Abstract
Over the last decade, off-road vehicles have been increasingly hybridized through powertrain electrification in terms of additional electrical machine-based propulsion and battery energy storage, with the goal of achieving significant gains in fuel economy and reductions in greenhouse gases emissions. Since hybrid powertrains consist of two or more different energy sources and may be arranged in many different configurations, there are many open questions in their design and powertrain energy management control, which may have influence on the hybridized powertrain purchase cost and efficiency. This paper presents simple backward optimization models of conventional and hybrid cable skidder powertrains. These models are then used in the optimization of control variables over one forest path in order to find the minimum possible fuel consumption. The optimization results show that 15% fuel efficiency improvement in winching and skid trail driving can be achieved with the selected hybrid powertrain. With that improvement, main hybrid drive components can be paid off in 13 years.
Highlights
IntroductionAgriculture and forestry are responsible for about six percent of the greenhouse gases (GHG) shares in the EU-27 countries [1], with transportation in harvesting operations having the greatest environmental impact, with fuel consumption being mostly comparable to expenditures of other resources (motor and hydraulic oil, tires, maintenance, etc.) consumed during these operations [2]
Agriculture and forestry are responsible for about six percent of the greenhouse gases (GHG) shares in the EU-27 countries [1], with transportation in harvesting operations having the greatest environmental impact, with fuel consumption being mostly comparable to expenditures of other resources consumed during these operations [2].In order to satisfy the proposed goals for reduction of GHG and other harmful gasses, manufacturers are constantly innovating
According to [24], for very shallow battery depth of discharge (DoD) (10%), the battery cycle life is typically about 15,000 charge/discharge cycles. This life cycle value represents the expected utilization lifetime of the skidder battery before the degradation of its characteristics due to utilization becomes perceptible, which typically mandates a complete replacement of the battery energy storage system
Summary
Agriculture and forestry are responsible for about six percent of the greenhouse gases (GHG) shares in the EU-27 countries [1], with transportation in harvesting operations having the greatest environmental impact, with fuel consumption being mostly comparable to expenditures of other resources (motor and hydraulic oil, tires, maintenance, etc.) consumed during these operations [2]. According to [1], the average age of non-road mobile machinery (NRMM) used in agriculture and forestry is over 15 years These vehicles are rather expensive due to their specialized purpose, so their owners and operators are not likely to purchase a new vehicle, hybrid or electric, due to their high purchase (initial investment) cost, especially if hybridization through retrofitting might be a much less expensive solution to satisfying the reduced emissions and fuel (energy) expenditure constraints. Hybridization through retrofitting of existing vehicle powertrains may be a more palatable solution for off-road machinery operators, because it allows for three main advantages compared to traditional vehicles: (i) reduction of harmful particles and gasses, (ii) improved driving performance, and (iii) lower fuel consumption. Based on the results of the optimization study conducted conclusions are drawn regarding the potentials for emission reduction and overall fuel (energy) efficiency improvement of hybridized powertrains in a forestry machinery application, along with the estimation of the return of investment period of such a hybridization
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