Wednesday, 20 June 2012
How Using Hydraulic Filters Will Extend Equipment Life
15:53 | 
Posted by
Habot |
Investing in effective hydraulic filters could save you a fortune in downtime.
But by effectively controlling the level of contaminants (dirt) to acceptable levels you can reduce system failure by as much as 75%.
That is extremely important when you consider the
high cost of hydraulic parts and our dependence on today’s sophisticated and complex hydraulic fluid power systems. Not to mention that correct deployment of hydraulic filters can increase the life of the hydraulic fluid.
The reason dirt plays a large role in system inefficiency is simple.
In reality, dirt is minute abrasive “gravel” which travels through a system and internally deteriorates and destroys sensitive hydraulic components, causing reduced efficiency and, eventually, system failure.
Here’s How Not Using The Correct Hydraulic Filters Reduces The Equipment Life:
- Surface Scoring -produced when abrasive particles are trapped in the contact surfaces of hydraulic seals.
- Clearance Honing-from dirt flowing through spaces between moving parts, creating greater clearances and destroying critical tolerances.
- Fluid Degradation-fine metallic particles act as a catalyst promoting the chemical breakdown of the hydraulic oil. If not properly controlled with hydraulic filters, the presence of dirt can initiate one or more of the following undesirable conditions:
- Internal Leakage-or slippage, lowering the efficiency of pumps, motors and cylinders, wasting power and increasing heat. Valves cannot control flow and pressure accurately.
- Corrosion-damage to delicate components as the fluid degrades.
- Sticking Parts- causing erratic or intermittent system operation.
- Dirt levels affect system performance
- Hydraulic filters control dirt levels and, unless measures are taken to remove certain amounts of particles in hydraulic fluid, the dirt level will continue to rise until a component--and the entire system-fails.
The Cure, is the use of hydraulic filters.
The dirt particles that cause trouble in a hydraulic system are extremely small. Typically, 98% of hydraulic fluid is composed of particles so small that we can't see them without magnification.Hydraulic fluid samples from operating systems show us that as the size of a particle decreases, its quantity increases. In other words, the smaller the particles, the more there are in a given volume of hydraulic oil.
Hydraulic filters are the only available means of controlling the over-all cleanliness when such small particles are involved. But, before we can begin to eliminate hazardous dirt levels and contaminants, it is first necessary to understand their source.
How Dirt Gets Into A Closed System:
Since hydraulic systems are closed, and the same fluid is continually recirculated, you may wonder how dirt gets in.
As an aid to understanding this basic problem, let's examine some of the most common sources of contaminants that contribute to higher levels of dirt in fluid power systems.
- Built-In Dirt- Specifically, core-sand, weld spatter, metal clips, lint and abrasive dust are all considered built in contaminants. Also, the initial fluid charge within the system--before the equipment is even turned on--will contain a certain amount of fine particles.
- Introduced Contaminants- These are particles that enter through seals, fluid-filter tubes and breather caps, or when the system is open for component repair or replacement. Here, too, if fluid is added to replenish the reservoir supply. It will contain particle contaminants which are introduced to the system.
- Wear Particles- Wear from system components also contributes to the presence of contamination. Friction of moving parts gradually produces small particles of metal and sealing materials, continuously adding to the particle count in the fluid, which can only be effectively removed using hydraulic filters.
- Fluid Breakdown--When chemical reactions occur within the fluid itself, the result is usually the formation of sludge and acids. Although not generally abrasive, sludge is a source of resinous coatings on moving parts, slowing movement and clogging passages. Acid, however, can pit and corrode vital internal parts.
What effects can be expected if hydraulic filters are not used in the system?
Let’s look at a typical example of a hydraulic system: Initially, the 2,000psi pumped produces a flow of 20 gpm. But, due to high contamination levels from improper filtration, the pump delivery drops to only 10 gpm.The pump may still function at the same pressure, but because of degradation, it operates at 50% less efficiently and excessive heat and other troubles will soon follow.
Remember, to maintain longer system life and higher performance, the optimum cleanliness level must be maintained with the correct combination of hydraulic filters.
But don't overdo it:
There is an optimum level of cleanliness in all hydraulic systems--a level where increased filtration does not significantly reduce component wear. Keep economics in mind. You don't want to overdo it. Determine the acceptable dirt level, choose the right hydraulic filters and maintain the level of dirt below the limit you determine.
Using the correct hydraulic filters with high grade Habot synthetic hydraulic oil will increase performance and reduce maintenance costs. So give us a call if you’d like help in choosing the correct hydraulic oil for your application.
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14 comments:
great video and information about hydraulic filters. Proper filtration will indeed keep things running efficiently and cut back on downtime due to breakdowns.
Hydraulic filters can extend life keep machinery working at it's optimum.
The suggestion is very valuable to use filter with the hydraulic machines .As the filter increases the efficiency of the machine upto a great extent .
Hydraulic Installation Kits
Thanks
Bruce Hammerson
I wasnt aware of a lot of insights you shared, thanks! Im trying to figure out what kind of hydraulic filters I should get and if they will help me out enough to get them. Do you recommend getting them, and what brand?
I need to get some hydraulic filters to help make the equipment last longer. Where can I get some?
I actually never realized that by using hydraulic filters I could actually be extending the life of my equipment. That is very good to know, thank you.
Wow, who knew hydraulic filters were so important. I knew I needed them, but I hadn't thought of replacing them as often as you recommend.
Thanks so much for posting this. I didn't even know the importance of hydraulic filters until I read this. I should probably go out and get one soon.
Hi, This is a nice interesting blog. We also manufacture high quality Paper Plate Making Machine.
Thanks for sharing.
I didn't know that hydraulic filters could save me so much money! It's good to know that I could cut costs. Thank you so much for teaching me more about hydraulic filters! http://cmafh.com/categories/2105-1/Hydraulic+Filters+-+Hydac.aspx
Does all hydraulic equipment need hydraulic filters specifically? I've been trying to figure out what I need to do to repair some equipment at work. I don't know a lot about the machinery, but I am in charge of order parts for them. I've been given a list of what I need, but I can't find some of the parts. How can I know if what I'm getting is the right thing for the machine? http://www.gvhydraulink.com.au
Nice article.I am also agree with your point that the dirt particles that cause trouble in a hydraulic system are extremely small. Typically, 98% of hydraulic fluid is composed of particles so small that we can't see them without magnification.
Thanks for posting.
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Hey thanks for posting article about hydraulic filters, I just wanted to thank you for publishing this.
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Some hydraulic filters can actually do more harm than good. And so their inclusion in a hydraulic system is misguided. Pump inlet (suction) filters fall into this category. Inlet filters usually take the form of a 140 micron, mesh strainer which is screwed onto the pump intake penetration inside the hydraulic reservoir.
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