A frugal approach to hydrostatic transmission design for off-grid electricity generation from low water heads
Abstract Hydrostatic transmissions (HSTs) are widely used in industrial and mobile applications, such as aerospace systems, construction and agricultural machinery, and off-road vehicles. HSTs have emerged as power transmission and velocity governors for renewable power plants, such as wind turbines...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Springer
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Discover Applied Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1007/s42452-025-07407-1 |
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| author | Ruben Dario Solarte Bolaños Antonio Carlos Valdiero João Carlos Espíndola Ferreira Vitor Figueredo Spiguel Marcos Paulo Nostrani Victor Juliano De Negri |
| author_facet | Ruben Dario Solarte Bolaños Antonio Carlos Valdiero João Carlos Espíndola Ferreira Vitor Figueredo Spiguel Marcos Paulo Nostrani Victor Juliano De Negri |
| author_sort | Ruben Dario Solarte Bolaños |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Hydrostatic transmissions (HSTs) are widely used in industrial and mobile applications, such as aerospace systems, construction and agricultural machinery, and off-road vehicles. HSTs have emerged as power transmission and velocity governors for renewable power plants, such as wind turbines, wave power plants, and hydropower plants. This paper presents a mathematical model and results of a frugal HST operating as a velocity governor and power transmitter for a micro-hydroelectric power plant with an output power not higher than 17 kW. The HST was simulated to analyze pressure, flow rate, angular velocity, and solenoid valve activation. Unlike systems designed for larger turbines, this paper deals with a frugal design that minimizes complexity by employing a single accumulator and eliminating auxiliary charging circuits, such as small pumps and motors used for system charging and leakage compensation. This approach simplifies components and lowers costs, making it ideal for affordable, compact energy systems. Additionally, the achieved design has a versatile four-pump configuration in which the pumps can either share the same shaft or operate independently. When operating independently, each pump can connect to distinct energy sources (e.g., waves, wind, or biomass), enabling the development of hybrid systems for electric power generation. The results show that the obtained HST is capable of maintaining a suitable angular velocity range, with a low number of valve activations and deactivations for changes in the input angular velocity of the hydraulic pumps. The findings suggest that the development of frugal mechatronic products demands enhanced knowledge of system modeling and a comprehensive understanding of the components and constraints inherent to the targeted problem. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ea4610225e7d4d988c561ca3081ecfbe |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 3004-9261 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Springer |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Discover Applied Sciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-ea4610225e7d4d988c561ca3081ecfbe2025-08-20T03:06:01ZengSpringerDiscover Applied Sciences3004-92612025-07-017812810.1007/s42452-025-07407-1A frugal approach to hydrostatic transmission design for off-grid electricity generation from low water headsRuben Dario Solarte Bolaños0Antonio Carlos Valdiero1João Carlos Espíndola Ferreira2Vitor Figueredo Spiguel3Marcos Paulo Nostrani4Victor Juliano De Negri5Federal University of Santa CatarinaFederal University of Santa CatarinaFederal University of Santa CatarinaFederal University of Santa CatarinaFederal University of Santa CatarinaFederal University of Santa CatarinaAbstract Hydrostatic transmissions (HSTs) are widely used in industrial and mobile applications, such as aerospace systems, construction and agricultural machinery, and off-road vehicles. HSTs have emerged as power transmission and velocity governors for renewable power plants, such as wind turbines, wave power plants, and hydropower plants. This paper presents a mathematical model and results of a frugal HST operating as a velocity governor and power transmitter for a micro-hydroelectric power plant with an output power not higher than 17 kW. The HST was simulated to analyze pressure, flow rate, angular velocity, and solenoid valve activation. Unlike systems designed for larger turbines, this paper deals with a frugal design that minimizes complexity by employing a single accumulator and eliminating auxiliary charging circuits, such as small pumps and motors used for system charging and leakage compensation. This approach simplifies components and lowers costs, making it ideal for affordable, compact energy systems. Additionally, the achieved design has a versatile four-pump configuration in which the pumps can either share the same shaft or operate independently. When operating independently, each pump can connect to distinct energy sources (e.g., waves, wind, or biomass), enabling the development of hybrid systems for electric power generation. The results show that the obtained HST is capable of maintaining a suitable angular velocity range, with a low number of valve activations and deactivations for changes in the input angular velocity of the hydraulic pumps. The findings suggest that the development of frugal mechatronic products demands enhanced knowledge of system modeling and a comprehensive understanding of the components and constraints inherent to the targeted problem.https://doi.org/10.1007/s42452-025-07407-1Hydrostatic transmissionMicro-hydroelectric power plantRenewable energyDigital hydraulicsFrugal innovation |
| spellingShingle | Ruben Dario Solarte Bolaños Antonio Carlos Valdiero João Carlos Espíndola Ferreira Vitor Figueredo Spiguel Marcos Paulo Nostrani Victor Juliano De Negri A frugal approach to hydrostatic transmission design for off-grid electricity generation from low water heads Discover Applied Sciences Hydrostatic transmission Micro-hydroelectric power plant Renewable energy Digital hydraulics Frugal innovation |
| title | A frugal approach to hydrostatic transmission design for off-grid electricity generation from low water heads |
| title_full | A frugal approach to hydrostatic transmission design for off-grid electricity generation from low water heads |
| title_fullStr | A frugal approach to hydrostatic transmission design for off-grid electricity generation from low water heads |
| title_full_unstemmed | A frugal approach to hydrostatic transmission design for off-grid electricity generation from low water heads |
| title_short | A frugal approach to hydrostatic transmission design for off-grid electricity generation from low water heads |
| title_sort | frugal approach to hydrostatic transmission design for off grid electricity generation from low water heads |
| topic | Hydrostatic transmission Micro-hydroelectric power plant Renewable energy Digital hydraulics Frugal innovation |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1007/s42452-025-07407-1 |
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