Independent power supply for commercial vehicle trailers

This work was motivated by the need to provide electric power to commercial trailers during phases when they are disconnected from their tractor vehicles. The obvious approach to use batteries is not recommended owing to their unsatisfactory energy density, service life and charging cycles. As an alternative, in this paper a pneumatic-electrical approach is proposed and analysed. The main points discussed are the system design and the control strategies required for an optimal energy conversion. The ideas proposed are applied to an electronically controlled air suspension system. Using a laboratory test bench, the main results are verified experimentally. Additional benefits, such as energy recuperation, are discussed. The theoretical considerations and the experimental results confirm that a pneumatic-electrical system is a promising option. Simple integration into the existing pneumatic system and, therefore, minimum weight and installation space, simple scalability to changing power demands, high quality of dynamic response and the ability to conform with the regulations for the transport of hazardous goods are some of the main advantages.