recharge a battery while in use

[2571]

Good morning everyone,
I have an idea but not sure how to start. We use 36VDC forklifts here at our facility. In attempts to reduce the amount of time it takes to change a battery and get more run time out of the battery is it possiable to design a charger to run off the batteries power but put a charge back in the battery while it is in use. I had thought of some sort of generator but not sure where to go from here, We use 36V 1250amp/hr batteries. If this is a goofy idea please be kind.

thank you for your time
2570

 

[BrianG]

Yes, that link certainly is wierd. it has echoes of the room temperature cold fusion saga a few years ago. Took a while for someone to discover the flaw in the maths and shoot it down. Conservation of Energy Rules OK!

 

[mc5w]

What we used in one factory where I worked was a bridge crane that ran on rails that were mounted on the floor. This was used to change the battery of 48 volt forklift trucks. You generally need 3 batteries per truck. When lifting the battery the 2 lifting cables need to pass through the ends of a spacer bar so that the 2 cable lift straight up and do not distort the case of the battery.

This also provided time for cleaning the battery tops. If the battery top is dirty there will be excess standby discharge leading to short battery life and the charger will be unable to fully charge the battery. First, disconnect battery from forklift and charger. Second, rinse top of battery with water hose and nozzle. Then use hot water mixed with sodium carbonate a.k.a. washing soda, sodium bicarbonate a.k.a. baking soda, and then with liquid dishwashing detergent works just as well as factory made sprays. Then, let mixture do its jobs, scrub the battery top a little, then rinse with hose and nozzle. Just be sure to be gentle enough with the hose and chemical mixture so as not to force it into the battery caps.

Some smaller forklift trucks have passive conveyor rollers underneath the battery and you pull up to the charging station, roll ou the old battery, push the truck about a foot, and roll in the new battery. Some charging stations use conveyor balls instead of rollers so that you can move rhte batteries in 2 directions thus saving on having to push the forklift or pallet jack with muscle power.

At one time Vienna, Austria extended their steetcar system using battery buses that towed a trailer with batteries in it. There were peiodic stations where a bus would drop off a drained battery trailer and pick up a new one. This also saved on the problem that trackless trolley buses have no equipment ground.

At one time the New York Central railroad had tripower switching locomotive for local train movement over street tracks in some parts of Nwe York City. These had 600 volt traction motors that could run off of 3 power sources:

1. The underrunning 660 volt 3rd rail of nonstreet right of ways. This did not recharge the battery as you need 700 to 750 volts to recharge a 600 volt lead acid battery.

2. A 600 volt lead acid battery - this was handy for confined areas that did not have a 3rd rail. This also worked for sidings that were too costly to electrify not to mention that a 3rd rail on customer property needed a local disconnect switch to prevent power theft and safety problems. The conductor or brakeman could forget to lock off the disconnect and interlocking the disconnect with the track switch would have been a nightmare. A third rail in say a scrapyard would be one hell of a problem even if of the inwsulated underrunning variety.

3. A 750 volt DC diesel generator that was used to recharge the batteries and power the traction motors when running on open streets where a 3rd rail is impractical.

The battery also helped with the matter that early diesel locomotives did not have a whole lot of power available from the engine.

Mike Cole

 

[mc5w]

I forgot to mention to always use safety goggles when cleaning a battery - there can be some amount of sufuric acid thrown into the air when hosing and washing it. Rubber gloves also help a lot but because there is a large hole for your arm sulfuric acid can get into the inside of the glove. Back in high school chemistry class we were instructed to frequently wash our hands and the INSIDE of the rubber or latex gloves.

Also save some of the sodium carbonate soduim bicarbonate detergent solution for washing hands and shoes. A small amount of sulfuric acid can take an hour to eat your skin or shoes and makes for a very nasty surprise.

Also wash hans BEFORE using the restroom. spreading sulfuric acid to your naughty bits really hurts.

 

[itsmoked]

I think I have used bicarb to clean about 10 auto batteries.. I don't think a single one lasted more than a week after being cleaned! I haven't ever figured out if it was the bicarb poisoning a cell/s or if in every case the battery was having problems and that was why I was cleaning them in the first place. Wish I knew.

Keith Cress
Flamin Systems, Inc.-

http://www.flaminsystems.com

 

[MacGyverS2000]

Also wash hans BEFORE using the restroom. spreading sulfuric acid to your naughty bits really hurts.

Oooooh, got a cringe on that one...


Dan - Owner

http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com

 

[pennpoint]

itsmoked
Just for my clearification. Just how did you clean those 10 batteries? Inside & out? or just the outside?

Best regards
pennpoint

 

[itsmoked]

Ha! No, just the safety glasses a tooth brush and a box of baking soda. Smear the baking soda around dribble some water on watch it foam, scrub. Add more BS, scrub, lightly rinse, repeat until foaming stops or I get bored to tears. Always careful to not run any into the cell hole (in any obvious way).

Then within about two weeks I'm down at the store buying a new one. But since I have two diesels I'm actually down buying (2) everytime..

Keith Cress
Flamin Systems, Inc.-

http://www.flaminsystems.com

 

[pennpoint]

itsmoked; Thanks! I'm relieved, one can read into these post too much.


Best regards
pennpoint