Hydraulic

Fluids ,
Reservoirs
and
Filters
HELALY 1
 Hydraulic
Fluids

HELALY 2
 Fluid Functions
The fluid in a hydraulic system must do more than simply
transmit a force. It must serve many functions, the most
important of which are to:
1. Transmit energy.
2. Lubricate components.
3. Transfer heat from heat-generating components to the walls of
fluid conductors, reservoirs, or heat exchangers, where
convection removes the heat.
4. Carry wear-generated particles to filters.
5. Prevent rust and corrosion.
6. Provide electrical insulation for certain applications.
7. Seal clearances.

HELALY 3
In addition, it must
a. Be fully compatible with all system hardware, seals, and hoses.
b. Have low foaming tendencies.
c. Release entrained and dissolved air rapidly.
d. Allow water to separate rapidly
e. Have the proper viscosity and viscosity index
f. Have a high shear stability.
g. Have good performance over a wide temperature range.
h. Have a high bulk modulus .
i. Have a low specific gravity .
Unfortunately, no single fluid is outstanding in its ability to meet
all of these requirements. Therefore, it becomes the
responsibility of the system designer to decide which of the
large number of available fluids will best meet a particular
need. Only with a sound understanding of fluid properties and
characteristics can the proper choices be made.
HELALY 4
 Physical Characteristics and
Properties of Fluids
The term fluid refers to both liquids and gases. A liquid is
distinguished from a gas by two important characteristics.
The first of these is that a liquid is relatively
incompressible- to the point of being considered
incompressible for most fluid power applications. In reality,
most hydraulic fluids will compress up to 0.4 percent per
1000 psi. Gases, on the other hand, are readily
compressible and tend to have a springy or spongy
operation in power systems as opposed to the stiff fluid
column in a liquid system.

HELALY 5
 Fluid Properties
The basic properties of a fluid include
Mass – Weight – Density - Specific weight - Specific gravity
MASS is the property associated with a fluid’s inertia. It is a
fixed property, and is not affected by its location in
space. Mass is denoted by the symbol m. In the SI
system, mass is expressed in kilograms.
The density is defined as the mass per unit volume (kg/m3).
The weight of a fluid is the result of its mass being acted
upon by gravity. The relationship between weight and
gravity is defined by Newton's Second Law of Motion,
F=mxa where F = force, m = mass, a = acceleration.

HELALY 6
In this discussion, the force in the equation is the weight of
the fluid, while the acceleration term is the acceleration of
gravity. Thus, we can write that
Weight = Mass x Gravity or w=mxg
In the SI system, where mass is in kilogram (kg) and
gravity is in meters per second squared (m/s2), weight has
the units of kilogram-meters per second squared (kg m/s2),
which is defined as a Newton (N).
The specific weight is defined as the weight per unit
volume and the specific gravity is the ratio between the
specific weight of a fluid and that of water. Note that
specific gravity is dimensionless (ratio).

HELALY 7
 Chemical And Physical Properties
Several chemical and physical properties that must be
considered when evaluating a hydraulic fluid for potential
use
in a system follow:
• Oxidation resistance
• Corrosion and rust protection
• Anti-wear and lubrication characteristics
• Emulsibility / demulsibility
• Flash and fire point
• Bulk modulus
• Viscosity (absolute and kinematic)
• Viscosity index
• Pour point
HELALY 8
 Bulk Modulus
The degree to which liquids are compressible is expressed as the bulk modulus
of the liquid. It is actually the reciprocal of compressibility. We can express bulk
modulus mathematically as
where P
E
E = bulk modulus. V
P = change in pressure.
V
V = change in volume due to P.
V = original volume.
The units of E are the same as pressure. The denominator is actually the percent
change of volume that results from a change of pressure. The minus sign takes
care of the fact that the volume decreases when pressure increases.
In practice, we really don't become concerned with bulk modulus unless we are
interested in high cycling rates. In these applications, the fluid compressibility
causes the liquid to behave similarly to a gas and can significantly reduce the
useful cycle rate of the system.

HELALY 9
 Compressibility of fluids
Many people •
think that a
liquid is
incompressible
. However,
fluids are, like
any material,
in a certain
amount
compressible.

HELALY 10
 Viscosity
Viscosity is defined as a fluid's resistance to flow at a given
temperature.
It is probably the single most important property of an oil.
The kinematic viscosity of a fluid is simply its dynamic
viscosity divided by the fluid density at the temperature at
which the dynamic viscosity was determined. Thus,
Kinematic Viscosity,  = Dynamic Viscosity/ Density =  / 
Most methods for determining viscosity require that the tests
be conducted at specific temperatures. The SAE viscosity
grades have been standard for many years, especially for
crankcase oils.
HELALY 11
The viscosity index (VI)
is an indication of a fluid's rate of change of viscosity with a change in
temperature. Not all fluids respond to temperature changes at the same
rate.. In fact, VI is simply a dimensionless number that indicates the
relative viscosity of a fluid between two arbitrary limits. These limits were
originally set at zero (based on oils from the fields along the coast of the
Gulf of Mexico that had a very high rate of viscosity change with temp)
and 100 (based on Pennsylvania oils with a very low rate of change).

The viscosity index of a fluid can be calculated as follows:

VI = (L – U) / ( L – H ) * 100
where
L = the viscosity, in cSt, at 40°C (100 °F) of an oil that has a VI of zero
and the same viscosity as the test oil at l00°C (210 °F).
H = the viscosity, in cSt, at 40°C (100 °F) of an oil that has a VI of 100
and the same viscosity as the test oil at 100°C (210 °F).
U = the viscosity, in cSt, of the test oil at 40°C (100 °F).

HELALY 12
cSt = centestoke SSU = saybolt seconds universal
HELALY 13
 Viscosity Considerations in Fluid Selection

Since a system design calls for a specific fluid viscosity for optimum operation,
it is obvious that there are two important viscosity considerations in selecting the
initial or a replacement fluid. the fluid viscosity at the expected (or actual)
operating temperature. The second is the viscosity index (VI).

The use of an oil with too low a viscosity can lead to several system problems,
including
1. Loss of pump efficiency due to internal leakage.
2. Loss of system static pressure due to internal and external leakage.
3. Reduction of actuator speed due to internal leakage.
4. Increased component wear due to breakdown of the lubrication film.
5. Loss of overall system efficiency due to leakage.

If the viscosity of the fluid is too high, the problems may include
1. Loss of the pump's ability to move the fluid (pumpability).
2 Pump cavitation (starvation).
3 System overheating due to excessive fluid friction in the system piping.
4. Sluggish operation of cylinders and motors.
5. High pressure drops due to excessive fluid friction in the system piping.
HELALY 14
 Lubrication

In fluid power systems we are concerned with three basic

lubrication problems-linearly sliding surfaces, plain (or
journal) bearings, and antifriction bearings. One of the major
functions of the hydraulic fluid is to provide a lubricating film
to reduce friction and wear in these situations.
There are three basic regimes of lubrication, as illustrated
by Figure :
1. Full film lubrication.
2. Mixed film lubrication.
3. Boundary lubrication.

HELALY 15
HELALY 16
 Important Analysis
Parameters
A fluid-condition monitoring program should include these analyses on a
periodic basis.
Particulate
Particulate analysis should include both a contamination-level analysis (such
as a particle count) and a materials analysis (visual microscope, etc.) to
identify the types of particles present.
Water Content Water can be damaging to a system for several reasons,
among them, rusting, oxidation, microbial growth, depletion of additives and
loss of lubrication.
viscosity The viscosity of a hydraulic fluid may either increase or decrease
with fluid life, depending on the reason for the change.

Techniques of Fluid Analysis

Fluid Handling, Storage, and Disposal

HELALY 17
 Hydraulic
Reservoirs
and
Filters
HELALY 18
 Hydraulic Reservoirs

The reservoir actually plays several major roles, including

1. Heat exchanger (to cool the fluid).
2. Filter (to remove solid particles).
3. Deaerator (to remove air and gases).
4. Sedimentation
5. Dehydrator (to remove water).
 Reservoir Size
Most system specifications call for the
reservoir to contain

Three times the pump flow rate

The mobile equipment industry tends to use a
1 to 1 ratio.
Other requirements vary according to
application.
Strainers
If such a strainer is
used, two very
important points
must be
remembered. First,
the strainer should
always be covered
by at least 3 inches
of fluid. Otherwise, a
vortex could form
that would allow air
to be pulled into the
pump. Second, these
strainers must be
changed periodically.
Without By-pass
Filters.

With By-pass
 Filter Replacement
Replace the element according to applicable regulations and by doing the
following:
1. Relieve the pressure.
2. Remove the bowl from the filter's body.
3. Remove the filter element from the body, using a slight rocking
motion.
4. Clean or replace the element, depending on its type.
5. Replace all old O-ring packings and backup washers.
6. Reinstall the bowl on the body assembly. Do not tighten the bowl
excessively; check the appropriate regulations for specifications, as
some filter elements require a specific torque.
7. Pressurize the system and check the filter assembly for leaks.
 Filter Rating
Filters are rated in several ways—absolute, mean, and
nominal.
Absolute The filtration rating is the diameter in microns of
the largest spherical particle that will pass through the filter
under a certain test condition. This rating is an indication of
the largest opening in the filter element.
The mean filtration rating is the measurement of the
average size of the openings in the filter element.
The nominal filtration rating is usually interpreted to mean
the size of the smallest particles of which 90 percent will
be trapped in the filter at each pass through the filter.
Absolute Rating
 Filtering Material and Elements.
The general classes of filter materials are mechanical,
absorbent inactive, and absorbent active.
Mechanical filters contain closely woven metal screens or
discs. They generally remove only fairly coarse particles.
Absorbent inactive filters, such as cotton, wood pulp,
yarn, cloth, or resin, remove much smaller particles; some
remove water and water-soluble contaminants. The
elements often are treated to make them sticky to attract
the contaminants found in hydraulic oil.
Absorbent active materials, such as charcoal and fuller's
earth (a claylike material of very fine particles used in the
purification of mineral or vegetable-base oils), are not
recommended for hydraulic systems.
Basic types of
filter elements