Comparison of drive systems in realization of handling tasks
Research Task/Objectives
In industrial automation there are numerous automatic systems applied to perform various material handling and movement functions. They are typically operated by electric or pneumatic drives. Having sad that, in the concept phase, a drive technology that is compatible with each single or combined driving task needs to be chosen. Today the selection of drive technology is simplified and made only by comparing of investment and energy costs. Considering the fact that pneumatic drives are characterized by their low purchase price, but at the same time they show high energy consumption in a comparison with electric drives, the objective comparison has to be done on the base of TCO (Total Costs of Ownership) analysis. The aim of the project is the development of the basics for the inter-domain comparison of pneumatic and electric drives. It has to provide the tool for automatic choice of the best economically drive solution. Moreover, the tool should contain appropriate pneumatic and electric drives with the focus on energy saving measures.
Approach/Results
Exonomy analysis for the selection of drive structures
To reach the goal, the novel Exonomy approach was developed at IFD. It represents an extended economic valuation method that implies the approach for sizing of pneumatic actuators based on exergy analysis, TCO within the life time, an information about amortization period and the possible use of cost and energy saving measures. Based on the proposed methodology, the guideline of application fields for pneumatic and electric drives considering their mean velocity and loading mass is developed. Further work is focuses on the evaluation of energy.
| The research is supported by Erasmus Mundus Multic Found. |