Term Paper MEL 426

On

Accumulators and Intensifiers

Submitted by Ashish Kumar Singh (Entry No: 2008ME20570) Azeez Gupta (Entry No: 2008ME20571)

Mechanical Engineering Department Indian Institute of Technology Delhi

April 2012

1. Accumulators
A Hydraulic Accumulator is a simple hydraulic device that stores energy in the form of fluid pressure. This stored pressure may be suddenly or intermittently released as per the requirement. In the case of a hydraulic lift or hydraulic crane, a large amount of energy is required when the lift or crane is moving upward. This energy is supplied from the hydraulic accumulator. But when the lift is moving in the downward direction, it does not require a huge amount of energy. During this particular time, the oil or hydraulic fluid pumped from the pump is stored in the accumulator for future use.

1.1

Working of Hydraulic Accumulator

An accumulator usually has a cylindrical chamber, which has a piston in it. This piston is either spring-loaded or some calculated weight is kept on it or even pneumatically pressurized. The hydraulic pump pumps the fluid into the accumulator, which is nothing but a sealed container. The volume of the container is fixed and cannot be changed. But the quantity of hydraulic fluid being pumped inside the container is increasing continuously. So the pressure of the hydraulic fluid inside the container starts to increase.

WEIGHT Sliding Ram

Fixed vertical cylinder Inlet from pump Outlet

The figure above shows a hydraulic accumulator which consists of a fixed vertical cylinder containing a sliding ram. A heavy weight is placed on the ram. The inlet of the cylinder is connected to the pump, which continuously supplies water or the hydraulic fluid under pressure to the cylinder. The outlet of the cylinder is connected to the machine (which may be a lift or a crane). The ram is at its lower most position in the beginning. The pump supplies hydraulic fluid under pressure continuously. If the hydraulic fluid under pressure is not required by the machine, it will be stored in the cylinder. This will raise the ram on which a heavy weight is placed. When the ram is at its upper most position, the cylinder is full of hydraulic fluid and the accumulator has stored the maximum amount of pressure energy. When the machine (the crane or the lift), requires a large amount of energy, the accumulator will supply this energy and the ram starts to move down.

1.2

What is the use of this stored pressure energy?

The hydraulic fluid stored inside the container has energy in the form of pressure. This pressure energy can be used for many operations. For example, in industries an infinite numbers of valves are provided in the pipelines and it is not possible for the operator to operate every valve manually and sometimes it is not possible to remember the location of all the valves. A mimic diagram is located in the control room, thus making it possible to have a birds eye view of all the valves. These valves are usually operated hydraulically in a remote manner. The system generally has an oil reservoir, a pump, an accumulator, pipelines, and valves. The pump pressurizes the hydraulic oil through the accumulator and pipelines, thus operating the corresponding valves. When the operations are completed, the pump pressurizes the oil into the accumulator which stores the oil under pressure for further use.

1.3

Why do you need an accumulator?

If there were no accumulator, the hydraulic pump would be continuously running to cater to the need for valve operation. The pump will frequently start and stop, which affects the pumps performance and its health. Also, the accumulator stores energy which can be used in an emergency where there is no other means of power supply. It can be compared with the use of capacitors in electrical circuits. In hotels and other industries, water is usually stored in accumulators called hydrophores that are capable of supplying water to higher heights reducing the burden on the pumps - for example, if there are plants where the water tanks cannot be placed on top of the building due to some constraints and are thus placed on the ground. To supply water to a greater height, it requires comparatively a higher capacity pump. But it can be replaced with a lower capacity pump and a hydrophore, which is an accumulator. Water is stored against air pressure inside the accumulator and whenever the need for water arises at a greater height, water is pumped with the help of air pressure inside the accumulator, just by opening some corresponding valves. This reduces the requirement of a higher capacity pump and avoids a continuous start-stop cycle of the pumps.

1.4

Uses of accumulators?

To supplement pump flow: The most common use for accumulators is to supplement pump flow. Certain machinery circuits require a high quantity of oil flow for a short time and then use little or no fluid for an extended period. So, generally when the circuit does not require oil flow, the pump keeps the accumulator pressurized for future use. To absorb shock: At times, the sudden changing of valve positions or operations may cause a pressure wave that sets up a shock. The pressure of fast-moving hydraulic circuits can produce pressure spikes that cause shock when flow is stopped abruptly as well. When installed in shock prone areas of hydraulic circuits, accumulators serve as pressure shock dampening devices. As an emergency power supply: Ships generally have emergency means of starting arrangements for life saving appliances. The life boat engines are either manually started or hydraulically started. These act as secondary means of starting in times of emergency.

2. Intensifiers
Intensifiers, also known as boosters, use a large quantity of low-pressure fluid to produce a smaller quantity of higher-pressure fluid. There are three classes of intensifiers: Air-to-Oil intensifiers Oil-to-Oil intensifiers Air-to-Air intensifiers

2.1 Advantages of intensifiers:

Heat is not generated while static hydraulic pressure is maintained and little is generated during rapid cycling, small oil reserves are required. Direction control of intensifier-operated cylinders is through air valves which are usually less expensive than hydraulic valves, but just as reliable. Since high hydraulic pressure is easily attained, booster-operated cylinders can be smaller in diameter. Intensifier systems are generally more compact than equivalent pump-andtank units. Since pressure and direction-control valves are located in the air portion of the air-oil booster circuits, few fittings and usually no valves are required in the intensifier-tocylinder connection. Air-to-air intensifiers permit the use of low-cost air cylinders at line pressures greater than those available from normal shop-air compressors.

2.2Functioning of Intensifiers
For low to intermediate pressures up to 280 MPa direct pressurization the use of triplex positive displacement pumps is adequate. However, with high pressures, this type pump is less reliable and additional components must be incorporated to maintain a constant volume at a constant high pressure. One such method is the use of an intensifier.

An intensifier usually consists of two cylinders with different inner diameters. The piston with the largest diameter is driven by a low-pressure hydraulic system (normally 5 to 35 MPa). The pressure in the other cylinder is higher due to the difference in diameter and the ratio of the pressures varies directly as the ratios of cross sectional areas of the two cylinders making up the intensifier. These ratios are typically of the order of 1:10 to 1:25. The resulting magnification in pressure results in values up to 400 MPa. To operate in a quasi-continuous mode, two or more intensifiers are used together. In a double acting intensifier design the units are directly connected and work alternately; while one intensifier unit delivers pressurized water to the system; the other unit is refilled. Because of the compressibility of water the first 15% of the piston stroke is used to pressurize and compress the water without any volume delivery. This results in pressure fluctuations and this in turn causes inaccuracies in the water jet/abrasive water jet machining operation. Fig. 1 gives an example of an intensifier.

Figure 1: An Intensifier One method to address this problem of pressure fluctuation is to include an accumulator which is shown in Fig. 2.This is also known as an attenuator since its purpose is to reduce or attenuate the variation in maximum to minimum pressure values. This is akin to the attenuation of a waveform as the energy is dissipated over time and hence the amplitude of the vibration decreases.

Figure 2: Use of an accumulator with a double acting intensifier

The attenuator stores a volume of water at an elevated pressure which it will release into the system as a decrease in pump pressure is sensed. This then reduces the variations in system pressure. The size of the attenuator tank must be correlated to the pump to insure successful operation. An alternate method to reduce variation in pressure is to use two single intensifier pistons together so that one has started its compression stroke, before the second has completed its delivery. Thus as one piston stops, the other is already at pressure and continues the delivery. Figs. 3-5 illustrate the process.

Fig 3: Pump A has started to retract water and drawing water, B is discharging water

Fig 4: Piston A has started to move up, compressing water without discharge; B continues to discharge pressurized water

Fig 5: Piston A has started to discharge; B has stopped and about to retract

An exact statement as to the optimal value of water pressure is difficult. It has been found that higher water jet pressure results in better surface quality of the cut. However too high a jet pressure can result in fragmentation of the abrasive particles leading to poorer cutting operations. Water jet pressure depends on the material and the abrasive.

3. Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. Give a brief history of how the early accumulators developed. A1. The first accumulators were simple raised water towers. Water was pumped to a tank at the top of these towers by steam pumps. When dock machinery required hydraulic power, the hydrostatic head of the water's height above ground provided the necessary pressure. These were replaced by smaller weighted accumulators which consist of vertical cylinders containing fluid connected to the hydraulic line. The cylinder is closed by a piston on which a series of weights are placed that exerts a downward force on the piston and thereby energizes the fluid in the cylinder.

Q2. What is the most common type of accumulator? A2. Compressed gas accumulators, also called hydro-pneumatic accumulators, are by far the most common type.

Q3. How does a regenerative break work? A3. When a car with hydraulic regenerative braking brakes, the motion of the wheels is used to pump hydraulic fluid into an accumulator. This slows down the car and charges up the accumulator. When the car accelerates again, the hydraulic fluid flows back out, using its stored pressure to power the wheels.

Q4. Why do we need an intensifier? A4. For low to intermediate pressures up to 280 MPa direct pressurization, the use of triplex positive displacement pumps is adequate. However, with high pressures, this type pump is less reliable and additional components must be incorporated to maintain a constant volume at a constant high pressure. One such method is the use of an intensifier

Q5. Why is accumulator combined with an intensifier? A5. Because of the compressibility of water the first 15% of the piston stroke is used to pressurize and compress the water without any volume delivery. This results in pressure fluctuations and this in turn causes inaccuracies in the water jet/abrasive water jet machining operation. One method to address this problem of pressure fluctuation is to include an accumulator. The attenuator stores a volume of water at an elevated pressure which it will release into the system as a decrease in pump pressure is sensed. This then reduces the variations in system pressure