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A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "D: Energy Storage and Application".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 November 2022) | Viewed by 25094

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Paolo Casoli

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Guest Editor

Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Parma, 43124 Parma, Italy
Interests: hybrid hydraulic; industrial and mobile fluid power systems applications; condition monitoring in hydraulic systems
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Massimo Rundo

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Guest Editor

Department of Energy, Politecnico di Torino, 10129 Turin, Italy
Interests: fluid power; internal gear pump; crescent pump; gerotor pump; vane pump
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue on “Application and Analysis in Fluid Power Systems” aims to collect studies on the recent advances of fluid power technology in a wide range of topics, including the following:

New methodologies for the analysis, modeling, simulation, and design of hydraulic and pneumatic components;
Advanced configurations and design for hydrostatic machines and valves;
New experimental approaches and techniques in hydraulic and pneumatic components;
Advanced system configuration in mobile and industrial fluid power;
Applications of fluid power in the field of hydrostatic, hybrid, and power split transmissions;
Safety, prognostic, monitoring and fault detection in fluid power components;
Hydraulic drives and actuators in powered prosthetics;
Reduction in noise and vibration in hydraulic components and systems;
Environmental topics and issues in fluid power;
New system architectures based on EHA to reduce fuel consumption and increase productivity of fluid power machines;
EHA: simulation, implementation, and component integration;
Digital fluid power;
Aerospace, off-road machinery and stationary applications;
Control design methodologies and techniques for fluid power systems;
New system configurations to reduce fuel consumption and increase productivity of fluid power machines;
Applications of fluid power in the field of renewable energy;
Fluid power in mobile and industrial robots;
Smart fluids and materials for fluid power systems.

On behalf of Energies, I invite you to consider this Special Issue as an opportunity to publish your research results in the field of fluid power. We are looking forward to receiving your submissions.

Prof. Dr. Paolo Casoli
Prof. Dr. Massimo Rundo
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Energies is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

fluid power
hydrostatic pumps and motors
hydraulic control valves
digital hydraulics
water hydraulics
hydrostatic transmissions
hybrid and power split transmissions
hydraulic hybrids
hydraulic and pneumatic robots
noise and vibration keyword
oscillation damping
energy efficiency
fuel consumption
drives and actuators
hydraulic eco-fluids
pneumatics

Related Special Issue

Application and Analysis in Fluid Power Systems II in Energies (5 articles)

Published Papers (13 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 7008 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Study on Stability of Gas Pressure Regulator with a Built-In Silencer

by Dmitry Stadnik, Victor Sverbilov, Vladimir Ilyukhin, Alexander Igolkin, Maxim Balyaba and Evgeniy Shakhmatov

Energies 2023, 16(1), 372; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en16010372 - 28 Dec 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1273

Abstract

Gas pressure regulators are widely used in gas transportation and distribution systems. They are designed for deep pressure reduction and maintainance with high accuracy over a wide flow range. Operation at a high pressure drop is accompanied by a high level of noise, for reduction of which, silencers are used. However, installation of a noise suppressor into the regulator design has a significant impact on its static and dynamic characteristics. This can lead to a decrease of accuracy, loss of stability and occurrence of self-oscillations of the valve. These, in turn, lead to increasing noise and vibration, wear of contact surfaces and premature failure of the regulator. The paper presents results of a study of dynamic characteristics of a modernized serial regulator with a built-in noise suppressor. A mathematical model was compiled and its study was carried out in the SimulationX software package. The joint influence on the system stability of the parameters of the muffler and the block of throttles, designed to adjust the static characteristic of the regulator, is considered. It is shown that the proper choice of throttle resistances can ensure the stability of the control system in a wide range of gas flow rates. The results can be used when designing regulators with built-in noise suppressors. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application and Analysis in Fluid Power Systems)

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27 pages, 8966 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Prototyping and Experimental Investigation of Digital Hydraulically Driven Knee Exoskeleton

by Rituraj Rituraj, Rudolf Scheidl, Peter Ladner, Martin Lauber and Andreas Plöckinger

Energies 2022, 15(22), 8695; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en15228695 - 19 Nov 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1501

Abstract

Digital hydraulic drives are known for their superior efficiency, power density, and robustness. Such advantages make them an attractive alternative (to electric drives) for actuation of exoskeleton devices. This work presents development of a prototype for such a digital hydraulically driven knee exoskeleton and its experimental testing. The device uses two miniature hydraulic cylinders and a novel mechanism to translate the linear motion to rotary motion. The device is controlled via a passive control method in the stance phase and a simplified model predictive control method in the swing phase. In this work, the design of the exoskeleton device is optimized with respect to compactness and weight. Next, the features of the design are further refined to ensure that the device is able to support the operational loads. This design is then realized into a prototype with a mixture of inhouse manufactured parts and procured components. Finally, via experimental tests, the performance of the design and the control strategy are investigated. Certain drawbacks related to valve size and overall weight are observed in the prototype, which will be addressed in future studies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application and Analysis in Fluid Power Systems)

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Graphical abstract

24 pages, 5481 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Taguchi Techniques as an Effective Simulation-Based Strategy in the Design of Numerical Simulations to Assess Contact Stress in Gerotor Pumps

by Pedro Javier Gamez-Montero and Ernest Bernat-Maso

Energies 2022, 15(19), 7138; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en15197138 - 28 Sep 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2223

Abstract

The contact problem of a trochoidal gear is a drawback and a well-known performance indicator of a gerotor pump. Although numerical simulations aid in the evaluation of contact stress, the difficult task of determining geometrical parameters, operating conditions, and the number of simulations to run falls to the designer. This paper presents the Taguchi techniques as an effective simulation-based strategy to narrow down the geometrical parameter combinations, reducing the solution space and optimizing the number of simulations. The work is first focused on the validation of the proposed numerical model by means of published contact stress results of recognized researchers in the field, as well as the unification of nomenclature and notation. Then, the Taguchi approach is based on a sequence of four experiments, ranging from the screening case with two levels and seven parameters to multiple levels and four parameters with three software input operating conditions (temperature, torque, and friction coefficient) emulating noise effects. The contact stresses of 128 gear sets, having common volumetric capacity and dimensional constraints to detach mechanical performance from flow rate and casing, were analyzed. Results prove the feasibility of the proposed methodology by identifying the most suitable gear set configuration and predicting the quantifiable performances of a real-working gerotor pump. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application and Analysis in Fluid Power Systems)

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19 pages, 8507 KiB

Open AccessArticle

LQG Control of an Open Circuit Axial Piston Pump

by Alexander Mitov, Jordan Kralev and Tsonyo Slavov

Energies 2022, 15(18), 6800; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en15186800 - 17 Sep 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1616

Abstract

In recent years, the development of hydraulic variable displacement axial piston machines has been focused in two main directions: improvement of their construction and improvement of their displacement control methods. The goal of both directions is to increase the efficiency of the machines. Increasing their efficiency is key to improving the efficiency of the entire hydraulic system, whether they are used as pumps or hydraulic motors. This motivates the present work, which essentially contains a developed embedded control system designed for a known type of open circuit axial piston pump. The developed solution is implemented on a laboratory test rig. A detailed description of the hydraulic system in the context of pump displacement control is presented, as well as the developed system architecture for its control. The control system is based on a linear-quadratic Gaussian (LQG) controller. The controller is synthesized on the basis of a model obtained by means of identification based on experimental data. The designed controller is validated through experimental studies, enabling the analysis of its performance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application and Analysis in Fluid Power Systems)

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Graphical abstract

19 pages, 3803 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Data-Driven Condition Monitoring of a Hydraulic Press Using Supervised Learning and Neural Networks

by Faried Makansi and Katharina Schmitz

Energies 2022, 15(17), 6217; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en15176217 - 26 Aug 2022

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 1686

Abstract

The automated evaluation of machine conditions is key for efficient maintenance planning. Data-driven methods have proven to enable the automated mapping of complex patterns in sensor data to the health state of a system. However, generalizable approaches for the development of such solutions in the framework of industrial applications are not established yet. In this contribution, a procedure is presented for the development of data-driven condition monitoring solutions for industrial hydraulics using supervised learning and neural networks. The proposed method involves feature extraction as well as feature selection and is applied on simulated data of a hydraulic press. Different steps of the development process are investigated regarding the design options and their efficacy in fault classification tasks. High classification accuracies could be achieved with the presented approach, whereas different faults are shown to require different configurations of the classification models. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application and Analysis in Fluid Power Systems)

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14 pages, 464 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Concept of Risk Prioritization in FMEA of Fluid Power Components

by Joanna Fabis-Domagala and Mariusz Domagala

Energies 2022, 15(17), 6180; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en15176180 - 25 Aug 2022

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 1224

Abstract

FMEA is a widely used tool for decades and is also used as an industrial standard. However, there are two main drawbacks of this analysis that have been specified from the beginning. The first one is risk prioritization, which is expressed by a risk priority number (RPN). The RPN is a product of three factors with equal weight: severity (S), occurrence (O), and detection (D), which may produce equal risk priority for different combinations of S, O, and D. The second is the uncertainties caused by converting linguistic terms into quantitative data. The essential data used in the FMEA strongly depend on subjective experts’ opinions, knowledge, and experience. For decades, various attempts of overcoming these weaknesses have been made, not only by academics but also by industry. The Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG) and Verband der Automobilindustrie (VDA) have created an FMEA handbook that defines action priority (AP) depending on the combination of severity, occurrence, and detection numbers. This study presents an alternative to risk prioritization in FMEA based on failures of the tasks which analyzed systems perform. The fundamental factors S, O, and D have been redefined in a way to minimize uncertainties. The proposed method has been implemented in the flow control valve and can be easily applied in mechanical engineering applications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application and Analysis in Fluid Power Systems)

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25 pages, 82565 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Variable Pressure Multi-Pressure Rail System Design for Agricultural Applications

by Xiaofan Guo, Jacob Lengacher and Andrea Vacca

Energies 2022, 15(17), 6173; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en15176173 - 25 Aug 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1971

Abstract

This paper presents a solution for reducing energy loss in the hydraulic control system of agricultural tractors and their implements. The solution is referred to as a multi-pressure rail (MPR) and provides power to the hydraulic functions following a pressure control logic, as opposed to the traditional flow control logic typical of hydraulic systems used in off-road vehicles. The proposed hydraulic control system allows for elimination of redundant flow control valves in the state-of-the-art system, which cause excessive throttling losses leading to poor overall energy efficiency. Related work on MPR technology targets construction vehicles, where the MPR solution can allow energy recovery during overrunning loads and better engine management. This paper alternatively addresses the case of agricultural applications where functions mostly operate under resistive load conditions with slow dynamics, which offers an opportunity to target throttle losses. For this purpose, the paper introduces a variable pressure control strategy to handle the instantaneous pressure at each rail. To develop both the controller and the hydraulic system architecture, a stationary test rig is conceived and used to validate a numerical simulation model of the MPR system and its control strategy. Particular focus is given to the dynamic behavior of the system during the switches of a function between different pressure rails, which needs to ensure reduced oscillations of the flow provided to each hydraulic function. Once validated, the simulation model is used to predict the energy savings of the MPR solution in an actual application: a 435 hp hydraulic tractor powering a 16-row planter, for which operating features during typical drive cycles were available to the authors. The results show up to 59% total power reduction at the pump shaft, corresponding to 89.8% system efficiency gain. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application and Analysis in Fluid Power Systems)

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16 pages, 4948 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Multi-Chamber Actuator Mode Selection through Reinforcement Learning–Simulations and Experiments

by Henrique Raduenz, Liselott Ericson, Victor J. De Negri and Petter Krus

Energies 2022, 15(14), 5117; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en15145117 - 13 Jul 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1138

Abstract

This paper presents the development and implementation of a reinforcement learning agent as the mode selector for a multi-chamber actuator in a load-sensing architecture. The agent selects the mode of the actuator to minimise system energy losses. The agent was trained in a simulated environment and afterwards deployed to the real system. Simulation results indicated the capability of the agent to reduce energy consumption, while maintaining the actuation performance. Experimental results showed the capability of the agent to learn via simulation and to control the real system. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application and Analysis in Fluid Power Systems)

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22 pages, 7877 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Theoretical Analysis of Active Flow Ripple Control in Positive Displacement Pumps

by Paolo Casoli, Carlo Maria Vescovini, Fabio Scolari and Massimo Rundo

Energies 2022, 15(13), 4703; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en15134703 - 27 Jun 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1322

Abstract

Positive displacement machines present a well-known major drawback that is the oscillation in delivered flow rate. This paper presents two active solutions for reducing the flow ripple generated by a pump with an external device actuated by means of a piezo-stack actuator. The work is focused on a theoretical analysis, with the aim of collecting information about the performance of the solutions proposed and their main advantages and drawbacks. The active methods proposed involve a cylindrical actuator connected to the delivery line of the pump. The piston could be actuated directly by a piezo-stack actuator or by a differential pressure modulated by a proportional piezo actuated valve. The actuators were modelled and a control algorithm based on Least Mean Square algorithm was used to achieve the adaptability for both systems at different operating conditions. The developed mathematical model permits to define the great potential of these solutions that can drastically reduce the flow ripple. The first architecture presented resulted as the best solution, while the second one allowed reduction of the production cost. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application and Analysis in Fluid Power Systems)

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23 pages, 7685 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Graphic Method to Evaluate Power Requirements of a Hydraulic System Using Load-Holding Valves

by Luis Javier Berne, Gustavo Raush, Pedro Roquet, Pedro-Javier Gamez-Montero and Esteban Codina

Energies 2022, 15(13), 4558; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en15134558 - 22 Jun 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1733

Abstract

It is very well known that the use of a load-holding valve (LHV) in a hydraulic system introduces additional energy consumption. This article presented a simplified graphical method for analyzing the power requirements of hydraulic systems equipped with load-holding valves for overrunning load control. The method helps to understand the performance of load-holding valves during actuator movement. In addition, it allows visualization of the influence on the overall system consumption of the main parameters (pilot ratio, set pressure) and others such as flow rate, back pressure, and load force. The method is attractive because, with only the pressures at the three ports and the valve relief function curve, it is sufficient to evaluate the energy consumption and to define the power ratio as an index indicating the percentage of energy that is to be used to open the LHV valve. The method was applied to real cases, in particular to two types of lifting mobile machines. It was validated following several outdoor tests on two mobile machines where experimental data were obtained. During tests, both machines were equipped with a set of seven different performance LHV valves. The described method could be beneficial for hydraulic machine manufacturers engaged in designing lifting devices when selecting a suitable valve for energy efficiency applications, especially now that the trend towards electrification is a reality. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application and Analysis in Fluid Power Systems)

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18 pages, 7113 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Operating Parameters on Efficiency of Swash-Plate Type Axial Piston Pump

by Heikki Kauranne

Energies 2022, 15(11), 4030; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en15114030 - 30 May 2022

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2015

Abstract

In an effort to improve the energy economics of hydraulic systems, attention should be paid to reducing power losses in two main entities, energy converting components, and energy controlling and conveying components. Achieving the former requires utilizing components’ most energy efficient operating range. The energy converting efficiency of a pump, which is the primary energy converter in a hydraulic system, is determined by several operational factors. Of these, only pressure and rotational speed are normally considered, but also the fluid temperature and derived capacity with variable displacement pumps have a major effect on the efficiency. Omitting these factors may lead to running the pump outside its most efficient operation range and cause high energy losses. Operating the pump in its optimal region calls, however, for detailed knowledge of its performance characteristics, which are not generally made public by the pump manufacturers. This study presents the performance measurement results of a variable displacement axial piston pump in the form of efficiencies as a function of pressure, rotational speed, derived capacity and inlet fluid temperature. The results show that all of these factors have a significant impact on pump’s energy conversion efficiency and should, therefore, be taken into account when operating a hydraulic pump. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application and Analysis in Fluid Power Systems)

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15 pages, 4256 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Energy Comparison between a Load Sensing System and Electro-Hydraulic Solutions Applied to a 9-Ton Excavator

by Paolo Casoli, Fabio Scolari, Carlo Maria Vescovini and Massimo Rundo

Energies 2022, 15(7), 2583; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en15072583 - 01 Apr 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3135

Abstract

With the increasingly stringent regulations on air quality and the consequent emission limits for internal combustion engines, researchers are concentrating on studying new solutions for improving efficiency and energy saving even in off-road mobile machines. To achieve this task, pump-controlled or displacement-controlled systems have inspired interest for applications in off-road working machines. Generally, these systems are derived from the union of a hydraulic machine coupled to an electric one to create compact components that could be installed near the actuator. The object of study of this work is a 9-ton excavator, whose hydraulic circuit is grounded on load sensing logic. The validated mathematical model, created previously in the Simcenter Amesim© environment, represents the starting point for developing electro-hydraulic solutions. Electric components have been inserted to create different architectures, both with open- and closed-circuit layouts, in order to compare the energy efficiency of the different configurations with respect to the traditional load sensing system. The simulations of a typical working cycle show the energy benefits of electro-hydraulic solutions that allow for drastically reducing the mechanical energy required by the diesel engine and, consequently, the fuel consumption. This is mainly possible because of the elimination of directional valves and pressure compensators, which are necessary in a load sensing circuit, but are also a source of great energy dissipations. The results show that closed-circuit solutions produce the greatest benefits, with higher energy efficiencies than the open-circuit solution. Furthermore, closed-circuit configurations require fewer components, allowing for more compact and lighter solutions, as well as being cheaper. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application and Analysis in Fluid Power Systems)

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24 pages, 7557 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Energy Savings in Hydraulic Hybrid Transmissions through Digital Hydraulics Technology

by Israa Azzam, Keith Pate, Jose Garcia-Bravo and Farid Breidi

Energies 2022, 15(4), 1348; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en15041348 - 13 Feb 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2407

Abstract

Hydraulic hybrid drivetrains, which are fluid power technologies implemented in automobiles, present a popular alternative to conventional drivetrain architectures due to their high energy savings, flexibility in power transmission, and ease of operation. Hydraulic hybrid drivetrains offer multiple environmental benefits compared to other power transmission technologies. They provide heavy-duty vehicles, e.g., commercial transportation, construction equipment, wagon handling, drilling machines, and military trucks, with the potential to achieve better fuel economy and lower carbon emissions. Despite the preponderance of hydraulic hybrid transmissions, state-of-the-art hydraulic hybrid drivetrains have relatively low efficiencies, around 64% to 81%. This low efficiency is due to the utilization of conventional variable displacement pumps and motors that experience high power losses throughout the drive cycle and thus fail to maintain high operating efficiency at lower volumetric displacements. This work proposes and validates a new methodology to improve the overall efficiency of hydraulic hybrid drivetrains by replacing conventional pump/motor units with their digital counterparts. Compared to conventional pump/motors, the digital pump/motor can achieve higher overall efficiencies at a wide range of operating conditions. A proof-of-concept digital pump/motor prototype was built and tested. The experimental data were integrated into a multi-domain physics-based simulation model of a series hydraulic hybrid transmission. The proposed methodology permits enhancing the overall efficiency of a series hydraulic hybrid transmission and thus allows for energy savings. Simulating the system at moderate load-speed conditions allowed achieving a total efficiency of around 89%. Compared to the average efficiency of the series hydraulic hybrid drivetrains, our simulation results reveal that the utilization of the state-of-the-art digital pump enables improving the total efficiency of the series hydraulic hybrid drivetrain by up to 25%. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application and Analysis in Fluid Power Systems)

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