Undercharging of batteries: from workshop equipment to special equipment is an invisible threat to production
Modern industrial equipment and special equipment increasingly rely on battery systems. Electric loaders, dump trucks, autonomous production facilities, emergency power supplies – all this requires reliable and stable power supply. However, one of the most overlooked problems in this area is undercharging the battery.
What is undercharging and how is it dangerous?
Undercharging is a condition in which the battery does not receive its full charge during operation or charging. As a result, the chemical processes inside the battery are disrupted, the capacity decreases, and eventually this leads to:
- rapid degradation of the battery,
- reducing its service life,
- equipment failures,
- equipment downtime and even emergency situations.
At the same time, visually or by the indicators of the controllers, it is not always possible to determine that the battery is operating in an "undercharged" mode. This makes the problem even more insidious.
Industrial scale of the problem
In production, the consequences of undercharging are particularly critical. A loader that is not started on time can stop the supply chain. A backup power supply that doesn't work at the right moment risks shutting down the entire production cycle. At the same time, the diagnosis of such situations is often delayed, because "everything seems to be working" until a failure occurs.
In large enterprises, especially with a continuous production cycle, battery systems play a critical role. Even a short-term power failure of the equipment can lead to serious losses: line shutdown, product damage, or personal injury.
The climate worsens the situation: in the northern and Siberian regions, low temperatures significantly increase the internal resistance of batteries and accelerate their degradation when not fully charged.
The main reasons are:
- using unsuitable chargers,
- equipment operation under high loads,
- lack of monitoring of the charge level and battery condition,
- current leaks in the system (including through generators),
- aging of batteries and their irregular maintenance.
According to experts in the field of industrial batteries (GOST 12.2.007.12-88, GOST 959-2002), undercharging leads to accelerated shedding of the active mass of the plates and an increase in internal resistance, which after 3-6 months of operation can make the battery unsuitable for further use.
Diagnostic and prevention methods
In order to prevent undercharging, it is recommended that enterprises use continuous battery monitoring systems. Such solutions allow you to track:
- Current voltage and charge,
- temperature control