Douglas Battery™Legacy® Arctic Battery:
Built for More Powerful Performance in Cold Storage ApplicationsBy Brian Faust, general manager for Douglas BatteryFrom lost capacity to chronic undercharging, cold storage environments can have costly effects on conventional lead-acid batteries. Built to withstand the harshest cold storage and freezer application demands, the
Douglas Battery™ Legacy® Arctic battery can help insulate cold lift truck fleets from lower productivity and higher battery costs.
The cold truth about lost capacityWhile it's no secret that cold temperatures can reduce battery power, the potential reductions can be surprisingly high. Depending on the internal temperature that a battery reaches in a cold storage area, its power capacity losses can range between 20 to 60 percent. With an internal temperature of 32°F, for example, a fully charged conventional lead acid battery will only deliver 75 percent of the capacity it would at normal room temperature 77°F. With an internal temperature of 0°F, that same battery's capacity would drop to 40 percent.
What actually causes these power capacity losses? Simply put, exposure to cold temperatures increases the viscosity of a battery's electrolyte. As the electrolyte fluid thickens, its diffusion through the pores of the active battery plate slows, making it harder to achieve the chemical reaction needed to power the lift truck. As temperatures and power capacities fall, the corresponding drop in run times can be significant - a battery designed to run for eight hours in ambient environments may only last four to six hours in cold storage facilities.
Colder means more complicated charging Cold-driven reductions in battery run times can make it very difficult for operators to maintain proper run, charge and cool cycles. This failure can in turn lead to a vicious cycle of poorly charged and prematurely swapped batteries exhibiting shorter and shorter run times. The end result is decreased battery life and unnecessarily higher battery costs.
Along with affecting charging cycles indirectly through reduced run times, cold temperatures also have a direct impact on battery charge acceptance. Once a battery's internal battery temperature falls below 40°F, its voltage will appear higher than it actually is. Under such conditions, battery discharge indicators will show an incorrectly higher battery power capacity. Similarly, chargers will also misread voltage levels as higher than what they really are and will shut off prematurely, contributing to even shorter battery life.
What is the best way to combat the effects of cold on lift truck fleet batteries? By employing a battery specifically developed for low temperature environments. The
Legacy® Arctic battery from Douglas Battery™ offers just such an optimized cold storage battery solution.
Legacy® Arctic delivers 15 percent longer lifeBuilding on the thick plate technology behind the company's Legacy
® High Performance battery, the
Douglas Battery™ Legacy® Arctic battery combines key design features that allow it to handle even the frostiest freezer and cold storage applications.
The Legacy
® Arctic battery integrates an exclusive Arctic electrolyte solution, a thermal tray insulator and an Arctic charge profile. Along with delivering optimal voltage, capacity and service life in low temperatures, the
Legacy® Arctic battery also protects against undercharging and de-rationing of capacity and charge acceptance. The result is a robust battery that cuts capacity losses in cold storage and freezer applications and runs up to 15 percent longer than a standard lift truck battery.
Exclusive Arctic Electrolyte solutionDouglas Battery
™ engineers specifically designed the exclusive arctic electrolyte solution to combat capacity loss in cold conditions at the lower depth of discharge rates. The solution integrates with Legacy
® High Performance battery technology, which employs thick, corrosion-resistant plates with a higher lead content than conventional lead acid batteries. The combination enables excellent conductivity in cold temperatures, especially during peak demand periods.
Thermal Tray InsulatorIn cold storage and freezer applications, it's the lift truck battery's outer cells that are most affected by low temperatures. To help keep the outer cells warmer and enable more effective capacity and voltage levels overall, Douglas Battery
™ equipped the Legacy
® Arctic battery with a specially designed thermal tray insulator.
This cold-resistant tray itself is protected from the ill effects of "sweating," or the condensation that forms on lift truck components as the vehicle moves in and out of cold spaces. An electrostatic baked-on epoxy guards the tray against moisture-induced corrosion to help reduce rust, as well as voltage tracking and short circuits.
Easier charging and maintenance The
Legacy® Arctic battery, when paired with a charger that features an arctic charging profile, can help prevent the voltage misreading that leads to chronic undercharging in cold temperatures.
Beyond more effective charging, the Legacy
® Arctic battery offers other time and maintenance-saving features. Flip-top vent caps help keep electrolyte from dripping into cell covers and eliminate the possibility of lost caps, while optional quick connect cables make cable replacement simple.
For more information about please call Douglas Battery toll-free at 1-800-211-3684 visit www.douglasbattery.com.Douglas BatteryBrian Faust
P: 1-800-368-4527
E: send an email
W: www.douglasbattery.com ABOUT DOUGLAS BATTERY™
Douglas Battery is a brand of EnerSys, the world leader in stored energy solutions for industrial applications. Since 1921, Douglas Battery has maintained the reputation of producing and delivering the highest quality products in the industry, and remains a customer-focused company that anticipates and responds to customers' needs.
ABOUT ENERSYS®
EnerSys, the global leader in stored energy solutions for industrial applications, manufactures and distributes reserve power and motive power batteries, battery chargers, power equipment battery accessories and outdoor equipment enclosure solutions to customers worldwide. Motive power batteries and chargers are utilized in electric forklift trucks and other commercial electric powered vehicles. Reserve power batteries are used in the telecommunication and utility industries, uninterruptible power supplies, and numerous applications requiring stored energy solutions including medical, aerospace and defense systems. Outdoor equipment enclosure products are utilized in the telecommunication, cable, utility, transportation industries and by government and defense customers. The company also provides aftermarket and customer support services to its customers from over 100 countries through its sales and manufacturing locations around the world.