I. Mechanism of Dust's Impact on Battery Endurance (Predominantly Physical, Superimposed with Heat Loss)

Dust is a common contaminant in warehouses, logistics parks, workshops and other scenarios. Fine dust (e.g., cement dust, plastic powder, metal shavings) easily adheres to/enters the battery body and affects endurance from two dimensions: external heat dissipation and internal reactions. The initial attenuation is slight, and it intensifies exponentially after accumulation:

Blocking Heat Dissipation Channels, Causing Local High Temperature and Indirectly Amplifying Endurance Loss

Dust adhering to the battery surface, heat dissipation ports and ventilation gaps of the battery compartment forms a heat insulation layer, preventing the natural dissipation of heat generated by battery charge and discharge, which leads to a 5-15℃ rise in local operating temperature.

• Lead-acid batteries: Elevated temperatures accelerate electrolyte water loss and plate sulfation, with discharge capacity gradually decreasing as temperature rises;
• Lithium batteries: When the temperature exceeds 35℃, the BMS triggers current limiting protection and actively reduces the discharge current, directly causing a ｄｒｏｐ in forklift power and shortened endurance. In addition, high temperatures accelerate side reactions of battery cells.

Entering the Battery Interior, Contaminating Reaction Media and Increasing Internal Resistance

• Lead-acid batteries (flooded/valve-regulated): Dust can enter the battery interior through liquid injection ports and exhaust valves, mix with the electrolyte to form impurity precipitates, and adhere to the plate surface, isolating the plates from the electrolyte. This results in a decrease in the utilization rate of plate active materials, insufficient electrochemical reactions during discharge, and reduced effective capacity. At the same time, impurities increase the internal resistance of the battery, exacerbating energy loss during charge and discharge.
• Lithium batteries: Dust easily enters through battery sealing gaps and tab interfaces, adheres to the surface of cell pole pieces, damages ion transport channels and increases internal resistance. Metal shaving dust may also cause micro-short circuits inside the cells, triggering local self-discharge and further consuming battery power.

Corroding Terminals, Increasing Contact Resistance and Causing Energy Transmission Loss

Dust adhering to battery terminals, plugs and sockets adsorbs water vapor in the air to form a "dust-water vapor mixture", accelerating the oxidation of terminal metals and leading to a sharp increase in contact resistance. During battery discharge, current passing through high-resistance terminals generates a large amount of Joule heat, with part of the electrical energy converted into heat loss. The effective electrical energy actually delivered to the forklift motor is reduced, manifesting as shortened driving range.

II. Mechanism of Corrosive Media's Impact on Battery Endurance (Predominantly Chemical, Direct Structural Damage)

Corrosive media mainly include acidic/alkaline gases (sulfur dioxide, ammonia, chlorine, hydrogen sulfide), salt spray (coastal/port areas), and chemical waste liquid vapor. In high-humidity environments, such media form corrosive electrolytes that undergo chemical reactions with battery metal components, directly damaging the battery structure and serving as the core factor causing irreversible endurance attenuation. The specific impacts are divided into three parts:

Severe Corrosion of Terminals/Tabs, Cutting Off Current Transmission Paths

Corrosive media undergo oxidation/electrochemical reactions with battery copper/lead terminals and lithium battery aluminum tabs, forming loose corrosion products (e.g., copper oxide, lead sulfate, aluminum oxide) that cover the surface of terminals/tabs. This not only greatly increases contact resistance and causes energy transmission loss, but in severe cases, the corrosion products fall off and cause poor terminal contact, leading to sudden power ｄｒｏｐ and power interruption of the forklift, and a direct sharp reduction in endurance.

Corrosion/Sulfation of Lead-Acid Battery Plates, Complete Loss of Reaction Capacity

Corrosive gases (e.g., acidic gases) enter the interior of lead-acid batteries through exhaust valves, react with the electrolyte (dilute sulfuric acid) to change the electrolyte concentration, and corrode the plate grid (lead-calcium alloy), causing plate deformation and shedding. Chloride ions in salt spray accelerate plate sulfation, forming hard lead sulfate crystals that cover the plate surface, preventing the plate active materials from reacting with the electrolyte. The effective discharge capacity of the battery will ｄｒｏｐ permanently, and the endurance attenuation cannot be recovered.

Sealing Failure of Lithium Battery Cells, Triggering Internal Side Reactions

Corrosive media accelerate the aging and cracking of the sealant and sealing rings of lithium battery casings, leading to sealing failure. Water vapor and corrosive media enter the cell interior, react with the electrolyte (organic lithium salt) to generate gas and cause cell bulging. At the same time, they corrode the cell pole pieces, leading to abnormal growth of lithium dendrites, which not only reduces the charge-discharge efficiency of the cells, but also exacerbates cell self-discharge, resulting in rapid power loss of the battery after full charge storage and a sharp shortening of endurance during operation.

Corrosion and Damage of Battery Casing, Triggering Secondary Failures

Corrosive media corrode the battery plastic casing (high-strength ABS/PP), causing casing cracking and liquid leakage. Liquid leakage of lead-acid batteries directly leads to electrolyte loss and insufficient reaction media; liquid leakage of lithium batteries causes cell short circuits, and the BMS directly cuts off the power supply after triggering over-discharge protection, making the forklift unable to work normally and resulting in a complete loss of endurance.

III. Superposition Effect of Dust + Corrosive Media (Doubled Endurance Attenuation)

In actual operating scenarios, dust and corrosive media usually coexist, and the two form a vicious cycle of "dust adsorbing media - media accelerating corrosion - corrosion products adsorbing more dust". The superimposed impact on endurance is far greater than that of a single factor:Example: In a high-humidity chemical workshop, dust adsorbs corrosive gases to form corrosive paste, which adheres to terminals and causes the contact resistance to increase several times within 1-3 months. At the same time, dust blocks heat dissipation ports and causes a rise in battery temperature. Under the dual effect, the battery endurance attenuation range directly rises from 10%-20% (single factor) to 30%-50%.

IV. Core Control Measures for On-Site Management (Directly Editable into SOP, with Clear Standards/Responsible Persons/Cycles)

Aiming at the impacts of dust and corrosive media, the core of control is "physical isolation, regular cleaning, and environmental optimization". The following measures specify operation standards, responsible persons and implementation cycles, and can be directly implemented:

Supplement: Comparison of the Impact Degree of Lead-Acid Batteries vs. Lithium Batteries