Reduction of fuel consumption using driving strategy in agricultural tractor

ABSTRACT During the acquisition and use of an agricultural tractor, the consumption of fuel by the engine must be taken into account by the user, considering its nonrenewable origin and the marketing price. Appropriate strategies in driving tractors can help users to reduce production costs. In this context, the objective of this study was to evaluate the fuel consumption of an agricultural tractor using different driving strategies. Load levels were imposed, following the instructions from Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development Code 2, using an instrumented dynamometer car, in a concrete test track. Six load levels (30, 40, 50, 60, 70, and 80% of Q0) and three travel speeds (5.16, 7.29, and 10.48 km h-1) were applied for the strategies used (Full Throttle and Shifted Up - Throttle Back), where Q0 is the traction force corresponding to the maximum power in the drawbar for each gear selected. Three repetitions were made, which totaled 108 experimental units (2 × 3 × 6 × 3), in a completely randomized experimental design. Shifted Up - Throttle Back mode should be used as a strategy of tractor driving, because it can save up to 29.39% of fuel in relation to the Full Throttle mode, typically used by users.摘要：在农用拖拉机的购置与使用过程中，用户必须考量发动机的燃油消耗——既要考虑其不可再生的属性，也需兼顾市场售价。合理的拖拉机驾驶策略可帮助用户降低生产成本。在此背景下，本研究旨在评估不同驾驶策略下农用拖拉机的燃油消耗情况。本研究参照经济合作与发展组织（Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development）第2号规程，在混凝土试验跑道上使用配备检测仪器的测功拖车施加载荷等级。针对所采用的两种驾驶策略（全油门（Full Throttle）与升档-收油门（Shifted Up - Throttle Back）），本研究设置了6级载荷（分别为Q0的30%、40%、50%、60%、70%及80%）与3种行驶速度（5.16、7.29及10.48 km·h⁻¹），其中Q0为所选各挡位下牵引杆最大输出功率对应的牵引力。本研究采用完全随机试验设计，共设置3次重复，总计108个试验单元（2×3×6×3）。相较于用户通常采用的全油门模式，升档-收油门驾驶策略可实现最高29.39%的燃油节约，因此推荐作为拖拉机驾驶的优选策略。