Servo driven hydraulic power units have been implemented in some sectors of industry in order to counteract rising energy costs and reduce our ecological footprint. The advantages associated with the use of these technologies has motivated us to research a new control approach that allows its use independently, with reduced implementation costs and high efficiency.
This investigation develops new solutions to concurrently implement and improve volumetric control methodology for oil-hydraulic power units, which aims to produce and provide strictly necessary hydraulic power to the actuators. The approach used is based on a balance of flows present in a hydraulic circuit, reducing the pressure ripple generated by the pumps, valves and actuators, using a hydraulic accumulator.
The work begins with the mathematical modeling of a volumetric oil-hydraulic power unit, designed to demonstrate the concepts of the project, its components and the associated advantages. The definitions of the models presented are intended to exemplify the new control strategy and infer about the possibilities that arise from the use of this new methodology for power oil-hydraulic units.
In order to carry out the research and conclude about the results of the simulations, two simulations were performed using MATLAB Simulink software for two distinct hydraulic circuits and their control strategy: resistive control and volume control with the use of a servo motor.
In the resistive control, an internal gear pump driven by an induction motor with constant speed uses a pressure regulating valve to derive the excess of the flow to the reservoir. Despite their low efficiency, this type of assembly has very low costs and has a very good dynamic compared with traditional volumetric drive systems, avoiding the use of dedicated engineering.
The volumetric control makes use of an internal gear pump (to allow direct comparisons with the resistive control method), a servo motor, a hydraulic accumulator and a directional valve which prevent the flow from de accumulator draining into the reservoir during the downtimes. The controller allows you to establish a direct relationship between the accumulator volume and pressure of the hydraulic circuit.
The control methodology discussed throughout this work reveals an alternative volumetric control solution to consider, whether in new equipment or in retrofitting even with the different objectives of existing technologies available in the market.
The simulations allow us to conclude on energy-saving and environmental advantages of the volumetric control system presented, comparing it with existing systems on the market.
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