Energy consumption of an electric forklift truck: Alternative with fuel cell and supercapacitor

Abstract

The present work presents a study on the energy consumption of an electric forklift truck. It shows the profile of energy consumption in real operating conditions. The average and maximum consumption is determined from its storage system. The study proposes a replacement of the set of available lead-acid batteries, with a system based on a hydrogen fuel cell and super-capacitors, which is modeled on Psim®. From an electric model, a buck converter is coupled to supply the necessary power to the forklift in 24 Vdc. The study presents the design of the power supply system from a nominal 5 kW hydrogen fuel cell, an equivalent capacitor of 130 F, and a storage tank of 78 L @ 200 bar in order to have a theoretical autonomy of 8 h of operation. The study demonstrates the feasibility of replacing the storage system of a conventional electric forklift with one that is powered by hydrogen, as an energy alternative in order to improve autonomy and increase the life cycle of the forklift. © 2019 IEEE.