What is a traction Battery? Microtex
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What is a traction battery? What does traction battery mean?

According to European standard IEC 60254 – 1 lead acid traction battery are used as power sources for electric propulsion in applications which include road vehicles, locomotives, industrial forklift trucks and mechanical handling equipment(MHE). The traction battery pack can be made of 2 volt cells, or 4, 6, 8 and 12V monoblocs (Fig.1). There is no stipulation in the traction battery manufacturers Europe & traction battery market on the internal construction of the traction batteries but the external dimensions are defined in standards such as IEC 60254 – 2. The battery capacity is measured over a defined battery discharge test from fully charged to 1.7 volts per cell over a period of 5 hours (C5 test).

Difference between traction battery and normal battery

Traction battery are comprised of both flooded and VRLA designs, in both 2 volt battery and monobloc battery constructions. In these designs, the positive plates can be both flat plate and tubular plate designs. For the AGM variant of the VRLA construction, only flat plate versions are suitable due to the requirement of maintaining a uniform compression of the glass fibre mat used for the separator. Tubular traction battery with tubular positive plate constructions generally gives a higher cycle life than the flat plate battery designs. The enclosed tube construction design (Fig 2) ensures that the positive active material is held firmly against the conducting lead alloy spine during the deep discharge cycles in the traction battery.

What is a traction battery pack life?

The life of the traction battery is defined by the number of standard deep charge-discharge cycles which it can perform until it drops to 80% of the rated or nominal capacity.
The design of a traction battery specification is critical in providing a long and trouble-free operation in service. In order to achieve this, there are several key aspects of the traction cell construction which ensure that they are able to stand up to the demands of the traction battery warranty & cycle duty. The key components of the traction battery are the positive grid alloy, the spongy lead formula, the active material chemistry and the method of separation, plate support and traction battery cooling parts.

What is a traction battery protection?

The deep discharge duty requires the traction battery to be recharged over a long period at a high voltage. This oxidizes the positive spine which causes grid growth and eventual failure as the positive conductor becomes completely converted to PbO2. The traction battery lead alloy, therefore, should have corrosion-resistant properties and also strong enough to resist creep growth. Traction battery manufacturer in India Microtex, use special lead alloys with its proprietary formula of Antimony, Tin, Copper, Sulphur, Selenium & Arsenic additives, which have been developed over decades of experience to give maximum corrosion resistance & creep resistance for their tubular positive plates used in their traction batteries.

What is a traction battery manufacturing process?

Similarly, other factors such as the positive & negative active materials structure and their densities are of vital importance in providing the capacity and cycle-life required of lead-acid traction battery. The tubular positive plates are dry-filled with a unique lead-oxide powder which again has been developed by Microtex over years of experience and laboratory testing. The processes also ensure that the correct, deep-cycle form of lead-dioxide (alpha PbO2) is formed in the positive tubes.

Alongside this, the physical construction of the multitube PT Bags and the internal bottom prism support provide a space which collects material shed from the plates during battery cycling. This is important as capacity reduction and failure can occur from short circuit damage due to the shed active material creating a conducting bridge between the plates as the battery ages.

Figure 1 Traction battery 2 volt cells and batteries for fork lift trucks
Figure 1 Traction battery 2 volt cells and batteries for fork lift trucks
What is a traction battery? Figure 2 Construction of a 2V lead acid cell for forklift trucks
Figure 2 Construction of a 2V lead acid cell for forklift trucks

What is a traction battery made up of?

Component Construction Material Application
Negative Battery Grid Low SB Lead Alloys - Pb/Ca/Sn/Al alloy Standard flooded 2v traction cells - VRLA, Gel & low maintenance battery
Tubular Positive Spine grid Low Sb lead alloy - Pb/Ca/Sn/Al alloys Standard flooded 2v traction cells - VRLA, Gel & low maintenance battery
Positive active material PbO2 dry filled 3.6 - 3.8 gms/cc All types of tubular lead acid 2v cells & batteries
Negative active material Spongy Lead 4.4 gms/cc All types of lead acid 2v tubular cells & battery
Battery Gauntlet Woven & Non woven - Polyester, PET/PBT/PP 2v batteries & cells - lead acid batteries
Battery Separator Polyethylene, Microporous rubber & PVC Battery separators All types of tubular battery, including TGel maintenance free cells
Top strap lead alloy Low SB lead alloy - lead / 2-4% Sn alloy Flooded 2v cells & monoblocs, VRLA 2v cells & monoblocs
Electrolyte 1.29 + - 0.1SG H2So4 liquid
1.29 + - 0.1SG H2So4 Gel/AGM
Standard flooded 2v cells
VRLA 2v cells & monoblocs
Vent cap or vent plug Polypropylene open top plugs
Sealed valve regulated vent plugs
Standard flooded 2v cells
Sealed maintenance free batteries 2v cells & monobloc batteries
Traction Battery Connector Lead plated copper cable all kinds of 2v Battery

In addition, the traction battery control module electronics plays an important role in the life of the battery. Traction battery power low is a common issue when the traction battery control module fails.

So far, we have looked at traction battery flooded, 2v battery cells. Due to the nature of their charging and operation, this design invariably requires regular topping up with water. AGM forklift batteries designs, either VRLA AGM or GEL variants avoid the maintenance required for topping up the battery. This is important if maintenance standards are poor or expensive due to high distilled water addition in some battery makes, or labour costs. However, there is a shorter cycle life associated with the maintenance-free designs, the lowest cycle life being the AGM flat plate construction.

As a rule of thumb, a 2-volt battery tubular flooded cell will give around 1600 at 80% depth of discharge DOD cycles at 25’C. The AGM forklift batteries VRLA design will give around 600 – 800 cycles. For this reason, Microtex recommend that the tubular flooded battery should be used for traction battery and electric forklift truck applications. The total cost of ownership of a traction battery price comes down. The 2v traction battery price tempts us to replace individual cells in old batteries. This can often prove costly in the long run as these new cells fail quickly. 2v traction battery manufacturer don’t tell you this.

Traction cell grouping details
Traction cell grouping details

What is a traction battery choice for your EV?

The majority of EV traction battery used in the fork lift truck market is 2v traction battery, of which over 90% are the flooded tubular plate battery design. These are generally used for pallet and forklift trucks in multiples of 6 to give 12v forklift battery, 24v traction battery, 36v forklift battery 48v forklift battery or 80v forklift battery packs, with 80 volts breaking the series progression and forming the upper limit for most forklift manufacturing companies. Traction battery 12v are classified as semi traction when used in boom lift.

There are standard traction battery container sizes for forklift manufacturers from different countries based on their national standards. The majority of forklifts in India like * Nilkamal forklifts, Godrej forklifts, Josts forklifts, Toyota forklifts, Kion forklifts, Hyster forklifts, * etc., (*Disclaimer – all brands mentioned belong to the respective companies & Microtex is not part of them) will use a DIN or BS standard size of the traction battery cell. This determines the external dimensions, pole arrangement and expected capacity (fig. 3). 48v lithium ion battery for forklifts are also making an appearance.

Forklift trucks have battery containers which are standard sizes based on multiples of the appropriate cell dimensions. These sizes are also regulated and fig. 3 shows cell and container sizes expected for BS and DIN standards. Considerations when choosing a suitable battery go beyond simply choosing the right capacity, which of course is critical. Other factors which influence battery choice include:

  • The make and size of forklift
  • Length of operation
  • Application
  • Location
  • Maintenance resources
figure 3 shows cell and container sizes expected for BS and DIN standards
fig. 3 shows cell and container sizes expected for BS and DIN standards.
  • Get in touch with Microtex traction battery service team. They will take the details necessary to calculate the size, capacity and type of battery that will fulfil all of your technical and economic requirements. Why take the risk of doing it yourself?

As traction battery manufacturers in India here are some common questions our forklift battery customers ask us:

Why do forklift batteries explode?

Traction battery for Forklift applications that are not well maintained can run into unexpected problems. If the 2v traction cells are not watered regularly, there is a chance of the electrolyte completely drying up below the busbar. If the plates are not immersed inside the electrolyte, during charging there is a high risk of the separator getting burnt out due to the intense heat generated in the absence of electrolyte.

This leads to the positive & negative electrodes to short which will spark. During the process of charging nascent hydrogen is evolved which is an explosive gas. The sparks will ignite the gas leading to an explosion of the accumulated gases. Always ensure there is sufficient electrolyte level in each cell to avoid an explosion of a traction battery. Read more about why batteries explode here

How much sulfuric acid in a forklift battery?

A forklift battery is supplied factory charged with sulphuric acid usually of 1.280 specific gravity. The level of sulphuric acid inside the battery is usually 40mm above the separator guard. The sulphuric acid is the electrolyte in the cell and forms what is generally referred to as the third active material. The other two are the Positive active material & the Negative active material. The purity of the sulphuric acid plays an important role in the life & performance of the battery. Each forklift battery has a specific design volume of sulphuric acid usually forming 10 to 14 cc per ah of battery capacity.

  • It is very important that the end user does not add any further acid to the battery. Only demineralised water shall be used for topping up of the cells. Care should be taken to ensure not to overfill the cells as the spill will be acidic & corrode the steel tray, causing ground shorts & damage to costly electronics in the modern forklifts.

When charging forklift batteries, what steps to be followed?

When charging forklift batteries, it is very important to follow the instructions in the traction battery manual of the forklift & the traction battery user manual. General safety precautions require that you use personal protective equipment like full shield eye goggles, rubber gloves, & nose mask. Remove all loose-fitting metallic ornaments like bangles or necklaces to avoid any accidental shorting. First, open all the vent plugs to avoid building up of pressure from charging gases. Check the electrolyte level in each cell, if found less, top up with demineralized water, with care not to overfill. Then connect the charger plug to the battery socket.

Take readings of the cell voltages & specific gravity of all the cells at the start of the charging. Record the same in the charging record (usually supplied by the manufacturer; get in touch with us if you don’t have it readily). Charge it completely for the recommended duration of 8 to 10 hours depending on the state of charge or as recommended by the traction battery manufacturer. Before disconnecting the charger, take final readings of the gravity to ensure it has been fully charged. Record the gravity.

How much does a forklift battery weigh?

A forklift battery weighs quite a bit. It is designed to be heavy & acts as a counter-balance for the forklift load. Typically the battery weight balances the forklift when the load is lifted, so ideally it should be able to take the planned forklift loading weights. A 36v 600Ah forklift battery weighs about 900 kilograms.

Trust in the experience and knowledge of the Microtex technical team and let them do the hard work. If you are based in India, our friendly service engineers will be happy to visit you & evaluate your needs.

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