Investigation of the energy regeneration and control strategy of a crane hoisting system

Abstract

The crane can be used for large mechanical equipment of hydro-mechatronic heavy lifting and transfer operations, and has been widely used in many practical applications such as construction and emergency rescue. Although the winch system is one of the main parts of a crane hoisting device, large amounts of energies are wasted rather than being effectively used during the working process. In this paper, the potential of energy regeneration is analysed, and the reuse of the winch system can be performed by the following steps. First, an energy recovery system was proposed, based on the mechanical connection with the winch-motor-synchronous motor and the analysis of energy loss mechanism in the winding down process. Second, the calculation formula of the energy recovery rate was derived, in which the dynamic coupling characteristics of the system and the factors affecting the energy recovery rate were also analysed. Third, the control strategy of an energy-saving system was developed, aimed at minimizing fuel consumption. Finally, the experimental platform was built by using a certain type of 25T rough terrain crane. The experimental results have demonstrated that the systematic scheme and control strategy are rational and feasible.