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Modelling of an electro-hydraulic forklift in Matlab Simulink

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 International Review on Modelling and Simulations (I.RE.MO.S.), Vol. 4, n. 2
April 2011

Modelling of an electro-hydraulic forklift in Matlab Simulink

Tatiana A. Minav1, Denis M. Filatov2, Lasse I.E. Laurila3, Juha J. Pyrhönen4, Victor B.Vtorov5

Abstract – Evaluation of an electro-hydraulic system of a working machine is carried out by a

Matlab Simulink model. Modelling of the total forklift system is presented. Analysis and
verification of the Simulink model with practical results are also performed for an internal gear
and axial piston hydraulic machine drive. Practical results are presented to demonstrate the
energy efficiency of the proposed electro-hydraulic forklift arrangement with potential energy
recovery feature.

Keywords: Drives, pumps, permanent magnet machines, energy efficiency, energy recovery,
model

RD direct-axis resistances of the damper winding

RQ quadrature-axis resistances of the damper winding
Nomenclature Rs stator resistance
Be bulk module Sp cross sectional area of a hydraulic piston
Cs Stribeck friction Tco Coulomb friction
Fco Coulomb friction in cylinder Te electromagnetic torque
Ff friction force Tf,p frictional torque
Fload force created by load TL load torque
Fso static friction Tmotor drive torque
i current Tp,th theoretical torque required for compressing fluid
ia, ib, ic currents in the phases a, b, c Tso static friction
id direct-axis components of the stator current Tv viscous friction
iD direct-axis current of the damper winding ud direct-axis components of the stator voltage
iq quadrature-axis component of the stator current usd stator voltage for d-axis
isd direct-axis components of the stator current usq stator voltage for q-axis
isq quadrature-axis components of the stator current V cylinder volume
Jeq combined inertia of the load V0 dead volume of cylinder
Jm total equivalent inertia of the motor Vth theoretical pump displacement per revolution
Jp total equivalent inertia of the pump ηvol volumetric efficiency of the pump
Kd derivative gain σ viscous friction
Ke motor voltage constant ψd direct-axis components of the stator flux linkage
Ki integral gain ΨPM permanent magnet created flux linkage
Kp proportional gain ψq quadrature-axis components of the stator flux
Lcyl length of cylinder piston linkage
LDs direct-axis leakage inductances of the damper Ψsd stator d-winding flux linkages
winding Ψsq stator q-winding flux linkages
Lmd direct-axis magnetising inductance ωm electrical angular velocity
Lmq quadrature-axis magnetising inductance Ω rotation speed of the shaft
xp , x&p , &x&p
LQs quadrature-axis leakage inductances of the piston position, velocity and acceleration
damper winding
Lsd direct-axis stator inductance
Lsq quadrature-axis stator inductance
I. Introduction
Lss stator leakage inductance Recently, energy saving requirements in heavy machines
m load mass and, especially, battery-operated working machines have
mp mass of the cylinder piston been highlighted from the CO2 reduction and energy
mt total mass efficiency points of view [1, 2]. There are different
p number of pole pairs traditional technologies that improve the energy
prtn tank pressure efficiency of hydraulic systems. Load Sensing (LS)
ps system pressure valves, variable displacement pumps and pure pump
Qin input flow control [3], pump-controlled actuators (PCA) [4] and

Manuscript received January 2007, revised January 2007 Copyright © 2007 Praise Worthy Prize S.r.l. - All rights reserved
 T. A. Minav, D.M. Filatov, L. I. E. Laurila, J. J. Pyrhönen, V.B. Vtorov
digital hydraulics [5] have provided opportunities to
reduce the energy consumption in hydraulic systems.
More efficient systems are, however, needed. Over the
past few years, new technologies to save energy have
been developed for vehicle optimization purposes [6–10].
One of the possibilities is to create regenerative systems.
The basic idea of energy regeneration systems is to
convert kinetic and potential energy into other types of
useful energy. In the field of mobile machines, there are
three well-known types of energy regeneration (ER)
systems based on hydraulic accumulators, batteries or
combinations of different storages such as super
capacitors and flywheels. Potential energy recovery has
already been implemented for instance in lifts, excavators
and cranes [11–14], but it is still rare in work machines.
The energy saving effect of a hybrid excavator can be
expected to be more than 40 % for the actual operation
compared with a conventional one [15]. A parallel hybrid
system that consists of a motor-generator and a battery
system is considered to be energy efficient.
Most of the current researches of hybrid systems offer
new configurations for different applications. Applying
different modelling issues is common to existing
researches concentrating on the topic [16, 17]. This
article offers a comprehensive systems engineering
modelling of an electro hydraulic system and
concentrates on testing a proposed structure of an electro-
hydraulic forklift. The target of the study was to create a
simulation model for an electro-hydraulic forklift, enable
investigations on its behaviour and compare the
simulation results to prototype measurement results.
II. General Overview of Test Setup
Figure 1 shows the schematic of the test arrangement.
The original non-regenerative electric drive and
hydraulic system of the forklift were replaced by
industrial hydraulic and electric system components
shown in Fig. 1. The setup under investigation simply
proposes to recover the forklift potential energy instead
of converting it into heat in a valve. Analogously to the
famous KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System), we
named this technique PERS (Potential Energy Recovery
System).
The experimental test setup uses a speed-controlled
electric motor servo drive and a hydraulic machine to
control the position of the hydraulic cylinder piston
instead of a proportional valve. Such a direct control
should be the most energy efficient one as no valves
causing a significant constant pressure drop (cf. servo
valves) are present. The hydraulic pump takes oil from a
tank and delivers it to the hydraulic lifting circuit. While
operating, it raises the oil pressure to the required level
determined by the load mass, mass movement and
system friction. The two-way normally closed poppet
valve is included in the system for safety reasons and to
hold the load at standstill. The hydraulic pump produces
a flow depending on its own properties and the rotating
speed of the electric servomotor. The oil flow determines
Copyright © 2011 Praise Worthy Prize S.r.l. - All rights reserved
the piston speed, and the actuator load determines the oil
pressure needed. While lowering a mass, the potential
energy of the load produces a flow that rotates the
hydraulic machine as a motor, and the mechanically
connected electric machine acts as a generator, which is
controlled by a high-performance frequency converter.
The converter rectifies the generated electric energy to
the DC link, where an accumulator should be located. In
this test case, the electric energy was just converted into
heat in the brake resistor because of the lack of a suitable
battery. The relief valve controls the safety limit of the
pressure in the pipes.
An upper-level control program, realised in dSPACE
DS1103 PPC controller board, generates references for
the electric drive to control both the electrical and
hydraulic parts of the forklift system [18]. The test setup
was equipped with pressure transducers and electric
measurement sensors to measure the energy flows and
efficiencies of different parts of the system. The tare
weight of the moving fork system was 700 kg.
a
b
i g
f c
Frequency
d
converter
M/G
h
e
Fig. 1. Electric and hydraulic circuits of the main lift function with
PERS. The experimental system consists of: a) single-acting cylinder,
b) two-way normally closed poppet valve, c) pressure relief valve, d)
hydraulic machine, e) oil tank, f) permanent magnet synchronous
motor/generator, g) frequency converter h) connection panel and i)
computer and dSPACE.
As the next step in the further research, for the
efficient reuse of the regenerated electrical energy, an
energy storage will be installed. Because of the relatively
short lowering period (only a few seconds), recharging of
conventional lead acid batteries is inefficient. At the
moment, super capacitors and lithium-titanate batteries
seem to be the most suitable components for fast
recharging. The total energy efficiency of the super
capacitors in a charge-discharge cycle is also fairly high,
on average about 92 % [19].
Benefits of the energy recovery system are: reduced
electrical energy consumption, extended operation time
between battery rechargings and an increased utilisation
rate of the vehicle. With the system developed in this
study, the conventional proportional valve can be
replaced by a simpler and cheaper low-loss two-way
normally closed poppet valve, as the load speed and
torque control are performed by the electric drive in both
lifting and lowering.
International Review of Electrical Engineering, Vol. 4, n. 2
 T. A. Minav, D.M. Filatov, L. I. E. Laurila, J. J. Pyrhönen, V.B. Vtorov
In hydraulic systems, mechanical energy is converted
into hydraulic energy, then transported through
hydraulics, and afterwards converted back into
mechanical energy. This transfer of energy is illustrated
in Fig. 2
Fig. 2. Transfer of energy in a hydraulic system.
Despite the fairly high efficiencies of individual
hydraulic components, the total hydraulic part itself is
often not very energy efficient. There are, of course,
some energy losses in the hydraulic pump, in the
transmission tubes, viscous friction in the fluid, and
friction of the moving parts, but the most losses occur in
the control valve as a result of its significant pressure
drop, typically in the range of 3 MPa. Additionally, there
are losses concentrated in the electric components of the
machine. A significant amount of energy loss takes place
in the electric motor driving the hydraulic pump during
the conversion of electricity into kinetic energy during
lifting and for lowering in the generator mode [20]. The
efficiency of the electromechanical conversion depends
on the power of the application. In this case, the rated
power is only 4.5 kW, which provides the best efficiency
of about 90 % in the rated operation point.
The hydraulic machines under investigation are of
internal gear type and of axial piston type. The internal
gear machines are pumping oil or working as motors
quite efficiently and with a low ripple. The working
principle is basically the same as for outer gear pumps,
which is easy to understand. In the axial piston machine
there is a bent mechanism working as a displacement
unit, the displacement pistons of which are arranged at an
angle measured from the drive shaft axis. As the drive
shaft is rotated by the electric motor, the cylinder block
inside the hydraulic machine is driven by an angle gear.
The pivoted pistons are connected with the input shaft,
and therefore, the pistons move up and down within the
cylinder block bores. During pumping, the fluid is fed to
the low-pressure side and then delivered through the
pistons to the high-pressure side. The low-pressure side
is called a pump inlet, and the high-pressure side an
outlet.
During motoring, the input and output are used vice
versa: pressurised oil is fed into the motor inlet. The
pistons are pressed down by the pressurised fluid, and
when moving down within the cylinder block bores, they
discharge the hydraulic oil at atmospheric pressure. The
cylinder block is made to rotate by piston-produced
forces, and an output torque is generated at the drive
shaft. It can be concluded that an axial piston unit can be
Copyright © 2011 Praise Worthy Prize S.r.l. - All rights reserved
operated both as a hydraulic motor or a pump. When
used as a pump, the flow is nearly proportional to the
drive speed of the electric motor [21]. When a unit is
used as a motor, the output speed is proportional to the
flow fed to the unit and the load. In the current setup
instead, the rotational speed can be adjusted by changing
the speed of the generator by its converter control
ACSM1 by ABB. The ACSM1 applies an enhanced
version of the direct torque control DTC where a vector
modulator with a fixed switching frequency is used
instead of the optimal switching table modulation
familiar from the classical DTC [22–24].
III. Simulink Model
In principle, an electro-hydraulic forklift is a
multibody system. Simulating such arrangements in
detail is a challenging task [25]. In this case, to obtain a
model for simulation and control design, the differential
equations of the configuration have been implemented in
Matlab. The electric part of the forklift can be divided
into the electric machine and its control part, that is, the
converter. The traditional two-axis space vector model of
the permanent magnet synchronous machine is shown
below.
III.1. Electrical servo machine model
The rotor of the permanent magnet synchronous
machine with rotor-surface-mounted magnets can be
considered non-salient and assumed to have similar
reluctance along any axis through the centre of the
machine. Figure 3 illustrates the vector equivalent
circuits for a permanent magnet synchronous machine
(PMSM) with some damping properties. In most cases,
the damping properties in servomotors are determined by
the eddy current behaviour in the rotor structures,
because there are no real damper windings.
In Fig. 3.1, id and ud are the direct-axis components of
the stator current and voltage. ψq and ψd are the
quadrature- and direct-axis components of the stator flux
linkage. iD is the direct-axis current of the damper
winding. Rs is the stator resistance. RD and RQ are the
direct- and quadrature-axis resistances of the damper
winding. Lss is the leakage inductance of the stator. Lmd
and Lmq are the direct- and quadrature-axis magnetising
inductances. LDs and LQs are the direct- and quadrature-
axis leakage inductances of the damper winding. In a
permanent magnet machine with laminated rotor and
surface magnets, the damping effects are small and can
often be neglected [26].
International Review of Electrical Engineering, Vol. 4, n. 2
 T. A. Minav, D.M. Filatov, L. I. E. Laurila, J. J. Pyrhönen, V.B. Vtorov

wyq Lss iPM

Rs where p = 3 is the number of pole pairs.
id
The electromagnetic torque Te of a non-salient pole
id+iD+iPM iD PMSM can be expressed as [26]:
yd ymd Lmd
ud LDs iPM
p
RD Te = y PMisq (7)
2
The acceleration is determined by the difference
between the electromagnetic torque and the load torque
wyd Lss
iq Rs acting on Jeq, the combined inertia of the load Jp and
the motor Jm.
iq+iQ iQ
yq ymq d T - TL
uq Lmq LQs W = e , (8)
dt J eq
RQ Where TL is load torque, the total equivalent inertia of
the CFM90M is Jm = 22.3·10-4 kgm2 and CFM112M is
Jm = 88.2·10-4 kgm2.
Fig. 3. Equivalent circuits of direct- and quadrature-axis circuits of The per-phase motor circuit parameters are as follows:
PMSM [26] The motor voltage constant is Ke = 0.22 Vs/rad for both
machines, and the reference mechanical angular speed
In the following, the equations by which the PMSM is W = 314 1/s.
was described in the simulation are presented [26]. The
current vector is written as
III.2. Cylinder model
r je 0 π j2 π je 4 π (1)
i = ia (t ) × e 3 + ib (t ) × e 3 + ic (t ) × e 3 The theoretical modelling of a hydraulic single-acting
cylinder was based on the equation of piston motion and
dynamic pressure equation [27, 28]. The equation for an
The current vector is divided into its d- and q-axis
actuator chamber is derived from the continuity of mass
components id and iq.
equation:
The stator d- and q-winding flux linkage components
can be expressed as follows:
Be B
p& s = ( Qin) - e × V& , (9)
y sd = Lsd × isd + y PM , (2) V V
y sq = Lsq × isq . (3) where the bulk modulus Be = 1400·106 in Pa, ps is the
system pressure in Pa, V is the cylinder volume in m3 and
The voltages for the d- and q-axes can be expressed as Qin is the input flow in m3/s.
follows:
d V = V0 + xp S p , (10)
usd = Rs × isd + y sd - w m ×y sq , (4)
dt
d where the piston cross-sectional area is Sp=0.0028 m2.
usq = Rs × isq + y sq + w m ×y sd , (5) The initial end position equals zero, and it gives the
dt initial position of the end of the cylinder tube and the
piston. The length of piston is Lcyl = 1.82 m. These data
In the practical case of the test system, the motor are used for the limited movement of the piston.
parameters for CFM 90 M at the rated operation point The additional volume describes the dead volume V0
are Rs = 0.54 Ω and Lsd = Lsq = 0.57·10-3 H and for of the cylinder. The equation of piston motion is derived
CFM112M Rs = 0.193 Ω and Lsd = Lsq = 0.31·10-3 H. from Newton’s second law,
These parameters depend on the machine operating
point, but the uncertainty in the electrical machine
m t &x&p = p s S p - Ff ( x& p ) - Fload , (11)
parameters is not the dominating factor in the whole
system, and therefore, these values are kept constant in mt = mp+m, (12)
this simulation.
The electrical angular velocity ωm is related to the where mt is the total mass, m is the payload mass equal to
actual rotor speed W as 920 kg, mp is the mass of the cylinder piston equal to 50
kg, Ff is friction force and Fload force created by load;
wm = pW , (6)

Copyright © 2011 Praise Worthy Prize S.r.l. - All rights reserved International Review of Electrical Engineering, Vol. 4, n. 2
 T. A. Minav, D.M. Filatov, L. I. E. Laurila, J. J. Pyrhönen, V.B. Vtorov
x p , x& p , &x&p are piston position, velocity and acceleration,
respectively.
The cylinder friction equation is given by [29]:
é æ - x& p
ç
Ff ( x& p) = sx& p + sign ( x& p) × êê Fco + Fso × e
ç Cs
è ø
êë
where σ is the viscous friction, Fco is the Coulomb
friction, Fso is the static friction, and Cs is the Stribeck
friction in the seals. The behaviour of the cylinder is
considered as a spring-damping system. A damping
coefficient equal to 5000 (Ns/m) was used. For the case
shown in Section IV, the following values to match the
measurements were chosen: σ = 5500, Fco = 0.01, Fso =
0.001 and Cs =1. Equation (13) gives the dependency of
the friction force on the piston velocity according to Fig.
4. Figure 4 illustrates the static, viscous, Coulomb and
Stribeck friction models.
Static friction models only have a static dependency
on velocity. This results no reaction at the first moment,
and a significant displacement is produced after the static
friction force is exceeded. The dynamic friction models
can be characterised as follows: no significant
displacement occurs when the applied force is smaller
than the static friction. This model is also used to model
the pump in the section below.
Friction force
Sliding velocity
Fig. 4. Static, viscous, Coulomb and Stribeck friction model [27]
III.3. Pump model
The following equations were used to simulate the
behaviour of the pump [30]:
W × Vth
Q= ×hvol ,
2× π
where Q is the pump output flow in m /s, W is the 3
rotating angular speed, Vth is the theoretical volumetric
displacement of the pump in m3/rev, and ηvol is its
volumetric efficiency, which is a function of angular
speed and pressure ηvol = f(W, p). The second-order
differential equation for the pump shaft rotation is given
by [29]:
Copyright © 2011 Praise Worthy Prize S.r.l. - All rights reserved
W + Tf, p (W) = Tmotor - h vol Tp, th
d
Jp (15)
dt ,
where the total equivalent inertia of the pump is Jp=
ö
÷ ù 1.1·10-3 kgm2, Tmotor is the drive torque, Tp,th is the
ú
÷ theoretical (ideal) torque required to compress the fluid,
ú (13) and Tf,p is the frictional torque. The volumetric efficiency
úû of the pump is equal to ηvol = 0.95.
The theoretical torque to compress the fluid can be
modelled as [29]:
Tp, th = V th ( ps - prtn ) ,
(16)
where the theoretical volumetric displacement for an
internal gear pump is equal to Vth = 13.3·10-6 m3/rev, ps is
the system pressure, and prtn is the tank pressure in Pa.
The frictional torque can be modelled similarly as (13)
as in [29]:
é æ-W ö
çç ÷ù
Tf, p (W) = T v W + sign (W) × êTco + Tso × e è s ø ú
C ÷
ê ú (17)
ë û
where Tv is the viscous friction, Tco is the Coulomb
friction, Tso is the static friction, and Cs is the Stribeck
friction. Figure 4 is adjusted to represent friction in a
hydraulic machine. To match the modelled results to the
measured results, an adjustment of the system parameters
was performed. The coefficients were adjusted during the
simulation process. Friction depends on the speed of the
movement, gaps between the metal parts, and the
temperature and viscosity of the oil. For the case shown
in Section IV, the following values were used: Tv =
0.018, Tco = 0, Tso = 0.002 and Cs =1.
III.4. Model of Test Setup
The initial tuning of the PID controller was carried out
based on the classical Zigler-Nichols method, and the
gain coefficients found are K i = 5, Kp = 6 and Kd = 0.
Figure 5 shows the Matlab model of the test setup.
(14)
Fig. 5. Matlab model of the test system
Considering the response of the parts in the system,
the electric drive control response is much higher than
the responses of the hydraulic and mechanical parts. This
was taken into account when modelling the electric part
of the system by using a different sampling time in the
integration and derivation blocks of the Matlab model.
The reference signal to control the system is generated by
a signal builder. The speed reference signal has
International Review of Electrical Engineering, Vol. 4, n. 2
 T. A. Minav, D.M. Filatov, L. I. E. Laurila, J. J. Pyrhönen, V.B. Vtorov

acceleration, constant speed and deceleration parts. The

PMSM block behaves according to the reference signal
(acceleration, constant speed and deceleration according
to the actual measured speed signal). The torque is
transferred between the hydraulic pump and the electric
motor with a mechanical coupling. Pressure is transferred
between the cylinder and the pump. The pump delivers
an amount of oil to the cylinder to move the tare and the
payload with a reference speed wmech-0.The Cylinder
block simulates the moving of the payload during lifting
operation.

IV. Analysis and verification of the Matlab

Simulink model by measurements
Figure 6 illustrates the dynamic simulation results:
speed, torque, pressure and position of forks for a
payload of 920 kg with an internal gear pump and 4.5
kW PMSM. The speed and the torque have some ripple
in this operation, and a better controller or a smoother
speed reference should be used.
Fig. 7. Measured speed, torque, pressure and position for lifting a
payload of 920 kg
Figure 8 shows the measured efficiencies of the
internal gear machine and the axial piston machine with
different PMSMs for a payload of 0 kg. It can be noticed
that the internal gear hydraulic machine has a higher
efficiency during pumping compared with motoring. The
average lifting efficiency for the internal gear pump
system is around 55 % and the corresponding lowering
efficiency is around 35 % in average.
Table I illustrates empirical and simulation data for
the combination with the internal gear pump and the 4.5
kW PMSM. It can be seen that the results from the
simulation match the experimental results to an
acceptable degree.

TABLE I
DEFINITIONS OF ENERGY AND E NERGY EFFICIENCIES FOR LIFTING FOR
PAYLOAD 920 KG AND SPEED 3000 RPM
Measure
Values Simulation
ments
Height of movement, [m] 1.7 1.67
Potential energy, [J] 50800 51000
Hydraulic energy, [J] 53800 53700
Energy from the shaft to hydraulic -
68900 67800
mechanical conversion, [J]
Fig. 6. Simulated speed, torque, pressure and position for lifting a Motor energy, [J] 80300 79400
payload of 920 kg Efficiency of the hydraulic part, [%] 94.5 95
Electric motor efficiency, [%] 85.8 85.4
Figure 7 illustrates the measurement results: speed,
Efficiency from the shaft to hydraulic-
torque, pressure and position of the forks for a payload of mechanical conversion, [%]
73.8 75.2
920 kg with an internal gear pump and 4.5 kW PMSM.
Hydraulic pump efficiency, [%] 78.1 80.9
The speed in Fig. 6 follows the motor ramp measured
Total lifting efficiency, [%] 63.3 64.2
from the test setup (Fig.7). The pressure and torque
increase similarly at the beginning to overcome friction,
after which they remain constant, and decrease slightly The minimum lifting efficiency of 35 % was achieved
when the speed is reduced. The Position plot in Fig. 6 at the speed of 0.1 m/s with a zero payload with the
demonstrates how the fork moves from its initial zero combination of the internal gear pump and the 10 kW
position to the maximum (Fork height in Fig. 7). When PMSM. The minimum lowering efficiency of the
comparing Figs. 6 and 7, it can be concluded that the hydraulic system was 22 % at the same payload and the
dynamic simulation gives results that are comparable speed of 0.55 m/s for the same combination. The best
with the measurement results. result was obtained for a payload of 0 kg for the axial
piston machine and 4.5 kW PMSM combination.
The maximum lifting efficiency reached is 60 %, and
the corresponding maximum lowering efficiency is 52 %.

Copyright © 2011 Praise Worthy Prize S.r.l. - All rights reserved International Review of Electrical Engineering, Vol. 4, n. 2
 T. A. Minav, D.M. Filatov, L. I. E. Laurila, J. J. Pyrhönen, V.B. Vtorov

100 create is a systems engineering model giving acceptable

90 results. It does not, however, include all the possible
80 details e.g. about the fluid flow behavior and is limited
70 by the accuracy of the model. The electric machine
model has been created based on the machine parameters
Efficiency, [% ]

60

50 that do not fully accurately describe the machine

40 behavior allowing some mistakes in the efficiency.
30 gear+4.5kW PMSM Deepening of all the models to make them more accurate
20
gear+10kW PMSM
piston+4.5kW PMSM
is worth future work. The model was verified by
10
piston+10kW PMSM
measurements, and energy efficiency studies of the
0
system were carried out. The verification of model by
-0,6 -0,4 -0,2 0
Fork speed, [m/s]
0,2 0,4 0,6
measurements shows that the energy and efficiencies can
Fig.8. Experimental system total efficiency for lifting (positive speed)
be estimated fairly accurately for an electro-hydraulic
and lowering (negative speed) with the 0 kg payload forklift.

Figure 9 illustrates the efficiencies for the systems

with the 920 kg payload. It can be observed that the Acknowledgements
efficiency lines are fairly symmetric relative to the y- This work was supported by Tekes, the Finnish
axis. The best efficiency of 68 % for lifting was achieved Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation, FIMA
with the axial piston pump and 10 kW PMSM. The same (Forum for Intelligent machines), European Union,
combination gave the best regeneration efficiency of 69 European Regional Development Fund and Regional
%. The total efficiency is quite low for lower speeds. council of South Karelia at the Institute of Energy
However, for the speed above 0.3 m/s, the average lifting Technology, Department of Electrical Engineering at
efficiency is 60 %, and for lowering 55 %. The axial Lappeenranta University of Technology.
piston machine is so far the best for this kind of an
application from the energy efficiency point of view.
References
100
[1]. EPA: Clean Air Nonroad Diesel - Tier 4 Final Rule, [Online],
90
available at: http://www.epa.gov/nonroaddiesel/2004fr.htm,
80 accessed April 2011
70 [2]. Wagner, Tier IV emissions regulations: Knowing the facts.
[Online]. Available at: http: //www.wagnerequipment.com,
Efficiency, [%]

60
50
40
30
20
10
0
-0,6 -0,4 -0,2 0 0,2
Fork speed, [m/s]
Fig. 9. System total efficiency for lifting (positive speed) and lowering
(negative speed) with the 920 kg payload
The piston hydraulic machine has a remarkably better
efficiency than the internal gear machine used in the
study – with the 0 kg payload, a 15 %-unit difference in
the total efficiency in the downward movement and an 8
%-unit difference in the lifting efficiency. With the 920
kg payload, the efficiency differences are 10 %-units in
the total efficiency in the downward movement and 7 %-
units in the lifting efficiency.
V. Conclusion
The presented work is a systems engineering model
of an electro-hydraulic forklift with potential energy
recovery feature. The behaviours of electro-hydraulic
system components of the forklift system were simulated
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Authors’ information
Tatiana A. Minav was born in 1984 in
Cherkassu, Ukraine. She received the M.Sc
degree in 2008 from Lappeenranta University
of Technology (LUT) and M.Sc. degree in
2008 from Saint-Petersburg State
Electrotechnical University LETI. She is
currently working in the Laboratory
of Electrical Drives Technology in
Lappeenranta University of Technology. Her current interests include
position motion control with help of drive, hydraulics simulation and
energy recovery systems in mobile working machines.
Copyright © 2011 Praise Worthy Prize S.r.l. - All rights reserved
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Denis M. Filatov born in 1985 in Leningrad,
USSR, received the M.Sc. degree in 2008 from
Saint-Petersburg State Electrotechnical
University LETI. He is currently the working
in the Department of Automatic Control
Systems and Faculty of Electrical Engineering
and Automatics at St. Petersburg State
Electrotechnical University (LETI), where he is
engaged in the research and development of control systems and
electric drives.
Lasse I.E. Laurila was born in Helsinki,
Finland, in 1971. He received the M.Sc.,
Lic.Tech. and D.Sc. degrees from
Lappeenranta University of Technology,
Lappeenranta, Finland, in 1996, 2000 and
2004, respectively. His research interests
include power electronic converters, variable-
speed drives and their control. He is currently
interested in electrical energy recovery in mobile work machines. Dr.
Laurila is currently an assistant professor at the Laboratory of Electrical
Drives Technology in Lappeenranta University of Technology.
Juha J. Pyrhönen (IEEE member) born in
1957 in Kuusankoski, Finland, received the
Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) degree from
Lappeenranta University of Technology
(LUT), Finland in 1991. He became an
Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering
at LUT in 1993 and a Professor of Electrical
Machines and Drives in 1997. He is currently
the Head of the Department of Electrical Engineering in the Institute of
LUT Energy, where he is engaged in research and development of
electric motors and electric drives. His current interests include
different synchronous machines and drives, induction motors and drives
and solid-rotor high-speed induction machines and drives.
Victor B. Vtorov born in 1949 in Murmansk,
USSR, received the Candidate of Science (Ph.
D.) degree from Leningrad Electrical
Engineering Institute (LETI), USSR in 1979.
He was given the academic status of Senior
Researcher in 1980. In 1988 he became an
Associate Professor at LETI. He is currently
the Deputy Head of the Department of
Automatic Control Systems and Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Electrical
Engineering and Automatics at St. Petersburg State Electrotechnical
University (LETI), where he is engaged in research and development of
control systems and electric drives. His scientific interests embrace
advanced control engineering including adaptive control systems and
drives.
International Review of Electrical Engineering, Vol. 4, n. 2