Reducing Fuel Consumption in Hydraulic Excavators—A Comprehensive Analysis

Milos Vukovic, Roland Leifeld and Hubertus Murrenhoff
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Milos Vukovic: Institute for Fluid Power Drives and Controls (IFAS), RWTH Aachen University, 52062 Aachen, Germany
Roland Leifeld: Institute for Fluid Power Drives and Controls (IFAS), RWTH Aachen University, 52062 Aachen, Germany
Hubertus Murrenhoff: Institute for Fluid Power Drives and Controls (IFAS), RWTH Aachen University, 52062 Aachen, Germany

Energies, 2017, vol. 10, issue 5, 1-25

Abstract: Mobile machines, especially excavators, still consume considerable amounts of fuel during their operating lifetimes. This is not only undesirable in economic terms but also adversely affects our environment. The following paper discusses methods to lower fuel consumption by conducting a comprehensive analysis of the components comprising a hydraulic excavator and the cycles these machines perform. One of the main aims is to emphasise that a design centred on the standard definitions of efficiency, especially hydraulic efficiency, can be rather misleading. A new approach using a novel fuel consumption model, based on the Willans approximation, coupled with the concepts of fixed and variable fuel consumption is introduced and validated using real test data obtained from an 18 t excavator. The new methodology can be used to help uncover simpler methods to improve today’s machines.

Keywords: hydraulic excavators; hybrid systems; fuel consumption; energy recovery; engine downspeeding; independent metering (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (15)

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