As online food ordering continues to expand, together with increased food demand from the growing population, the need for cold storage space is rapidly increasing and driving the expansion of cold storage facilities.
Lithium-ion battery technology has proven to be a very low-maintenance, versatile, and powerful alternative to traditional industrial power sources like lead-acid batteries or internal combustion engines.
One important thing to keep in mind when using lithium-ion batteries is the temperature, both internal and external. Batteries can perform effectively in specific operating temperatures making it crucial to understand how the battery can operate in hot or cold environments.
While lithium-ion batteries can operate in a much wider temperature range compared to lead-acid batteries, extremely high or low temperatures will have an impact on lithium-ion battery performance.
Cold storage facilities present challenges to the standard material handling fleet because it can be difficult to find an energy source that will perform well in low temperatures and provide flexibility for charging locations. Based on product variances, the average temperatures in cold storage facilities usually range between 3° C and -20° C. In this type of environment, forklifts, pallet jacks, and AGV's have a hard time meeting performance expectations. In these extreme conditions, a material handling fleet utilizing a lead-acid energy source can suffer dramatically. Lead-acid batteries have the potential to freeze at low temperatures causing irreparable damage to the cells. Depending on the state of charge, lead-acid batteries may not provide peak performance and capacity will quickly diminish.
In general, lithium-ion batteries can be discharged in temperatures as low as -4°F, but their energy density and capacity can be decreased at extremely low temperatures.
At very low temperatures, the ions move slower through the electrolytes, resulting in a reduction of capacity.
Additionally, low temperatures cause the charge transfer velocity to decrease, which can make it difficult to charge a battery. The lowest charging temperature of a lithium-ion battery is 32°F.
If a battery is charged in freezing temperatures, it can cause permanent solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) buildup on the anode, creating irreversible damage to the battery.
Lithium-ion battery manufacturers have been able to get around the cold temperature limitations through special cold temperature-specific battery design. A battery can be designed with heaters that can keep the pack at its optimal temperature throughout the shift. This makes lithium-ion one of the best choices for cold storage warehouses and other cold temperature applications.
Luckily, some lithium-ion battery manufacturers offer forklift battery pack heater options specifically designed for colder temperatures, so you can reap all the benefits of lithium technology without having to worry about degradation.
This is controlled by the battery management system that measures the battery’s internal temperature and adjusts accordingly. By integrating a heater into the battery pack, lithium-ion batteries can stay at their controlled temperature without battery degradation. This way, the batteries can last in the freezer when in use, for an entire shift.
As lithium-ion batteries become more accessible and the technology continues to evolve, they have been able to find success in the cold storage warehouse. Lithium-ion batteries have transformed operations for many cold chain managers with their ability to opportunity charge and their performance monitoring BMS.
In general, lithium-ion batteries can be charged in an environment up to 113°F and discharged in temperatures as high as 140°F.
The thing to be cautious about when it comes to preventing high-temperature effects is that even though the external environment might be cool enough, the battery can still heat up internally when the current is high.
Exposure to extremely high temperatures can cause cathode electrolyte oxidation, resulting in the loss of battery capacity. High temperatures can:
Increase the battery’s internal resistance, which results in a loss of power
Speed up the aging process of a battery, leading to faster degradation
If batteries are mishandled or manufactured incorrectly, high temperatures can even lead to thermal runaway, which is one of the main safety risks associated with lithium-ion batteries.
Lithium iron phosphate battery chemistry is the best choice for industrial applications because it can operate in a wide temperature range. Not only can it withstand elevated temperatures, but its thermal runaway temperature is much higher than other types of lithium-ion chemistries, like lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (NMC) chemistries.
A well-designed battery has overheating protection programmed as a basic safety feature of its BMS.
Not all lithium-ion batteries are created equal. Lithium iron phosphate batteries have a thermal runaway of 518°F, which is one of the highest, allowing the battery to have a high margin of safety and stability, even when exposed to extreme temperatures.
Lithium-ion battery technology has proven to be a very versatile alternative to lead-acid and internal combustion power sources. Because of their wide operating temperature range, it makes lithium-ion batteries one of the best choices for material handling equipment in cold storage warehouses.
BSLBATT's Lithium traction battery manufacturers provide the power to perform consistently and efficiently in cold environments. BSLBATT's Lithium traction battery choice of Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) was selected for its excellent cold temperature performance, along with its high cycle life and safe operation. The zero-maintenance LFP allows for flexible equipment storage, without the need for watering or acid residue cleaning typical of lead-acid batteries. When combined with internal heaters, these systems offer superior performance in even the coldest, harshest facilities. The proven industrial battery solutions have minimum charging and discharging temperatures of -15° C. The internal heater system is designed to operate during the overnight charging either in the facility or directly in the trucks. When the battery temperature is lowered, the intelligent BSLBATT control system enables the heaters to prevent the battery temperature from reaching a point too low to charge and prevent cell damage. This flexible charging platform provides cost, efficiency, and space savings - employees do not have to relocate the equipment to a specific charging area each night whereas the option to charge the batteries in the truck frees up valuable facility space that can be utilized for additional product storage.
BSLBATT's Lithium traction battery manufacturer's advances in cold storage power demonstrate our team's experience, ingenuity, and commitment to providing innovative and efficient power solutions to support our customers' evolving market demands.
For more information about BSLBATT's Lithium traction battery for cold storage facilities, email us or call +86 (752) 2819-469.
