Generalized Actuator Concept for the Study of the Efficiency of Energetic Systems

Energy efficiency is an important consideration for the success of many portable as well as other energetic systems. One way to improve the efficiency of an engineering system is through regeneration. A regenerative actuator returns some of the otherwise dissipated energy required for passive operation. A regenerative actuator can plow back part of energy normally lost in the passive operation of the actuator into useful energy. The amount of regenerated energy will depend on the dissipation characteristics of the actuator and the regenerative potential of the process itself. In order to analyze regeneration a bond graph model of a generalized regenerative actuator is developed. The regenerative potential is analyzed in the power phase plane trajectory. By superimposing such a trajectory with the dissipation characteristics of the actuator, a framework is developed to study the feasibility of regeneration. A possible way of optimizing the regenerated energy is also considered in some depth.