Hydraulic excavator efficiency increased using multiple hydro-pneumatic accumulators

What is it about?

This study examines two hydraulic circuits: the proposed circuit and a conventional one, at a laboratory scale, resembling the hydraulic circuit of a hydraulic excavator. The circuit includes three hydraulic linear actuators, with two connected to hydro-pneumatic accumulators and one incorporating a hydro-motor representing the boom, arm, bucket, and swing motor, respectively. The concept behind the proposed circuit is to store significant potential energy in the accumulators during the downward movement of the two linear actuators, which emulate the boom and arm cylinders of an excavator.

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Photo by Mufid Majnun on Unsplash

Photo by Mufid Majnun on Unsplash

Why is it important?

This article focuses on the potential energy (P.E.) recovery and position control of the boom and arm cylinders in the proposed hybrid system. The key component is the hydro-pneumatic accumulator, which gives the proposed system an advantage over the conventional system. P.E. recovery is achieved by utilizing the accumulator, which is absent in the conventional system. Position control of the boom and arm is accomplished accurately using a PID controller with the accumulator as the power source and a proportional flow control valve for control. The close agreement between simulation and experimental results validates the control strategy. The proposed system improves energy efficiency by 14.06% compared to the conventional system.

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