Energy saving in off-road vehicles using leakage compensation technique
This addresses energy savings and reduced environmental impact for off-road vehicle operators, but it is incremental as it builds on existing hydraulic control methods.
The paper tackled improving energy efficiency in linear actuators for heavy earth-moving equipment by comparing a conventional proportional directional control valve (PDCV) with a novel proportional flow control valve (PFCV) using artificial leakage, finding the PFCV circuit to be 8.5% more energy efficient.
The article focuses on enhancing the energy efficiency of linear actuators used in heavy earth moving equipment, particularly in the booms ofexcavation equipment. Two hydraulic circuits are compared in terms of energy efficiency, with one using a conventional proportional directionalcontrol valve (PDCV) and the other using an innovative solution of proportional flow control valve (PFCV) with artificial leakage between thetwo ends of the actuator. The PFCV reduces energy loss in the form of heat by bypassing the extra flow from the pump during position control,unlike the PDCV that uses a pressure relief valve. The hydraulic circuit using PFCV is found to be 8.5% more energy efficient than theconventional circuit using PDCV. The article also discusses the position control of the actuator, which is achieved using a PID controller tuned by a fuzzy controller. Thesimulation of the hydraulic circuit is carried out using MATLAB/Simulink, and the results are compared with experiments. Overall, the proposedapproach could lead to significant improvements in the energy efficiency of linear actuators used in heavy earth moving equipment, therebyreducing their environmental impact and operating costs.