EnForcer® IMPAQ™+ chargers by EnerSys

Today, electric forklifts represent more than 60 percent of the U.S. market.¹ These forklifts boast serious advantages, especially in terms of emissions and onboard computing power. But when their batteries fail, downtime begins. In high-volume mechanized or industrial warehouses, that downtime has a significant impact on productivity. In some industries, a single hour of downtime can result in losses in excess of $200,000!² With this in mind, it is critically important to keep your electric forklift fleet operating at peak efficiency at all times. The heart of each forklift, and of the fleet itself, is the forklift battery.

Minimizing Downtime
Many of the leading causes of battery failures are due to improper charging, which can lead to reduced capacity and shorter life.

These include:

• Overcharging: Routinely "boost" charging the battery beyond 80 percent charge capacity causes it to overheat and dry out. If the finish charge is too high, the battery may become heated, causing the electrolyte to evaporate. With a conventional battery, this can be remedied by adding more water. Gel and Absorbed Glass Mat (AGM) Valve Regulated Lead Acid (VRLA) batteries are especially sensitive to overcharging because of their "sealed" design. Overcharging VRLA batteries, however, can cause them to vent, resulting in a permanent loss of water that diminishes service life.
• Undercharging: When a battery is undercharged, lead sulfate crystals build up on the positive and negative plates. Normally, charging the battery properly will effectively convert the lead sulfate back to active material. If the battery is repeatedly undercharged, the sulfate crystals cause irreparable damage to the plates, weakening battery capacity. This is referred to as sulfation.
• Failure to equalize charge: Over the course of several discharges/recharge cycles, some cells in a battery may not be returned to a full State of Charge (SOC). A battery that does not receive a periodic equalizing charge will have cells that are increasingly out of balance. This condition of imbalance causes one cell within a battery to become overcharged while another becomes undercharged. Batteries should receive an equalize charge about once every week to avoid sulfation, stratification and imbalanced capacity.

Keeping your fleet's batteries properly charged helps to avoid costly downtime. More than that, efficient charging can actually enhance the bottom line, serving as an operational asset.

Choosing the Right Charger
Proper charging starts with choosing the right charger. Today, there are many different charging options that vary by quality of charge, length of charge and efficiency of charge.

Here is an overview of the battery chargers present in many warehouses today:

• High Frequency (HF) chargers, such as EnForcer^® IMPAQ^™ chargers, feature a flexible, ultra efficient (over 90 percent) design to accommodate a wide range of charging profiles, from standard flooded and VRLA to cold storage and opportunity charging. Typically, these are the only chargers that meet the California Energy Commission (CEC) energy efficiency standards, as required for chargers placed in California and Oregon.
• Silicon-Controlled Rectifier (SCR) chargers are cost-effective options with multi-voltage capability for flooded and sealed, maintenance-free batteries.
• Ferroresonant chargers are an industry standard for flooded lead acid batteries recognized for their reliability, minimal maintenance requirements and modest upfront costs.
• SCR/Ferroresonant hybrid chargers use a blend of SCR and Ferroresonant technology to improve efficiency when charging standard flooded and sealed maintenance-free batteries.

Modularity adds another element of flexibility. EnForcer^® IMPAQ^™ chargers by EnerSys^® feature modular construction that adapts to a wide range of battery capacities, allowing potential reduction of the number of chargers in a fleet. Modules can be added if battery capacity changes, and the three-phase model can charge at multiple voltages. Multiple modules also may be configured to provide redundancy in case of failure, providing continuous charge until a replacement is installed.

The Exclusive IONIC^™ Profile: A Breakthrough in Charging Efficiency
As technology advances, charge profiles are being developed to further enhance the quality, length or efficiency of the charge. The EnerSys^® EnForcer^® IMPAQ^™+ charger with the exclusive IONIC^™ profile advantage enhances all three features to deliver vast improvements in forklift battery life compared to other chargers.

The EnerSys^® EnForcer^® IMPAQ^™+ charger with the exclusive IONIC^™ profile advantage stands out from the crowd as the only industrial charger to offer four distinctive evaluation periods and continuous battery condition diagnostics throughout the entire charging cycle.

The IONIC^™ profile advantage features a patented charging algorithm, sophisticated battery diagnostics and an electrolyte mixing mechanism that stimulates the conversion of lead sulfate to active material during the charge cycle. The results are: longer run times per charge, longer overall battery life, less downtime, greater production efficiencies and batteries that last as much as 20 percent longer.

Here's how it works:

Step 1 - Evaluation: During a pre-diagnostic charge, the charger pulses to its maximum output. Through sophisticated and patented algorithms, it determines the battery's charge acceptance based on amp-hour (Ah) capacity, voltage and health.

Unlike other charger profiles that simply use timed pulsing intervals, the IONIC^™ profile applies diagnostics to take into account factors that can impact the battery's charge
acceptance, such as the battery's age and condition.

Step 2 - Bulk Charge: Based on the battery's charge acceptance as determined by the pre-diagnostic charge, the charger applies a bulk charge. Every 20 minutes throughout the bulk charge phase, the charger continues to evaluate the battery condition and adjust the current accordingly.

Step 3 - Taper Charge: As the battery approaches the critical 80 percent charge state, the charger increases diagnostic pulsing to every six minutes while simultaneously ramping down to a finish rate. Unlike other chargers that utilize a linear approach to bulk charging, the EnerSys^® EnForcer® IMPAQ^™+ charger with IONIC^™ profile advantage tapers as it approaches that critical point at which gassing typically occurs. This delivers a gentler, less stressful charge that helps to prolong the life of the battery.

Step 4 - Finish Charge: This is the stage at which the most damage potentially can occur to a battery from gassing and/or overheating. The EnerSys^® EnForcer^® with IMPAQ^™+ charger IONIC^™ profile advantage offers another unique feature to protect the battery: the electromix. During the electromix process, the charger agitates the electrolyte to quickly and effectively mix the acid throughout the entire height of the cell. The electromix feature of the IONIC^™ profile will reduce the overcharge required to effectively mix the electrolyte to avoid stratification, reducing charging electric bills. Unlike other charge profiles that use fixed timers or amp-hour rates during the finish stage, the IONIC^™ profile advantage customizes the charge during this critical stage, eliminating the damage and cost associated with improper charging.

With its unique charging technology, the EnerSys^® EnForcer^® IMPAQ^™+ charger with IONIC^™ profile advantage:

• Provides the most effective charge profile in returning specific gravity to maximum levels.
• Minimizes damaging sulfation.
• Minimizes maintenance by enabling cooler charging and reduced watering intervals.
• Allows for lower charge return factor, which reduces time needed to return a battery to 100 percent SOC and reduces charger electricity use.

Summary
Competitive HF chargers tend to undercharge batteries, resulting in sulfation and premature battery failure. The EnerSys^® EnForcer^® IMPAQ^™+ charger with IONIC^™
profile advantage converts a maximum amount of the available active material during the charge cycle. The IONIC^™ profile's diagnostics and electrolyte mixing can significantly improve recharge effectiveness and energy efficiency. In addition, battery problems can be identified earlier, minimizing potential damage. Even more exciting, in laboratory testing, the EnerSys^® EnForcer^® IMPAQ^™+ charger with IONIC^™ profile advantage demonstrated an improvement in battery life of more than 20 percent. Now, that's an iconic difference in efficient battery charging!

EnerSys^® is the only industrial battery manufacturer in North America to manufacture its own line of chargers to ensure battery and charger systems are designed for maximum performance and reliability, providing a single source of accountability.
Always be sure to follow the manufacturer's guidelines for battery care and handling, and direct any questions to your battery professional.

For more information on EnerSys and its full line of products, systems and support, visit www.enersys.com.


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 forklifts 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. More information regarding EnerSys can be found at www.enersys.com.

Steve Spaar - EnerSys
t: 610-208-1921
e: send an email
w: www.enersys.com

1. "Electric Forklift Conversion Transforms Building Products Manufacturer," Electric Power Research Institute, 3002000292, December 2013
2. www.toyotaforklift.com/solutions/industrial-equipment-downtime-how-it-hurts-your-business-steps-to-avoid-it/