Posted on 01/02/2009 7:50:43 AM PST by Reaganesque
January 2, 2008 Recent developments in regeneration technology are almost ready for prime time. Both Hydraulic Hybrid Vehicles http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hybrid_vehicle and Power Generating Shock Absorbers http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shock_absorber are both being field tested and may be soon headed for mass production. Transport company UPS
has committed to purchasing seven "series" hydraulic hybrid delivery vehicles while Electric Truck, LLC has exclusively optioned commercial rights to a technology from Tufts University that uses Regenerative Shock Absorbers to recharge the batteries of any hybrid electric and electric-powered vehicle while it is driven.
Regenerative shock absorbers
The regenerative electromagnetic shock absorber uses an electromagnetic linear generator to convert variable frequency, repetitive intermittent linear displacement motion to useful electrical power. The regenerative electromagnetic shock absorber technology was developed by Tufts University http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tufts_University engineering professor emeritus Ronald Goldner and colleague Peter Zerigian within the School of Engineering and received additional support in subsequent years from Argonne National Laboratory. While Goldner and Zerigian have patented the idea, it also appears that an almost identical concept was developed in the same period by David Oxenreider of Boiling Springs, PA, a design which took out Second Prize in the 2005 Emhart "Create the Future" Design Contest.
How it works
A conventional automotive shock absorber dampens suspension movement to produce a controlled action that keeps the tire firmly on the road. This is done by converting the kinetic energy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinetic_energy into heat energy, which is then absorbed by the shock’s oil. The Power-Generating Shock Absorber converts this kinetic energy into electricity instead of heat through the use of a linear electric motor http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_motor . The electricity generated by each PGSA can then be combined with electricity from other power generation systems (e.g. regenerative braking) and stored in the vehicle’s batteries.
The motor is usually a cylindrical 3-phase brushless permanent magnet linear electric motor that is sometimes referred to as a ServoRam. Early ServoRams were developed in the 1990s to replace hydraulic rams in entertainment motion simulators. Bose have also developed an Active Suspension System that uses linear stepper motors http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stepper_motor to replace standard shocks/springs. Bose claim they have been working on the software (algorithm as they call it) for 24 years (since 1980). The difference between the Bose system and power generating or regenerative shock absorbers is that the later retain standard coil springs to suspend the static load of the vehicle while Bose have deleted springs altogether.
Linear motors as replacement ‘shock absorbers’ are a much cheaper solution with more regenerative potential and have enormous potential in motorsport, where shock absorbers could be constantly variable. An electromagnetic shock absorber could be tuned to respond to virtually any input. With regenerative shock absorbers connected to a microprocessor system with any number of inputs such as on-chip gyro, accelerometer, ride height and steering angle a 4-shock system can actively control a vehicles pitch, roll and yaw.
Since the technology actively uses the weight of a vehicle for energy recovery, it could help speed the expansion of the hybrid and battery electric vehicle market from cars to vehicles of greater size, weight and payloads, such as SUVs http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sport_utility_vehicle , pickup and delivery trucks, mail trucks, school and city buses and other light and medium duty trucks
Hydraulic hybrid regeneration
The UPS "series" hydraulic hybrid delivery vehicles have a diesel engine combined with a unique hydraulic propulsion system, replacing the conventional drivetrain and transmission. The vehicle uses hydraulic pumps and hydraulic storage tanks to capture and store energy, similar to what is done with electric motors and batteries in a hybrid electric vehicle. In this case, the diesel engine is used to periodically recharge pressure in the hydraulic propulsion system. Fuel economy is increased in three ways: vehicle braking energy is recovered that normally is wasted; the engine is operated more efficiently, and the engine can be shut off when stopped or decelerating. The hydraulic series hybrid, originally developed in a laboratory of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), uses a diesel engine/pump to pressurize and transfer hydraulic fluid to the rear drive pump/motor and/or high pressure accumulator. The hydraulic drivetrain replaces the conventional drivetrain and eliminates the need for a conventional transmission. UPS and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said the prototype vehicle had achieved a 45-50% improvement in fuel economy compared to conventional diesel delivery trucks.
Eaton Corporation began working with the EPA in October 2001 under a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement involving hydraulic hybrid systems and components. As part of Eaton’s role in designing and developing hybrid technologies, the company’s engineers were co-located at the EPA’s Ann Arbor facility. Eaton also earned a number of hybrid power system patents and continues to work on a number of other hybrid vehicles initiatives with UPS and others.
The EPA believes the technology can perform equally well in other applications such as shuttle and transit buses and refuse pick-up trucks. In 2007, the agency launched a project to develop hydraulic series hybrid systems for Class 6 port yard hostlers—the heavy-duty diesels that move goods and products from ships to trucks at ports.
Paul Evans
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Some years ago GM built an experimental, hydraulic active suspension for a (big) Blazer. When going along at higher speeds off-road it allegedly consumed ~40 hp.
If it's a truly smooth road, there is no normal vibration (wheels, tires and rotating brake components well balanced, tires round with a homogeneous carcass) unless an earthquake is happening.
Braking?? What's that? Coasting up to lights and stop signs is de regur. Not smacking the brakes minimizes suspension movement. Same with smooth use of the loud pedal.
Curves? depends on the locale. Not too many on the road for me.
You'd be better off putting some pedals at each passenger seating position and makes the galley slaves turn a generator as you drive along.
It’d be best to have a forward mounted, super conducting electromagnet and radar based, distance controller so as to “draft” the vehicle in front.
Yep, it’s high time someone designed such an add-on for the Prius. After all, most of their drivers bought into the AGW scam, so they are ripe for such a stunning offer.
Awesome! Also, if you jack up the back end it saves money because the car's always going downhill.
I can see it coming already...state and local highway departments won’t repair potholes because rough roads will help stop global warming.
Bump!
Right you are, CIS. This used to be called “Engineering Economics” not many years ago. I’m not sure basic engineering economics is even taught any more.
The big problem with regenerative systems is you have to store the energy recovered from the system and energy storage systems are usually expensive and heavy. Energy is typically stored in batteries or compressed air, both of which add significant weight to the vehicle. Then it takes more energy to get the heavier vehicle moving again (remember F=MA?), so a lot of the energy you recovered is wasted accelerating the heavier vehicle. Add the much higher capital and maintenance costs to this and you very often find the systems don’t make much sense — at least until gasoline is perhaps north of $10 per gallon.
True, but precisely because on a smooth road, less energy would be wasted through conventional shocks.
Gives a whole new meaning to “jump start.” Imagine asking passers-by to jump on your car to recharge the battery.
Could coils be embedded in the pavement on hills, to form a linear generator to recover energy from cars going downhill? The individuals in the cars would use their brakes less. A relatively painless tax.
Now you're getting into perpetual-motion territory.
OK, sounds great, but... what happens when such technology in introduced and there is a sudden decrease in demand/use of "fossil fuels" (gasoline, gasohol, diesel, bio-diesel, whatever) and the gubmint realizes that it's not getting the billions of dollars of our tax money that it gets from those things now.
So we will soon see a requirement for all vehicles to have GPS installed and every fraction of a mile reported directly to gubmint sensors. Then everyone will be taxed based upon mileage [not to mention the movement tracking built in to that system], in addition to utility taxes on any electricity used to charge said vehicles.
Then, I wouldn't put it past some libtard a**hole to try to legislate a tax on the electricity generated by these "regenerating" shock absorbers, or any other electric or hydraulic energy producing device, because after all, it's their money not ours and they have to get their share.
Believe me, I'd add a /sarcasm tag here, but this surely is not meant as sarcasm, just a tongue-in-cheek prediction of things to come.
Damn, I toyed with this idea back in the ‘80s. Wish I’d thought to patent it. My notion was to eliminate the alternator.
Interesting idea. I’m generally in favor of extracting “free” energy where applicable, but I do wonder what the actual cost of the system, including the regenerative shocks, would cost compared to the actual savings in energy consumption (and perhaps performance benefit). Would this require a taxpayer-funded subsidy to be cost effective to the user?
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