Key Takeaways & Executive Findings
- •• The proposed open–closed circuit integrated pump-valve collaborative drive system reduces throttling losses by 90.4–94.4% and energy consumption by 45.9–50.0% compared to traditional load-sensing systems. • The system achieves a 29.4% reduction in installed power compared to traditional pump-controlled multi-actuator systems, lowering costs and improving power density. • The valve-controlled unit provides the majority of energy (77.2%) while the pump-controlled units handle individual actuator motions, enabling high efficiency and flexibility. • The proposed system is particularly suitable for electric construction machinery and heavy equipment with multiple actuators, addressing the need for energy-efficient and high-power-density solutions.
Abstract
Load-sensing systems use a centralized power source for energy supply and multiway valves for flow distribution and suffer from excessive throttling losses and low energy efficiency. Pump-controlled systems adopt volumetric control methods to eliminate throttling losses. However, pump-controlled multi-actuator systems require excessive installed power. To address these issues, by combining the respective advantages of valve- and pump-controlled technologies, an open–closed circuit integrated pump-valve collaborative drive multi-actuator system consisting of pump- and valve-controlled units is proposed. The pump-controlled units manage the individual actuator motions, whereas the valve-controlled unit enhances the driving power of the pump-controlled units. In addition, to optimize the operation characteristics and energy consumption, a four-quadrant control strategy and an ultralow-pressure loss control strategy were proposed. Several experiments were conducted to evaluate the working performance of the proposed system and the load-sensing system under different working conditions. Experimental results demonstrated that the proposed system exhibited satisfactory velocity control characteristics. Compared with the traditional load-sensing system, the proposed system reduced throttling losses by 90.4−94.4% and energy consumption by 45.9−50.0%. Additionally, only 22.8% of the total energy consumption was attributed to the pump-controlled units, with the remainder provided by the valve-controlled unit. Compared with the traditional pump-controlled multi-actuator system, the proposed system achieved a 29.4% reduction in installed power, thereby lowering the system installed power and costs. This paper presents an electrohydraulic multi-actuator drive method that combines high energy efficiency and high power density and is suitable for electric construction machinery and other heavy equipment with multiple actuators.
1. Introduction
Hydraulic control systems are favored owing to their high power density and flexible power distribution and are widely adopted in construction machinery for power distribution and motion control [1]. However, hydraulic systems generally suffer from a low energy efficiency, resulting in large amounts of energy wastage and exhaust emissions [2]. With the advancement of China's “dual carbon” goals, electrification has become the up-to-date development tendency for construction machinery. Electric construction machinery is replacing engines with electric motors. Owing to battery capacity limitations, electric construction machinery struggles to ensure long endurance [3]. Therefore, the development of efficient hydraulic multiactuator systems is crucial for the electrification of construction machinery.
As construction machinery typically adopts valve-controlled systems for power distribution, the most straightforward method is to improve the energy efficiency of valve-controlled systems. A load-sensing (LS) system adapts the pump pressure to approximately 2 MPa higher than the maximum load pressure through a pressure feedback loop, allowing the hydraulic pump to supply the adaptively required flow rate [4]. To improve the energy efficiency of LS systems, Madau et al. [5] proposed a variable pressure margin LS system for a 14-ton wheel loader, reducing the energy consumption by approximately 45% compared with the original system. Mu et al. [6] studied an electrohydraulic LS system that regulated the pressure margin using proportional reducing valves, resulting in a 38.5% reduction in the energy consumption of wheel loaders. Wang et al. [7] proposed a method to regulate active differential pressure. By continuously adjusting the set pressure of the pressure compensator, the pressure differences across the multiway valves were reduced to 0.1 MPa. Lin et al. [8] and Fu et al. [9] proposed an LS system that adopts a variable-speed power source to replace the original variable-displacement power source. Compared with hydraulic excavators equipped with a traditional LS system, the proposed scheme reduces the energy consumption by 37.2%. In addition, the electrohydraulic flow-matching system removes the pressure margin, theo...
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Tao Liang, Long Quan, Lei Ge, Lianpeng Xia (2025). Performance Analysis of Open–Closed Circuit Integrated Pump-Valve Collaborative Drive Multi-Actuator System. Chinese Journal of Mechanical Engineering. https://doi.org/10.1186/s10033-025-01277-9
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the main contribution of this paper?
The paper proposes an open–closed circuit integrated pump-valve collaborative drive multi-actuator system that combines the advantages of valve- and pump-controlled technologies to reduce throttling losses and energy consumption while lowering installed power, making it suitable for electric construction machinery.
How does the proposed system compare to traditional load-sensing systems?
Compared to traditional load-sensing systems, the proposed system reduces throttling losses by 90.4–94.4% and energy consumption by 45.9–50.0%, while maintaining satisfactory velocity control characteristics.
What are the energy-saving strategies used in the system?
The system employs a four-quadrant control strategy and an ultralow-pressure loss control strategy to optimize operation characteristics and energy consumption.
What is the significance of the valve-controlled unit in the system?
The valve-controlled unit enhances the driving power of the pump-controlled units and provides the majority of the energy (77.2%), while the pump-controlled units manage individual actuator motions, resulting in high efficiency and reduced installed power.
What are the potential applications of the proposed system?
The proposed system is suitable for electric construction machinery and other heavy equipment with multiple actuators, offering high energy efficiency and high power density.
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