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Volvo-Norrhydro working on radical new hydraulics system

Volvo Construction Equipment is working in cooperation with Norrhydro in Finland to develop a new technology that it says will revolutionise machine hydraulic performance. The potential customer and climate benefits are expected to be enormous, with machine fuel efficiency significantly increased and CO2 emissions cut. 

While the full details of the revolutionary technology are a secret for now, the Norrhydro patented system, NorrDigi, uses a multi-chamber digital hydraulic actuator that improves system efficiency that much of a machine’s hydraulic system can be discarded or downsized. It removes the need for a main control valve – the heart of a traditional hydraulic system – along with excessive pump capacity, piping and hoses. It uses less energy and offers the prospect for downsizing the engine capacity. 

The ongoing validations of the solution have demonstrated both efficiency improvement and an increased machine productivity. With carbon dioxide emissions reduced, it is making a radical cut in the machine’s carbon footprint. Volvo CE and Norrhydro have signed a multi-year agreement where Volvo CE will continue to develop the technology in partnership with Norrhydro, and subsequently aim for first mover advantage. Volvo CE has exclusive rights to its use in its products during the development process.

Unlike traditional cylinders with two chambers – one pushing, one pulling – the digital hydraulic actuator uses four chambers that can be connected in up to 16 different permutations, depending on the load required by the desired operation. “It’s a bit like a 16-speed linear transmission,” says Peter Stambro, Vice President Business Development at Norrhydro. “Multi-chamber cylinders have been around for a while, but what makes our ones exceptional is the way they have been combined with advanced electronic control systems, whose complex algorithms and computational speed allow for instant response, but using only a fraction of the energy for the same machine manoeuvre or action compared to a traditional system.” 

Thomas Bitter, Head of Technology at Volvo CE said, “In research so far, the system shows greatest benefits in larger machines – in the case of excavators, those 30 tons and above. However, in the future, the technology could also be used in electric machines, where its much greater hydraulic system efficiency would effectively extend the battery life and operating window.”

With a Volvo EC300E 30 ton excavator as a test bed, the revolutionary technology has passed its initial proof-of-concept phase and durability tests, and is now moving to a field test period, where prototypes are used in real world applications by selected customer partners. It is forecast that the revolutionary system will be offered on the company’s excavators by 2024 at the latest. Volvo plans to invest in a new multi-million euro factory for the new product.

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