Dana develops hydraulic hybrid system
Called PowerBoost, the system uses high-pressure hydraulic accumulators to store up fluid power that can be released to assist the engine in driving hydraulic pumps and motors.
“PowerBoost offers hydraulic power assistance to almost any machine function, to prevent peak loads on the engine during short duty cycles such as loading,” said Donald Remboski, Dana vice president of innovation. “The hybrid assistance means engine revs only need to fluctuate by a couple of hundred rpm instead of alternating between idle and rated speed.”
The hydraulic hybrid system draws a small amount of engine power to keep the accumulators charged and then stored power is automatically released on-demand, through a cleverly engineered hydraulic distribution hub.
“Everything we’ve used is proven technology, though we’ve had to develop a hydraulic hub that could successfully blend power from the engine and hydraulic system,” said Remboski. “With the potential to boost fuel efficiency by 20-40% in fuel-sensitive applications, machines using Dana PowerBoost could pay back the additional cost in under two years.”
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