H&P: Does the whole system sometimes get overlooked in the discussion of energy efficiency in a manufacturing plant? What’s the cure for this attitude?
Blansett: In a manufacturing facility, production output is the governing factor in many decisions made regarding energy efficiency. Routine maintenance items which help maintain system efficiency are often neglected as being too much of a delay to output especially if requiring a shut-down of a machine or line. Thus, many opportunities to reduce energy consumption are not performed.
Proper training of all personnel to understand how and why to reduce energy consumption can help to overcome this attitude. Incorporating into the design of the system the capability to monitor and regulate operating parameters to minimize energy waste is also an important area that often gets left out of the system design due to the initial capital cost.
H&P: Is there a role for the Industrial Internet of Things in hydraulic system measurement and management?
Blansett: There is absolutely a major role for IoT in hydraulics to provide the measurements necessary to monitor and the controls necessary to regulate the operating characteristics of the hydraulic system. Being able to continuously monitor and analyze performance and adjust as required utilizing IoT will have the potential to significantly reduce energy waste if properly designed and implemented.
IFPE Research Symposium Offers Lunch Courses
The IFPE Research Symposium will serve up lunch and knowledge during the 2020 show in Las Vegas March 10-14. The National Fluid Power Association will showcase the latest fluid power research at universities that have been funded from a new program within the U.S. Department of Energy to improve the energy efficiency of hydraulic systems on off-road vehicles.
The three sessions are:
Individual Electro-Hydraulic Actuators for Off Road Machines Andrea Vacca, Purdue University
Wed., March 11, 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Room S231
This project proposes a new technology for electro-hydraulic actuators suitable for off-road construction machines. The main project goal is accomplished by formulating a novel design for a four quadrant electro-hydraulic supply unit, which is coupled to a linear actuator by means of a hydraulic circuit that minimizes the throttling loss. The project takes as reference the case of a compact wheel loader, for which it is expected to achieve an improvement on the energy consumption of the hydraulic system up to 70%, depending on the drive cycle.
Efficient, Compact, and Smooth Variable Propulsion Motor James Van de Ven, University of Minnesota
Thurs., March 12, 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Room S231
This work will develop a revolutionary variable displacement hydraulic motor for the propulsion drive of off-highway vehicles. The motor combines unmatched efficiency at all displacements, high displacement density, and low torque ripple. The high efficiency is a result of the mechanism using all rolling element bearings, low piston side-loads, and minimal unswept cylinder volume. The high displacement density is achieved through the radial piston packaging and a multi-lobe cam, creating multiple piston strokes per revolution. This talk will present the model-driven design, optimization, and experimental testing of a prototype motor.
Hybrid Hydraulic-Electric Architecture for Mobile Machines Perry Li, University of Minnesota
Fri., March 13, 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Room S231
The project will develop a system architecture for off-road mobile machines that marries that benefits of hydraulic actuation and electric actuation to achieve both energy-saving and control performance. The proposed approach is especially useful for high-power/high-force machines that would be difficult to electrify directly with conventional Electro-hydraulic Actuation (EHA) technologies. The project will also investigate how best to integrate electric and hydraulic machines to achieve efficient and power energy conversion devices.
