With the rise of a consciousness in warehousing sustainability, an increasing number of autonomous vehicle storage and retrieval systems (AVS/RS) is diffusing among automated warehouses. Moreover, manufacturers are offering the option of equipping machines with energy recovery systems. This study analyzed a deep-lane AVS/RS provided with an energy recovery system in order to make an energy evaluation for such a system. A simulator able to emulate the operation of the warehouse has been developed, including a travel-time and an energy model to consider the real operating characteristics of lifts, shuttles and satellites. Referring to a single command cycle with a basic storing and picking algorithm for multiple-depth channels, energy balance and recovery measurements have been presented and compared to those of a traditional crane-based system. Results show significant savings in energy consumption with the use of a deep-lane AVS/RS.

Lithium batteries for energy storage systems are a prominent solution for both stationary and mobile applications. Electro-thermal modelling of the cell is a useful tool for monitoring voltage and temperature in order to predict battery behaviour especially in cases of critical operative conditions. This paper provides a modelling approach focusing on the calibration of parameters of an electro-thermal model for large prismatic LFP lithium cells. The designed model is tuned by means of experimental tests that identify a set of parameters that are function of a cell’s state-of-charge and temperature. The model outputs are voltage, cell surface, and internal temperature profiles, which are validated against experimental data referring to realistic working conditions, even providing an intense level of thermal stress. The model accuracy is marked by a voltage mean average error lower than 1% and a mean cell surface temperature deviation lower than 1 K.

Degradation mechanism of batteries has to be carefully studied when considering their utilization in electrical power systems. This paper presents the results of an extensive experimental campaign, through which three different lithium–iron–phosphate (LFP) cells were subjected to different electrical cycling stresses. The purpose of the campaign was to evaluate the cells’ aging, as well as to try to find parameters on the cell behavior before its end of life, able to act as state-of-life (SOL) (or aging) indicators. The considered stress consists of the cyclic repetition of fixed-duration discharge steps, followed by full charge phases. The three cells under study were subjected to the very same stress pattern but with three different discharge and charge power levels: low, medium, and high. The results showed that the end-of-discharge voltage and the cell internal resistance can be used as good SOL indicators. However, both are significant functions of the cell conditions, such as the state of charge (SOC) and the cell temperature.