Technology developed and manufactured by Parker Hannifin looks set to help the operators of commercial vehicles cut both fuel consumption and vehicle emissions, as well as reducing the need to run engines at high speeds to power on-board hydraulic systems. The Stored Energy Management System (SEMS) is suitable for use with refuse trucks and short-haul delivery lorries that frequently stop and start in the course of their normal working life.
SEMS uses proven Parker hydraulic and electronic technology to capture the kinetic energy generated by vehicle braking systems, with the energy then being made available to power on-board equipment. This considerably reduces demand on the engine, which in a typical application in a refuse vehicle can translate into fuel savings of to 5% with a corresponding decrease in emissions.
In addition, the use of stored energy from the accumulator eliminates the need to run the engine at high speeds while the vehicle is stationary in order to drive systems such as the compacting and crushing units found on refuse vehicles. As a result, operating noise can be significantly reduced, by as much as 50% depending on the application; this is of considerable benefit for vehicles that have to be used in built-up residential areas, allowing them to be used at quieter times of day or night when there is less traffic congestion.
SEMS incorporates a conventional Parker hydraulic accumulator, which is automatically charged every time the vehicle brakes; alternatively, the accumulator can be powered via from an electronically controlled pump attached to a power take-off (PTO) point. The accumulator is normally linked to a hydraulic converter that reduces the stored high pressure energy to the exact level required by the different items of ancillary equipment on each vehicle.
Overall system management is then achieved by Parker’s IQAN software based hydraulic control technology, which combines in-cab HMI units and joysticks with specialised sensors, I/O and interfaces, to create a powerful yet flexible method of monitoring and controlling hydraulic systems.