Study of losses and energy efficiency of hydrostatic drives with hydraulic cylinder

Energy efficiency of hydrostatic transmissions, and especially efficiencies of drives with motor speed controlled by throttle, as well as efficiency of hydraulic servomechanisms can in fact be higher than the efficiency values most frequently given by the respective literature in this field. With the progress achieved in recent years in the development of hydraulic systems it is becoming necessary to develop methods for precise energy efficiency calculation of such systems. It is difficult to imagine that more and more, better and better machines and control elements could be used without the possibility of a mathematical tool at our disposal to enable an accurate analysis and assessment of behavior of the system in which such machines and control elements have been applied. The paper discusses energy savings using mathematical model of losses in elements, the energy efficiency of the system. There are possibilities to reduce energy losses in proportional control systems (in the pump, in the throttle control unit, especially in the cylinder), and thus to improve the energy efficiency of the throttling manifold. The considerations allow for comparison of the loss power resulting from the applied hydraulic control structure of the hydraulic cylinder and the power consumed by the pump from the electric motor that drives it, the power necessary to provide pump-driven hydraulic cylinder. The article shows the impact on the output (useful) power consumed in the considered systems, and the impact on the power consumed of the loss power in the individual elements. The paper presents also formulas of loss power, formulas of energy efficiency connected with investigated hydrostatic drives, two schematic diagrams of hydraulic systems, their principle of operation and problems of studying losses in elements and energy efficiency characteristics of systems consisting of a feed assembly, control set and cylinder. It also includes a subject matter connected with an energy loss power of hydrostatic systems with hydraulic cylinder controlled by proportional directional control valve. Diagrams of loss power of two hydraulic systems worked at the same parameters of speed and load of a cylinder, which were different due to structure and ability of energy saving, were presented and compared.