Research on the use of hydro-pneumatic accumulators in order to reduce the flow rate and pressure pulsations of oscillating hydraulic intensifiers

Oscillating hydraulic pressure intensifiers, of the minibooster type, are supplied at the inlet, in the primary, by low-pressure pumps and provide, at the outlet, in the secondary, high pressure to the hydraulic consumers (linear or rotary hydraulic motors under load). The pressure increase in the secondary, proportional to the amplification factor of the intensifier occurs at a much lower flow rate than the supply flow rate, and thus the two hydraulic parameters (pressure and flow rate) at the outlet of the intensifier are affected by oscillations. Because of this, the miniboosters are designed for static applications, which require low displacements of hydraulic motors. The authors aimed to expand the field of use of miniboosters by reducing the flow rate and pressure pulses with the help of hydro-pneumatic accumulators mounted on the primary and secondary of the intensifiers. If these pulsations can be mitigated, then low-pressure pump units of small dimensions, equipped with miniboosters, can be used in dynamic mining-specific applications, in complete safety, such as, for example, those involving relatively uniform displacement, under load, of some hydraulic jacks. A numerical simulation model developed in Simcenter Amesim highlights the effect of using hydro-pneumatic accumulators on the mitigation of flow rate and pressure pulsations of the oscillating hydraulic intensifiers. Numerical simulations performed with and without hydro-pneumatic accumulators mounted on the primary and secondary of the intensifier highlight the following aspects: • hydro-pneumatic accumulators can be used successfully for the partial damping of flow rate and pressure pulses, but they must be dimensioned for each specific application and work optimally for a relatively narrow pressure range; • using hydro-pneumatic accumulators can sufficiently improve the uniformity of displacement and the velocity of displacement of a hydraulic cylinder, so that it can be used in less demanding dynamic applications, as well.

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Opracowanie rekordu ze środków MNiSW, umowa Nr 461252 w ramach programu "Społeczna odpowiedzialność nauki" - moduł: Popularyzacja nauki i promocja sportu (2021).