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The automation of hydraulic mobile machinery, such as excavators, requires high performance control solutions. In hydraulics, this means fast and accurate force, velocity and position control of hydraulic cylinder. Especially the force control is known to be difficult with traditional servo valves. Fast digital hydraulic valves together with modern control solutions can overcome this problem. This paper uses a new force control solution, which is based on the fast digital hydraulic valves and model based control principle. The control solution is applied in a heavy axis mimicking dynamics of mobile machine booms. Experimental results show good force, velocity and position tracking performance with varying load masses. The slow velocity performance is also much improved when compared to the earlier results.

Speed and displacement variable pumps offer a degree of freedom for process control. As a certain operation point can be supplied by different combinations of drive speed and pump displacement intelligent control strategies can address major issues like energy efficiency, process dynamics and noise level in industrial applications. This paper will provide an overview of recent research and development activities to evaluate the named potentials.

During the past three years the Institute for Fluid Power Drives and Controls in Aachen has developed a new hydraulic system for mobile machinery called STEAM. The system represents a new step in excavator hydraulics, as it aims to reduce both the hydraulic system losses as well as those of the internal combustion engine by using a hybrid hydraulic architecture with accumulators. Starting with initial simulation studies the development has been followed by scaled test bench measurements and has progressed to a full scale validation using an 18 t excavator. The following publication aims to summarise the results obtained thus far with the aim of making them available to industry and encouraging their implementation in future applications.

Liebherr mobile harbor cranes use electrical generators to provide electrical power for load attachment devices such as container spreaders or magnets. Upcoming exhaust and noise emission standards and energy saving considerations lead to a broad diesel engine speed range. The challenging design aspect is to ensure a constant speed of the asynchronous generator by the hydraulic drive system. In addition, electrical load profiles of inductive consumers usually have DT1 system characteristics with very small time constants. They evoke fast torque variations interfacing the hydraulic transmission. Liebherr mobile harbor cranes, see Figure 1, usually have a closed hydraulic circuit containing a hydraulic pump with a high displacement volume that is adjusted electronically in accordance to the current diesel engine speed. Regarding the energy saving aspects, a further minimization of the diesel engine speed leads to a larger pump size with increasing torque losses. Depending on the pressure setting, the volume flows can be reduced in constant pressure grids. Especially in part-load operation this results in better efficiency compared to closed hydraulic circuits by minimizing the displacement volume of hydraulic components. To obtain a stable generator speed, it is essential to adjust the displacement volume of the hydraulic unit for equalizing its input torque with the Figure 1: LHM 800 Group 10 - Mobile Hydraulics | Paper 10-5 199 generator load torque. In interaction with the software-based control architecture, the stability of the electrical frequency depends on the mass inertia of the generator drive and time constants of the embedded hydraulic actuators. The system model, represented by ODEs is established and verified with a hydraulic simulation software. On that basis, the design approach of a PI-state-controller is presented. Corresponding controller gains and state feedback parameters are determined by pole placement techniques. To conclude this investigation a comparison between the hydraulically closed circuit and the constant pressure grid is shown by simulation and measurement data.

<div><p>Water is inflammable, non-toxic, environmentally friendly--- desirable traits, for a hydraulic fluid. However, its extremely low viscosity diminishes the load-bearing and sealing capacity of lubricating interfaces. Case in point: axial piston machines of swash plate design are compact, highly efficient positive displacement machines at the heart of hydraulic systems in forestry, construction, aerospace, and agricultural equipment, as well as industrial applications (presses, etc.); however, the three main lubricating interfaces decisive to the performance of such units in terms of both component life and efficiency are challenged by the use of water as working fluid. Especially during high-pressure operation, this low-viscosity lubricant can cause the these interfaces to fail in carrying the imposed load, resulting in severe wear, or even pump failure. The piston-cylinder interface is particularly challenging to design for water because it stands under obligation to carry the heavy side load that acts on the pistons of these machines, which increases with operating pressure. Furthermore, the architecture of axial piston machines of swash plate design does not allow this interface to be hydrostatically balanced.</p> <p> </p> <p>Through the development of a methodology that separates the fluid pressure fields of the three main lubricating interfaces of axial piston machines into their hydrostatic and hydrodynamic components, the present work enables a direct comparison of these interfaces in terms of how they support load. A case study of a 75 cc unit running on hydraulic oil conducted via this methodology at three different operating conditions (low pressure/low speed, low pressure/high speed, and high pressure/low speed) demonstrates that in the piston-cylinder interface, the force from hydrostatic pressure reaches such high magnitudes over the high-pressure stroke that less than half of it is needed to counter the load. The excess force from hydrostatic pressure then becomes the load. Consequentially, hydrodynamic pressure must counter a force from hydrostatic pressure that exceeds the original load. In the other two interfaces, by contrast, over half the load is being carried by hydrostatic pressure, thus significantly diminishing the amount of hydrodynamic pressure the interfaces are required to generate in order to achieve full load support. Moreover, nearly all of the moment on the piston is countered by hydrodynamic pressure, while less than half of the moment on the block is countered by hydrodynamic pressure, and the moment on the slipper is negligible by comparison.</p> <p> </p> <p>While this case study only investigates one pump, it shows how critical hydrodynamic pressure can be to load support in the piston-cylinder interface. The use of a low-viscosity fluid, e.g. water, reduces the hydrodynamic pressure that is generated in this interface, which, at challenging operating conditions, can lead to metal-to-metal contact. However, the performance of the interface can be improved via micro surface shaping, i.e. by giving the surface of the piston, or the bore that it moves through, a shape on the order of microns in height. The aim of present work is to pursue design trends leading to surface shapes that will enable this interface to function at higher pressures than currently achievable. </p> <p> </p> <p>This pursuit takes the form of systematic virtual design studies, an optimization procedure, and an algorithm developed specifically for tailoring the bore surfaces through which the pistons travel to piston tilt and deformation. From this emerges not only a set of design trends corresponding to the dimensions of two particularly powerful types of micro surface shaping, but also a profound insight into the behavior of the water-lubricated piston-cylinder interface fluid film, and how that behavior can be manipulated by changing the component surfaces that constitute its borders. Furthermore, in collaboration with Danfoss High Pressure Pumps, a physical prototype of a 444 cc axial piston pump with surface shaping generated via the aforementioned algorithm has been constructed and tested, achieving a total pump efficiency roughly 3% higher than that achievable by the commercial unit that the geometry of the prototype is based on.</p><br></div>

Komatsu Forest AB in Umeå saw an opportunity to increase performance during fast varying loads, e.g., when starting to feed after the felling cut, that proved more difficult to reach with their new line of stage V forest harvesters. It was believed that this issue was magnified as a result of new environmental regulations which limited their diesel engines' fuel injection quantity with low turbo boost pressure. It was in Komatsu Forest's interest to make comprehensive measurements of hydraulic and engine parameters in order to investigate what was limiting performance. This thesis includes a literature study into a number of viable options for storage types for a heavy hybrid vehicle with the purpose to recommend the best suited type for Komatsu's harvesters. It also includes extensive measurements made on a producing harvester where hydraulic and engine parameters as well as for example valve currents were logged and used as grounds in making the energy storage recommendation. With results from the measurements, the goal was to estimate how much energy is needed, how much energy can be stored and lastly to design an energy storage to supply additional power to increase performance. With successful measurements, it was possible to detect that approximately five kJ of energy with a maximum momentary power of 37 kW was sufficient to achieve a smoother first feeding. Furthermore, approximately 9-14 kJ of energy and between 0,3 and 0,5 l of hydraulic fluid was estimated as potential stored energy and volume from feeding stops of different sized trees plus an additional 3 kJ and 0,1 l of fluid from cutting stops. The best suited energy storage then proved to be an accumulator mounted on the P-line, which resulted in an appropriate accumulator volume of 4 l with an estimated pressure range of 250-280 bar.

The discharge through a river hydropower plant must be controlled such that the water level at a pre-specified point close to the facility is kept within given bounds. The controllers used today have a somewhat demanding tuning and often create too much amplified, unnatural discharge variations resulting in unsatisfactory control performance.This will affect both surrounding nature and imposing problems for river navigation. This thesis will present a new type of controller called Override Selector feedback Control that adds an estimator for the water levels and water flows in the up- and downriver for each hydropower plant on top of the old controller. The objective of the state feedback control is to keep the total variation of the water levels and the waterflows as small as possible. After the linear, discrete time model of the power plant cascade in a river derived from the Saint Venant equations have been developed, the new concept is evaluated. Both the water level sloshing and the amplification of the discharges compared to the structure used today is damped with the new control structure. Other advantages of the proposed controller is that it will be cost efficient to implement because of the add-on approach. This is seen as a very important factor while the actual benefit that can be made by improving the water level control is very limited and thereby also the will to make extensive control investments. The control structure will be easily implemented as the estimators only need the same input data as used today.

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is increasingly being used in nuclear reactor safety analysis as a tool that enables safety related physical phenomena occurring in the reactor coolant system to be described in more detail and accuracy. Validation is a necessary step in improving predictive capability of a computationa code or coupled computational codes. Validation refers to the assessment of model accuracy incorporating any uncertainties (aleatory and epistemic) that may be of importance. The uncertainties must be identi ed, quanti ed and if possible, reduced. In the rst part of this thesis, a discussion on the development of an approach and experimental facility for the validation of coupled Computational Fluid Dynamics codes and System Thermal Hydraulics (STH) codes is given. The validation of a coupled code requires experiments which feature signi cant two-way feedbacks between the component (CFD sub-domain) and the system (STH sub-domain). Results of CFD analysis that are used in the development of a exible design of the TALL-3D experimental facility are presented. The facility consists of a lead-bismuth eutectic (LBE) thermal-hydraulic loop operating in forced and natural circulation regimes with a heated pool-type 3D test section. Transient analysis of the mixing and strati cation phenomena in the 3D test section under forced and natural circulation conditions in the loop show that the test section outlet temperature deviates from that predicted by analytical solution (which the 1D STH solution essentially is). Also an experimental validation test matrix according to the key physical phenomena of interest in the new experimental facility is developed. In the second part of the thesis we consider the risk related to steam generator tube leakage or rupture (SGTL/R) in a pool-type design of lead-cooled reactor (LFR). We demonstrate that there is a possibility that small steam bubbles leaking from the SGT will be dragged by the turbulent coolant ow into the core region. Voiding of the core might cause threats of reactivity insertion accident or local damage (burnout) of fuel rod cladding. Trajectories of the bubbles are determined by the bubble size and turbulent ow eld of lead coolant. The main objective of such study is to quantify likelihood of steam bubble transport to the core region in case of SGT leakage in the primary coolant system of the ELSY (European Lead-cooled SYstem) design. Coolant ow eld and bubble motion are simulated by CFD code Star-CCM+. First, we discuss drag correlations for a steam bubble moving in liquid lead. Thereafter the steady state liquid lead ow eld in the primary system is modeled according to the ELSY design parameters of nominal full power operation. Finally, the consequences of SGT leakage are modeled by injecting bubbles in the steam generator region. An assessment of the probability that bubbles can reach the core region and also accumulate in the primary system, is performed. The most dangerous leakage positions in the SG and bubble sizes are identi ed. Possible design solutions for prevention of core voiding in case of SGTL/R are discussed.

In today’s forest industry two mechanized methods are used, the Tree Length (TL) method and the Cut To Length (CTL) method. With the Tree Length method, trees are harvested and extracted from the forest as a whole tree to be further processed whereas with the Cut To Length method trees are harvested, branches are removed and the tree is cut to desired length to be extracted by a forwarder. The Cut To Length method is now a day 100 percent mechanized and more and more emphasis is put on efficiency in both harvesting and forwarding the trees. Efficiency can be measured in trees harvested per hour but also in fuel consumption. As an effect, the performance of the machines is in higher demand. Ponsse Plc is a finnish forestry machine company with production in Vieremä where both harvesters and forwarders are manufactured. Cranes and loaders are also made by Ponsse to match their harvesters and forwarders. Ponsse manufactures two designs of harvester cranes; a sliding boom crane and a parallel crane. The different types of cranes have the same reach but with different geometries and weights, which also leads to different momentum of inertia. The purpose of this master thesis is to investigate, from an energy efficiency point of view, the difference in performance between a sliding boom crane, C2, and a parallel crane, C22 by measuring the hydraulic pump’s flow and the rotational energy of the cranes. This has been done by modelling the cranes’ hydraulic circuits and by using 3D-CAD models with mass and inertias in Simulink. More specific, only the crane tips of the cranes have moved along a set trajectory, equal for both crane types. Different range and loads have been simulated. The energy needed for rotating the cranes have been calculated for different crane tip positions and compared. Simulink simulations gave beneficial results for the parallel crane when unloaded and acting at a shorter reach. For longer reach, the sliding boom crane was more efficient. The calculations of the cranes rotational energies showed that the parallel crane C22 yielded higher values than the C2 at shorter distance from the axis of revolution. The C2 crane had however slightly higher values than the C22 crane at longer reach, but it should be noted that differences were small. From this analysis, it is concluded that the C2 crane has an overall lower need of rotational energy and is therefore deemed the better crane. Keywords: Forest machines, hydraulics, efficiency / I världen idag existerar två mekaniserade skördartekniker inom skogsavverkningen, helträdsavverkning och kortvirkesavverkningen. Den första innebär att hela träd skördas och skotas ut till en uppläggningsplats medan man inom korttimmeravverkningen istället fäller träden med en skördare som sedan kvistar och till sist kapar trädet till önskad längd. Denna avverkning är numera 100 procent mekaniserad och effektivare avverkning är ständigt i blickfånget. Effektivare avverkning kan yttra sig i antalet fällda träd per timme men också i bränslekostnader. Dessa krav ställer i slutändan krav på skördarna och skotarnas prestanda. Ponsse Oyj är ett finskt skogsmaskinsföretag med fabrik i Vieremä som tillverkar både skördare och skotare. Till dessa maskiner tillverkar man även egna kranar. För skördare har man två olika designer, dels en bomkran och dels en parallellkran. Dessa båda krantyper har lika räckvidd men olika geometrier och vikt, vilket också innebär att masströgheterna skiljer dem åt. Syftet med detta examensarbete har varit att undersöka en av vardera krantypen, C2 från bomkrantypen och C22 från parallelltypen ur ett energieffektivitetshänseende. Detta har gjorts genom att mäta hydraulpumpflödet och kranarnas rotationsenergi. Mer specifikt har båda kranarna modellerats i Simulink med hydraulik och mekanik för att avgöra vilken av kranarna som är effektivast när kranspetsen har flyttats i en rörelse lika för båda kranarna. Kranspetsrörelsen simulerades med olika laster och för olika rörelser. Denna rörelse har varit i planet och för att jämföra kranarna vid vridning har kranspetsen placerats i olika positioner och masströgheten beräknats för vridning kring rotationsaxeln. För given rotationshastighet beräknades sedan vederbörande rotationsenergi för de olika positionerna. Simuleringarna resulterade i en fördel för parallellkranen vid korta sträckor och obelastad kran. För längre räckvid visade istället bomkranen bättre effektvärden. För rotation av kranarna kring dess rotationsaxel med kranspetsen i olika positioner visar parallellkranen C22 högre energivärden än bomkranen när kranspetsen är placerad fem meter från rotationsaxeln men för positioner längre ut, vid 9,9 respektive 10 meter påvisar C2 kranen kräva högre energi, om än i nivå med parallellkranen. Energieffektivast ur rotationshänseende är således bomkranen då den överlag behöver lägre energi eller i nivå med den andra. Nyckelord: Skogsmaskiner, hydraulik, effektivitet