Tubular

VRLA (Valve Regulated Lead Acid)


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Battery Capacity When it come to batteries, bigger – in terms of power - is not always better. The application should drive the selection. There are key questions you need to ask to ensure you provide the customer with the best battery and charger solution.

Temperature Factor

Lead acid batteries are designed and rated to operate at an average temperature of 77°F for 6 hours. Any deviation from this standard will affect battery performance.

What is the right capacity for the application? Preferably one that provides sufficient capacity to complete the required work in the required period of time. Think of a 36-volt battery like a V6 engine and a 48-volt battery like a V8 engine. The 36-volt might not go as fast or lift as fast as the 48-volt, but it will last longer. The 48-volt might give you great speed on long runs, but discharge faster. So if you’re specing a battery for a 3-wheel sit that does short runs, lifts packs of toilet paper on low level racking, a 36-volt would be fine. If that same 3-wheel sit was making long runs up ramps and lifting bags of kitty litter, it may need the power and speed of a 48-volt battery. Another good example is a walkie pallet jack. There would be no need to have a powerful 48-volt battery in a piece of equipment that can only go as fast as a person can walk and only lifts about four inches off the ground.

Think about a specific customer What questions would you ask based on their operations that might impact the type or size of the battery you would recommend?



Chargers Chargers, like lift trucks and batteries, are application driven. You have to understand the customer’s operations, truck fleet, battery inventory, and facility to find the charger technology that will work best for their operation. Charging a battery is equivalent to filling a gas tank. When all the useable energy stored in a battery has been used, the battery is fully discharged - the tank is empty. To get more work out of it you must recharge it to restore its supply of energy - fill the tank.

Voltage and Depth of Discharge A battery is only as good as its last charge. The ideal charger is powerful enough to charge a battery to 100% capacity in 8 hours. Chargers are voltage specific, however, multi-voltage and multi-amp-hour chargers are available that can charge almost any battery.

Single Shift and Multi-Shift Operations Understanding how the lift truck will be used - number of shifts, hours per shift, and workload – is vital to determining battery and charger selection.

Most forklift batteries should not be discharged more than 80%, usually referred to as 80% depth of discharge, or 80% DOD.



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Charger Types Chargers come in different types with varying levels of complexity and features. Although the two most common charger technologies are Ferro-resonant and SCR (silicon controlled rectifiers), there are emerging HF (High Frequency), Opportunity, and Fast charging technologies available. Ferro-resonant (Ferro)

SCR (Silicon Controlled Rectifiers)

High Frequency

Opportunity and Fast Chargers



SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT The hidden costs of battery charging It takes more than just electricity to charge a battery. If the customer removes the battery from the forklift to charge it, that can mean investing in special battery handling equipment. It takes trained personnel to safely handle and maintain the batteries. There may be a dedicated charging area which means the use of valuable floor space. Safety issues related to both the personnel handling the batteries and the traffic of trucks moving from work areas to battery maintenance areas might be considered. All these potentially impact a customer’s bottom line. When devising and evaluating strategies for increasing productivity and decreasing costs, it is important to consider every aspect of a potential solution. For example, below is a quick calculation showing manpower costs for battery removal over a five year period. This type of ROI study can help demonstrate your understanding of the customer’s operations and your commitment to finding the best solution for their goals.

Typical manpower costs of battery changing

Facility operates 250 days a year There are 3 battery changes a day

250 days x 3 changes per day

750 changes per year

It takes about 15 minutes to change a battery at an average salary of $20 an hour, or $5 per change.

750 changes per year x $5 per change $3,750 per year

$3, 750 per year x 5 years

Total cost over 5 years $18,750



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Customer Facility

Another consideration when recommending a charger is the electrical supply coming into the customer’s facility, specifically the phase, voltage, and wire and breaker size.

Phase Power coming into a customer’s facility can be either single-phase (1∅) or three-phase (3∅), depending on power distribution and wiring within the facility.

Voltage When recommending a charger system or replacing batteries you will have to know input voltage. Keep in mind that voltage might vary within a facility.



Recycling Lead acid battery recycling is one of the most successful recycling programs in the world. Parts of the lead acid batteries can be recycled by authorized recycling facilities. The typical new lead acid battery is made from 60-80% recycled materials.

In the United States 97% of all battery lead was recycled between 1997 and 2001, compared to 55% of aluminum soft drink and beer cans, 45% of newspapers, 26% of glass bottles and 26% of tires.

Next Steps

Batteries and chargers are complex. You are not expected to be an expert. Your job as a salesperson is to ask the right questions and do the homework to ensure you provide the best solution to meet your customer’s goals. Over the next few weeks you will visit customer locations and learn more about batteries and chargers in specific applications. You should also have a chance to meet and develop a relationship with your Dealership’s preferred battery representative. Under the RESOURCES tab above and on the RESOURCES page on the New Hire homepage (Yale Dealer Resource Site > Training > New Hire > Resources), there are a series of case studies and documents that provide additional information on batteries and chargers and explore some of the customer benefits of the right battery and charging technology.

Documents

Batteries and Chargers - training.nmhglifttrucks.comtraining.nmhglifttrucks.com/.../downloads/ynh013_batterieschargers.…• Explain basic battery construction and the different types