BATTERY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT FOR ENHANCED PERFORMANCE OF AN ELECTRIC LOADER

Abstract

Electric loaders are increasingly being adopted for material handling, construction, warehouse, mining, and agricultural applications because of their low operating emissions, high torque availability, and reduced maintenance requirements. However, the performance, safety, and operating range of an electric loader strongly depend on the battery pack and its Battery Management System (BMS). An improperly managed battery can experience overcharging, deep discharge, excessive temperature rise, cell imbalance, reduced capacity, and accelerated degradation. This paper presents the development of a Battery Management System for improving the performance, reliability, safety, and energy utilization of an electric loader. The proposed BMS continuously monitors battery voltage, current, temperature, and State of Charge (SOC). Protection functions including overvoltage, under-voltage, over-current, shortcircuit, and over-temperature protection are incorporated. A cell-balancing strategy is also implemented to maintain uniform voltage among the series-connected cells. The proposed system is evaluated using a simulation-based electric-loader model. The results indicate that the proposed BMS improves battery energy utilization, reduces cell voltage deviation, improves charging and discharging efficiency, and maintains the battery temperature within a safer operating range. The simulated SOC estimation error is reduced to approximately 2.1%, while the maximum battery temperature decreases from 48.6°C to 41.2°C compared with an unmanaged battery configuration. The study demonstrates that an appropriately designed BMS can significantly improve the operational performance and useful life of an electric loader battery pack.