Hydro-pneumatic accumulators for vehicles kinetic energy storage: Influence of gas compressibility and thermal losses on storage capability

In particular, it is underscored that the accumulator's design, based on ideal gas behaviour, provides undersized accumulators and therefore makes impossible the complete energy recovery for Hydraulic Energy Storage Systems (HES). The analysis of the thermodynamic properties of gases has shown that the main differences between ideal and real behaviour are due to gas compressibility. A mathematical model of a gas-charged accumulator is developed in order to analyse its real behaviour in presence of irreversible heat transfer and viscous losses. The simulation process of charging and discharging of a hydro-pneumatic accumulator, makes it clear that hydrodynamic and thermal losses are responsible for the characteristic hysteresis cycle on the p-V diagram. Different gases are tested as charged fluid of a hydro-pneumatic accumulator to simulate cyclic processes of charge and discharge. Results show different characteristics in terms of volumetric gas properties, thermal time-constant and thermal efficiency of the accumulator.