Toshiba lithium-ion battery “SCiB™” may seem unconventional. But the applications that it can be utilized are rapidly expanding. This article introduces a case study of Hybrid container cranes and show how SCiB™ overturns the conventional concepts of lithium-ion batteries.

• Energy generated for unloading goes to waste
• Cost-saving benefits from hybridization
• Rapid charging, long life and heat resistance are essential elements for cost reduction
• Hybridizing container cranes with Toshiba lithium-ion battery “SCiB™”!
• Let’s brainstorm the beneficial use of Toshiba lithium-ion battery “SCiB™”

Please note that this example is a simplified model and may differ from actual operation.

Every day, many containers are handled at seaports. Container cranes are used to handle them. Those cranes lift containers from the ground and load them onto ships, unload them from ships to the ground, or move them on the ground.

Crane wire for lifting containers is wound up by electric motor, which is usually powered by diesel engines. When lifting containers, the crane wire is then wound up by the diesel engine at maximum output. To secure enough output, the engine inevitably becomes larger and heavier. On the other hand, to make engines smaller and lighter, the time available for operation at maximum output becomes longer, and the durability and maintainability of the engine has been targeted for improvement.
Meanwhile, the engine output for unloading the containers is not being used for anything. On the contrary, a large amount of energy is generated, but that energy is also discarded as heat without being used. Thus, there is no reason not to utilize that energy.

So, what is Hybrid Container Crane? Hybrid Crane has a power source that is combination of Diesel engine and Battery. Hybridization of power source has been considered for port cranes as a solution to solve the engine durability and energy saving problems.

By storing the energy that was once discarded as heat for lowering containers into the batteries and reusing the energy for lifting and moving containers on the ground, the following benefits can be expected.

• Reduction of fuel costs:
  The peak energy of the engine for lifting containers can be suppressed by sharing the energy with the battery, thereby reducing the fuel consumption by the engine. It is also possible to reduce fuel consumption by half by downsizing the engine, depending on the usage conditions.
• Reduction of maintenance costs:
  By reducing the maximum load on the engine for container lifting, the failure rate of the engine can be reduced. This leads to the reduction in maintenance costs of the engine.
  

So, what kind of performance and usage are required for batteries to achieve cost reduction in hybrid container cranes?

• Rapid charging:
  During the lifting and lowering of containers by cranes, crane batteries can only be charged for a short period of time, from 10 seconds to a few minutes. The battery needs to be able to efficiently charge the energy required in that short period of time. If the batteries cannot be charged efficiently, a large amount of regenerative energy will be wasted, and it will not contribute to energy savings.
• Long life:
  Container cranes perform the lifting and lowering of containers in this short time repeatedly without rest for 24 hours. As the battery charge and discharge cycles are repeated for lifting and lowering of containers, the battery needs to have a long life with less deterioration.
• Heat resistance:
  Ports face the sea and have no protection from the sun or wind, so the temperature varies greatly depending on the season. For batteries, it is a challenging environment for temperature control, the batteries are required to maintain long life even in mid-summer and to have high performance in charge/discharge cycles even in mid-winter.

All these conditions put a heavy load on the batteries. The only battery that can achieve these is...

In recent years, some lithium-ion batteries boast these capabilities. It goes without saying that batteries have one of those capabilities, but a battery that has all three of the above capabilities can fully demonstrate the performance of Hybrid Container Crane.

The lithium-ion battery that has all these performances is Toshiba lithium-ion battery “SCiB™”.

SCiB™ is Long-life battery that can be used continuously under severe conditions such as rapid or low-temperature charging/discharging without deterioration, and can maintain high durability even as cell temperature rises.

Downsizing and weight reduction of the engine body by short time charging/discharging, reducing the fuel cost of the engine by taking over the engine’s load, reducing engine failure rate and maintenance cost by releasing the engine from the maximum load, and the battery does not need to be replaced even after continuous operation for a long time without deterioration. Moreover, performance can be achieved even with large temperature differences! Toshiba lithium-ion battery “SCiB™” realizes all of these conditions at a high level, making it possible to provide the solution of Hybrid Container Cranes.

• Reduce engine fuel costs!
• Reduce engine failure rates and maintenance costs!

By combining rapid charging, long life, and heat resistance, SCiB™ brings many benefits that ultimately lead to the reduction in total costs. By hybridizing container cranes, the use of diesel engine fuel can be reduced, and the resulting gas emissions can be suppressed, thereby contributing to the reduction in environmental impact and promoting the realization of SDGs.

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