A typical paper roll may be loaded, transported, and unloaded 4-16 times on the way from the paper mill to the printing machine. All stages of this transport chain require dedicated, powerful handling equipment working with minimum downtime and operating costs.

Newsprint, coated stock, craft, or linerboard – the high-volume, uninterrupted handling of paper rolls, pulp, and scrap bales require powerful equipment. The power source often needs to be so tough and reliable, you can run it non-stop.

Until recently Class I and II lift trucks and AGVs that employ tilting and rotating attachments were powered mainly by LPG internal combustion engines or lead-acid electric. Both have their own set of problems but the three major problems were common: runtime, high energy costs, and pollution.

Solution

Lithium-ion batteries are better suited to meet the needs of the paper industry three-shift-a-day operations in the stevedoring, mill, warehousing, shipboard, transporting operations, or harsh recycling applications. Clean and safe Lithium batteries are powerful enough to support the most demanding applications, increase runtime, and reduce energy costs.

OneCharge Lithium Batteries are designed and built for tough applications and offer a high level of expertise in paper handling. We helped our customers to switch from LPG to electric or from lead-acid to Lithium-ion batteries to successfully move paper rolls and bales through the supply chain. OneCharge batteries support the handling of large size rolls in paper mills, printing, and converting houses.

Our customers get rid of the acrid smell, acid spills, exhaust gases, and noise pollution created by LPG engines or lead-acid powered electric trucks.

Where sanitary handling is a mandate, like in paper converting and packaging, including food packaging, the safety and zero daily maintenance of OneCharge Li-ion batteries are important.

How OneCharge Lithium Batteries Helped

Application 1.

A US paper mill has switched its end of the line lift trucks to Lithium. The 12.000 lbs. electric powered cushion tire trucks are all 80V, powered by 540Ah OneCharge Li-ion batteries.

Four trucks are traveling with the paper rolls to the loading docks, where the rolls are stacked both in cargo trucks and railcars for distribution. There are also two trucks for making shorter trips with rolls that require rewinding.

All 6 trucks are operating on a single battery each, which will last through the full day with quick opportunity charging events during breaks and lunch.

Application 2.

A large paper mill is using special AGVs to feed the production line. The end of the line is served by 15 smaller lift trucks, that have all been recently switched from the LPG powered IC engine to Electric Lithium. There are 12,000lb capacity trucks equipped with 4,000lb paper roll clamps, and 5,000lb capacity trucks with push / pull attachments. The smaller trucks are engaged in a very heavy application – 3 shifts a day averaging 4,800 hours of operation per year! This is way beyond any industry-standard lease (roughly 1500-2000 hours per year).

Powerful, durable OneCharge Lithium batteries are the best when you need to maximize uptime and safety handling paper and pulp products.

Return on Investment

OneCharge is known for producing some of the most durable, trouble-free Li-ion batteries for applications, where durability, speed, and energy efficiency directly affect the bottom line.

OneCharge Li-ion Batteries help decrease downtime by using breaks for opportunity charging whenever it is most convenient for the operations. Zero maintenance and efficient energy add up the savings quickly.

Typical Savings from switching to Li-ion technology.

The article was written by Maxim Khabur, Marketing Director of OneCharge Inc. 

The post OneCharge Lithium Batteries increase runtime appeared first on North America FarmQuip Magazine.

Are you interested in learning about the test results from an expert battery user? Nigel Calder has written an expert overview to provide you with a closer look into the difference between a TPPL battery and a Lithium-ion battery. This is an abridged version of his article.

Keep reading to learn more!

What Are TPPL Batteries?

TPPL is an abbreviation for Thin Plate Pure Lead batteries. These types of batteries are a new type of Absorbed Glass Mat batteries or AGM, which have been on the market for some time now.

TPPL Batteries and AGM Batteries Are Both Lead-acid. The way that TPPL batteries work is very similar to the AGM battery. The total time it takes for a TPPL battery to reach its full charge is reduced, however, TPPL batteries need to be brought to full charge to limit sulfation.

The largest difference between AGM batteries and TPPL batteries is the rate of charge. TPPL batteries can absorb more charge than the standard AGM battery faster. This results in an increased but declining acceptance rate. This means a TPPL battery can charge quickly up to 70-80%, but it takes a long time to get it to the fully charged state.

Performance of TPPL Batteries Compared To Li-ion

When you compare TPPL batteries to lithium-ion batteries, you will find that TPPL batteries need roughly double the nominal capacity to do the same job. They typically can not be discharged below 40% SOC without damaging the battery and/or voiding the warranty.  (It’s still lead-acid). With a Li-ion battery you do not have this limitation.

TPPL batteries have a high rate of charge and discharge. This increased rate translates to an increased level of internal heat inside of the battery. This can cause a reduction in the life expectancy of TPPL batteries.

Even if you take proper care of TPPL batteries, TPPL batteries won’t have as long a life expectancy as the majority of the Lithium-ion batteries that you’ll find on the market. Life expectancy is routinely measured in cycles.

When you compare Lithium batteries to lead-acid batteries, you’ll find that lead-acid batteries will lose their capacity when being used at a permanent partial state of charge, or “opportunity charged“. This isn’t the case with lithium-ion batteries! NO Memory effect!

TPPL Battery Claims

There have been many performance claims made about TPPL batteries, based on their beneficial characteristics. Let’s take a closer look at some of the claims made about TPPL batteries.

Increased Charging Rate. According to some manufacturers TPPL batteries can be charged at a rate up to six times the rated capacity that they have. One of the leading manufacturers of TPPL batteries on the market claims that TPPL batteries can go from completely dead to a full charge in under 30 minutes.

However, based on testing performed by Nigel Calder, even as TPPL batteries absorb 2 times their rated capacity, this rate only lasts for a limited amount of time. When a TPPL battery reaches around 70% charge, the acceptance rate dramatically slows down (about 300%).

While many manufacturers will claim that TPPL batteries charge faster than other types of batteries on the market, testing has shown that TPPL batteries follow the same charging curve as lead acid-based batteries. (It’s still lead-acid).

Charge Capacity. When TPPL batteries are being used in a partially charged state, they work in the same way that AGM batteries do. This means that when a battery is partially charged, there’s an increased risk of a loss of charge capacity. (Memory effect).

While a TPPL battery charge capacity can be adjusted, there’s special equipment that’s needed to modify the charge capacity. The charge capacity can be adjusted by controlling how much the battery can be overcharged, but this only occurs when the voltage of the battery is driven to high levels.

During the process of recovering the capacity of the battery’s charge, it’s to be expected that the venting of electrolytes will take place. In simpler terms – expect acid fumes or “gassing”.

Usable Capacity. Another common claim about TPPL batteries is the usable capacity. Manufacturers will claim that up to 80% of the capacity will be usable for up to 1200 cycles. Compare to Li-ion batteries that offer above 80% of usable capacity at 3000 plus cycles, depending on charging habits and application. That’s more than double the cycles!

Whenever there isn’t a complete full recharge, the entire capacity to which a TPPL battery can be charged is reduced. This results in an additional drop in the battery’s charging capacity. As an end result, this can cause a reduction in the capacity to around 50%, i.e. “memory effect”.  Li-ion batteries can be charged at any given moment and for any amount of time with no loss of capacity. NO Memory effect!

Storage. One claim that has been proven to be true about TPPL batteries is the shelf-life of their charge. When a TPPL battery is brought to a full charge, the battery can be stored for several months without losing any charge. This is because of the low self-discharge rates that are found with TPPL batteries.

Some Li-ion batteries have an “on-off” button to switch off the battery when not in use for as long as 6-12 months.

The Differences Between a Lithium-Ion Battery Vs the TPPL Battery – Not a Fair Comparison

Now that you have a basic knowledge of the differences between Li-ion and TPPL batteries, we hope you understand that this is not really a fair comparison. They are often included in the same conversation because two technologies can be said to have the “no-maintenance” feature. Aside from that, they are completely different technologies. It’s like comparing “apples” to “Lions”!

The article was written by Maxim Khabur, Marketing Director of OneCharge Inc. 

The post OneCharge makes comparison between TTPL and Li-on batteries appeared first on North America FarmQuip Magazine.

“Tomorrow’s agriculture must produce food more sustainably and with less effort. We are convinced that agricultural robotics can make a major contribution to this”,

Gordon Clements, General Manager of Varta Solutions, says.

“As there are a lot of start-ups active in this area that cannot afford to develop their own batteries, our business model is to offer everyone an ASB as a standard solution. This saves companies, among other things, the costs of design and certification. For those who are successful, we will later develop custom lithium-ion battery solutions”,

Clements says.

The lithium-ion pack “Easy Block” from VARTA is available in three versions. The rated power is between 16 and 51.2-ampere hours, the voltage between 12.8 and 38.4 volts, and they have rated energy of 614 to 655-watt hours. More than 2000 charging cycles are possible. The “Easy Blade” lithium-ion pack is available in three versions as well.

The rated output is between 30 and 60-ampere hours, the voltage between 24 and 48 volts, and they all have rated energy of 1,512-watt hours. More than 1000 charging cycles are possible.

Lithium-ion batteries offer several advantages over lead-acid solutions. They have a significantly longer service life and they can provide more energy on the same footprint. In addition, they can be charged faster. Lithium-ion batteries can also provide the power for faster lifting and heavier loads in a smaller form factor. Their use also reduces the head length in truck and pallet loading applications, which makes narrower aisles possible and increases storage space efficiency.

Source: Varta

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Source: Nikola Motor

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