Energy Consumption Optimization of Powertrain of Electric Underground Load-Haul-Dump Mining Loader

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Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Sähkötekniikan korkeakoulu | Master's thesis
Date
2019-05-06
Department
Major/Subject
Electrical Power and Energy Engineering
Mcode
ELEC3024
Degree programme
AEE - Master’s Programme in Automation and Electrical Engineering (TS2013)
Language
en
Pages
59+13
Series
Abstract
The emissions of heavy-duty underground machinery endanger the health of human workers and increase the overall maintenance cost of the underground mine due to ventilation expenses. In addition, tightening emission standards for non-road vehicles are pushing towards greener solutions, hence, fully electric powertrains are becoming a viable alternative for many applications. An electric powertrain is not only local emission-free, but also provides a better controllably and a superior energy efficiency compared to the conventional diesel operated machines. The nature of such vehicles and their periodic duty cycles enable energy optimization and a prospect of an improved efficiency. The aim of the thesis was to reduce the energy consumption of an underground load-haul dump mining loader. As most of the energy is consumed by the powertrain of the vehicle, the traction motors are the focus of the optimization. An optimal speed profile was generated by means of Bellman’s dynamic programming algorithm in MATLAB environment. The simulation utilized dynamic asynchronous motor, battery and vehicle models built according to a real-size experimental prototype. The algorithm had been designed to solve discrete time problems; therefore, the model was discretized with adjustable dynamic accuracy where the intermediate points were obtained by linear interpolation. The optimal speed profile demonstrated a 9.1% decrease in energy consumption for a generic duty cycle. Additionally, the asynchronous motors were operated at a higher efficiency area generating less heat and in theory prolonging the lifetime of the powertrain components.
Description
Supervisor
Belahcen, Anouar
Thesis advisor
Minav, Tatiana
Calonius, Olof
Keywords
dynamic programming, load-haul-dump mining loader, electric powertrain, energy consumption
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Citation