Analysis of the performance of a hybrid hydraulic Pump/Motor using MATLAB Simulink

The MISER hydraulic hybrid technology is an innovative approach to kinetic energy recovery, storage and reapplication for any form of vehicle. This technology makes use of a hydraulic system to reduce the fuel consumption of the vehicle. MISER achieves this by means of a combination of regenerative braking, hydraulics and using gas compression to provide an almost loss-free medium for fast storing and fast release of energy that contributes to optimized engine performance. The system uses a hydraulic Pump/Motor (P/M) and nitrogen filled accumulators to store the excess and unwanted kinetic energy and reuse the stored energy at the latter stage. The hydraulic Pump/Motor (P/M) is a critical component in the system and very little is known of its performance characteristics. This study provides clarity on the development of the system model and the performance of the hydraulic system P/M. The system model consists of a Nitrogen-filled hydraulic accumulator, a MISER P/M, a reservoir and a flywheel which is used to represent the inertia of the vehicle. The model has been developed and implemented in MATLAB Simulink. An integration Solver is used to simultaneously solve the governing equations and predict the system performance. The study aims to make a partial contribution to environmental impact savings in the field of sustainable development.