The implementation of an energy recovery system for retreiving otherways wasted energy is an effective method for reducing the overall energy consumption of a mobile machine. In a fork lift, there are two subsystems that can be effectively modified for recovering energy. These are the driveline and the lift/lower function of the mast. This study focuses on the latter by studying a recovery system whose main component is a hydraulic transformer consisting of a hydraulic motor, a variable displacement pump and an induction motor. Since the flow rate/pressure - ratio can be modified, the utilization of the hydraulic transformer enables downsizing of the accumulator volume. However, the decrease of the gas volume leads to an increase in the compression ratio of the accumulator, which in terms leads to higher gas temperatures after charging and consequently to higher thermal losses during holding phase. In order to reduce these losses, a thermally regenerative unit was implemented to the gas volume of an accumulator to reduce the temperature build up during charging. In this study, the effect of improving the thermal characteristics of the accumulator to the efficiency of the whole energy recovery system is investigated by means of measurements.

The implementation of an energy recovery system for retreiving otherways wasted energy is an effective method for reducing the overall energy consumption of a mobile machine. In a fork lift, there are two subsystems that can be effectively modified for recovering energy. These are the driveline and the lift/lower function of the mast. This study focuses on the latter by studying a recovery system whose main component is a hydraulic transformer consisting of a hydraulic motor, a variable displacement pump and an induction motor. Since the flow rate/pressure - ratio can be modified, the utilization of the hydraulic transformer enables downsizing of the accumulator volume. However, the decrease of the gas volume leads to an increase in the compression ratio of the accumulator, which in terms leads to higher gas temperatures after charging and consequently to higher thermal losses during holding phase. In order to reduce these losses, a thermally regenerative unit was implemented to the gas volume of an accumulator to reduce the temperature build up during charging. In this study, the effect of improving the thermal characteristics of the accumulator to the efficiency of the whole energy recovery system is investigated by means of measurements.

Standardized parts like hydraulic accumulators are used in nearly every hydraulic system, in many cases even several. Therefore, even small changes in size and weight of accumulators can save considerable material costs. In mobile applications, hydraulic accumulators are used among others in hydro-pneumatic suspension systems. There is a strong focus on miniaturization and weight reduction, as the components always have to be transported with the vehicle. Energy density and energy content of conventional hydraulic accumulators cannot be maximized at the same time. This limitation can be overcome by adding a heat capacity with large surface into the gas volume of the accumulator. The heat capacity enlarges the isothermal frequency range and therefore enlarges the energy density of the accumulator at the given frequency and the given size. In this paper an experimental comparison of conventional hydraulic accumulators and accumulators with foam inserts shows, that at a specific frequency band, the stiffness of foam filled accumulators is significantly lower than of conventional accumulators. The energy density is about 11 % higher than in conventional accumulators. Consequently, a space reduction of about 18 % is possible.

The transportation sector consumes around 70% of all petroleum in the US. In recent years, there have been improvements in the efficiency of the vehicles, and hybrid techniques that have been used to improve efficiency for conventional combustion vehicles. Hydraulic systems have been used as an alternative to conventional electric regenerative systems with good results. It has been proven that hydraulic systems can improve energy consumption in conventional combustion vehicles and in refuse collection vehicles. The control strategy has a large impact on the performance of the system and studies have shown the control strategy selection should be optimized and selected based on application. The performance of a hydraulic accumulator was compared with the performance of a set of ultracapacitors with the same energy storage capacity. The energy efficiency for the ultracapacitor was around 79% and the energy efficiency of the hydraulic accumulator was 87.7%. The power/mass ratio in the set of ultracapacitors was 2.21 kW/kg and 2.69 kW/kg in the hydraulic accumulator. The cost/power ratio is 217 US$/kW in the ultracapacitors and 75 US$/kW in the hydraulic accumulator. Based on these results, the hydraulic accumulator was selected as the energy storage device for the system. A testbench was designed, modeled, implemented to test the energy storage system in different conditions of operation. The experimental results of the testbench show how system can be actively controlled for different operating conditions. The operating conditions in the system can be adjusted by changing the number of rheostats connected to the electric generator. Different variables in the system were measured such as the angular shaft speed in the hydraulic pump, the torque and speed in the hydraulic motor, the pressure in the system, the flow rate, and the current and voltage in the electric generator. The control algorithm was successfully implemented, the results for the pressure in the system and the angular speed in the electric generator show how the control system can follow a desired reference value. Two different controllers were implemented: one controller for the pressure in the system, and one controller for the speed.

Hydraulic piston accumulators play a major role especially within the field of stationary hydraulics. The calculation of the amount of hydraulic energy which can be stored in such an accumulator is crucial when it comes to a precise system design. The knowledge of the temperature and pressure within the accumulator is required in order to calculate the amount of energy to be stored. The state of the art solution to estimate the state of change of such an accumulator is the implementation of a costly measurement system within the accumulator which tracks the position of the piston. The goal of this paper is to develop and to analyse a time efficient simulation approach for the gaseous phase within a piston accumulator depending on the accumulator’s load cycle. Temperature, pressure, density and velocity profiles inside of the gaseous phase are calculated transiently in order to achieve that goal. The simulation model is derived in one dimensional environment to save computational effort. Having derived a valid model of the gaseous phase it will be possible in future works to replace the expensive position measurement system by pressure and temperature transducers and then use the model to calculate the position of the piston and therefore estimate the state of change.

This paper addresses the necessity of a correct hydraulic accumulator pre-charge pressure for the optimum performance and in some cases even the essential function of the corresponding hydraulic application. In this context HYDAC has developed a smart product for predictive monitoring of the pre-charge pressure without any need to do a measurement on the gas side of the accumulator – the p0-Guard. The paper gives an overview on the conventional way of checking the pre-charge pressure, the function of the monitoring device and points out the benefits of a predictive monitoring of the accumulator precharge pressure. The benefits are clearly depicted by an analytical view as well as on practical example.