Vietnam National University - Ho Chi Minh City

University of Technology
Faculty of Geology & Petroleum Engineering
Department of Drilling - Production Engineering

Hydraulic and Pneumatic Machines

Trần Nguyễn Thiện Tâm
[email protected]
 Chapter 1

Introduction to Fluid Power

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 References
Anthony Esposito. Fluid Power with Applications, 7th Edition. Pearson Education Limited,
2014.

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 Contents
 What is fluid power?
 History of fluid power
 Advantages of fluid power
 Applications of fluid power
 Components of a fluid power system

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 Learning Objectives
1. Explain what fluid power is.
2. Differentiate between the terms hydraulics and pneumatics.
3. Understand the difference between fluid power systems and fluid transport systems.
4. Appreciate the history of the fluid power industry.
5. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of fluid power.
6. Describe key applications of fluid power.
7. Specify the basic components of fluid power systems.
8. Appreciate the size and scope of the fluid power industry.
9. Identify the categories of personnel who are employed in the fluid power industry.

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 What is fluid power?
Definition and Terminology

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 Definition and Terminology
Fluid power is the technology that deals with the generation, control, and transmission
of power, using pressurized fluids. It can be said that fluid power is the muscle that
moves industry. This is because fluid power is used to push, pull, regulate, or drive
virtually all the machines of modern industry.

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 Definition and Terminology
For example, fluid power steers and brakes automobiles, launches spacecraft, harvests
crops, mines coal, drives machine tools, controls airplanes, processes food, and even
drills teeth. In fact, it is almost impossible to find a manufactured product that hasn’t
been “fluid-powered” in some way at some stage of its production or distribution.

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 Definition and Terminology
Fluid power is called hydraulics when the fluid is a liquid and is called pneumatics
when the fluid is a gas. Thus fluid power is the general term used for both hydraulics
and pneumatics. Hydraulic systems use liquids such as petroleum oils, synthetic oils, and
water.

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 Definition and Terminology
Hydraulic systems use liquids such as petroleum oils, synthetic oils, and water. The first
hydraulic fluid to be used was water because it is readily available. However, water has
many deficiencies in comparison to hydraulic oils. For example water freezes more
readily, is not as good a lubricant, and tends to rust metal components.

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 Definition and Terminology
In spite of these deficiencies, there is a renewed effort underway to return to water in
certain applications because of water’s abundance, nonflammability, and environmental
cleanliness. When water hydraulics is used, the water contains additives to improve
lubricity and rust protection and prevent freezing where necessary.

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 Definition and Terminology
Hydraulic oils are currently much more widely used than water, but as environmental
concerns continue to become more serious, water hydraulics is expected to become
more prevalent. Pneumatic systems use air as the gas medium because air is very
abundant and can be readily exhausted into the atmosphere after completing its
assigned task.

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 Definition and Terminology
There are actually two different types of fluid systems: fluid transport and fluid power.

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 Definition and Terminology
Fluid transport systems have as their sole objective the delivery of a fluid from one
location to another to accomplish some useful purpose. Examples include pumping
stations for pumping water to homes, cross-country gas lines, and systems where
chemical processing takes place as various fluids are brought together.

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 Definition and Terminology
Fluid power systems are designed specifically to perform work. The work is
accomplished by a pressurized fluid bearing directly on an operating fluid cylinder or
fluid motor. A fluid cylinder produces a force resulting in linear motion, whereas a
fluid motor produces a torque resulting in rotary motion. Thus in a fluid power
system, cylinders and motors (which are also called actuators), provide the muscle to do
the desired work. Of course, control components such as valves are needed to ensure
that the work is done smoothly, accurately, efficiently, and safely.

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 History of fluid power
 Initial Development
 Beginning of Modern Era
 Today's Fluid Power

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 Initial Development
Fluid power is probably as old as civilization itself. Ancient historical accounts show that
water was used for centuries to produce power by means of water wheels, and air was
used to turn windmills and propel ships. However, these early uses of fluid power
required the movement of huge quantities of fluid because of the relatively low
pressures provided by nature.

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 Initial Development
Fluid power technology actually began in 1650 with the discovery of Pascal’s law:
Pressure is transmitted undiminished in a confined body of fluid.

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 Initial Development
Pascal found that when he rammed a cork down into a jug completely full of wine, the
bottom of the jug broke and fell out. Pascal’s law indicated that the pressures were equal
at the top and bottom of the jug. However, the jug has a small opening area at the top and
a large area at the bottom. Thus, the bottom absorbs a greater force due to its larger
area.

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 Initial Development
In 1750, Bernoulli developed his law of conservation of energy for a fluid flowing in a
pipeline. Pascal’s law and Bernoulli’s law operate at the very heart of all fluid power
applications and are used for analysis purposes.

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 Initial Development
However, it was not until the Industrial Revolution of 1850 in Great Britain that these
laws would actually be applied to industry, up to this time, electrical energy had not
been developed to power the machines of industry.

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 Initial Development
Instead, it was fluid power that, by 1870, was being used to drive hydraulic equipment
such as cranes, presses, winches, extruding machines, hydraulic jacks, shearing
machines, and riveting machines. In these systems, steam engines drove hydraulic water
pumps, which delivered water at moderate pressures through pipes to industrial plants
for powering the various machines. These early hydraulic systems had a number of
deficiencies such as sealing problems because the designs had evolved more as an art
than a science.

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 Initial Development
Then, late in the nineteenth century, electricity emerged as a dominant technology. This
resulted in a shift of development effort away from fluid power. Electrical power was
soon found to be superior to hydraulics for transmitting power over great distances.
There was very little development in fluid power technology during the last 10 years of
the nineteenth century.

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 Beginning of Modern Era
The modem era of fluid power is considered to have begun in 1906 when a hydraulic
system was developed to replace electrical systems for elevating and controlling guns on
the battleship USS Virginia. For this application, the hydraulic system developed used oil
instead of water. This change in hydraulic fluid and the subsequent solution of sealing
problems were significant milestones in the rebirth of fluid power.

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 Beginning of Modern Era
In 1926 the United States developed the first unitized, packaged hydraulic system
consisting of a pump, controls, and actuator. The military requirements leading up to
World War II kept fluid power applications and developments going at a good pace. The
naval industry had used fluid power for cargo handling, winches, propeller pitch control,
submarine control systems, operation of shipboard aircraft elevators, and drive systems
for radar and sonar.

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 Beginning of Modern Era
During World War II the aviation and aerospace industry provided the impetus for many
advances in fluid power technology. Examples include hydraulic-actuated landing gears,
cargo doors, gun drives, and flight control devices such as rudders, ailerons, and elevons
for aircraft.

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 Today's Fluid Power
The expanding economy that followed World War II led to the present situation where
there are virtually a limitless number of fluid power applications. Today fluid power is
used extensively in practically every branch of industry. Some typical applications are in
automobiles, tractors, airplanes, missiles, boats, robots, and machine tools.

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 Today's Fluid Power
In the automobile alone, fluid power is used in hydraulic brakes, automotive
transmissions, power steering, power brakes, air conditioning, lubrication, water
coolant, and gasoline pumping systems. The innovative use of modern technology such
as electrohydraulic closed-loop systems, microprocessors, and improved materials for
component construction will continue to advance the performance of fluid power
systems.

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 Advantages of fluid power
There are three basic methods of transmitting power: electrical, mechanical, and fluid
power. Most applications actually use a combination of the three methods to obtain the
most efficient overall system. To properly determine which method to use, it is
important to know the salient features of each type. For example, fluid systems can
transmit power more economically over greater distances than can mechanical types.
However, fluid systems are restricted to shorter distances than are electrical systems.

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 Advantages of fluid power
There are three basic methods of transmitting power: electrical, mechanical, and fluid
power. Most applications actually use a combination of the three methods to obtain the
most efficient overall system. To properly determine which method to use, it is
important to know the salient features of each type. For example, fluid systems can
transmit power more economically over greater distances than can mechanical types.
However, fluid systems are restricted to shorter distances than are electrical systems.

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 Advantages of fluid power
The secret of fluid power’s success and widespread use is its versatility and
manageability. Fluid power is not hindered by the geometry of the machine, as is the
case in mechanical systems. Also, power can be transmitted in almost limitless
quantities because fluid systems are not so limited by the physical limitations of
materials as are electrical systems. For example, the performance of an electromagnet is
limited by the saturation limit of steel. On the other hand, the power capacity of fluid
systems is limited only by the physical strength of the material (such as steel) used for
each component.

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 Advantages of fluid power
Industry is going to depend more and more on automation in order to increase
productivity. This includes remote and direct control of production operations,
manufacturing processes, and materials handling. Fluid power is well suited for these
automation applications because of advantages in the following four major categories.

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 Ease and accuracy of control
By the use of simple levers and push buttons, the operator of a fluid power system can
readily start, stop, speed up or slow down, and position forces that provide any desired
horsepower with tolerances as precise as one ten-thousandth of an inch.

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 Multiplication of force
A fluid power system (without using cumbersome gears, pulleys, and levers) can
multiply forces simply and efficiently from a fraction of an ounce to several hundred tons
of output.

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 Constant force or torque
Only fluid power systems are capable of providing constant force or torque regardless
of speed changes. This is accomplished whether the work output moves a few inches
per hour, several hundred inches per minute, a few revolutions per hour, or thousands of
revolutions per minute.

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 Simplicity, safety, economy
In general, fluid power systems use fewer moving parts than comparable mechanical or
electrical systems. Thus, they are simpler to maintain and operate. This, in turn,
maximizes safety, compactness, and reliability.

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 Drawbacks of Fluid Power
In spite of all the previously mentioned advantages of fluid power, it is not a panacea for
all power transmission applications. Fluid power systems also have some drawbacks.
For example, hydraulic components must be properly designed and installed to prevent
oil leakage from the hydraulic system into the surroundings.

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 Drawbacks of Fluid Power
Hydraulic pipeline can burst due to excessive oil pressure if proper system design is not
implemented. In pneumatic systems, components such as compressed air tanks and
accumulators must be properly selected to handle the system maximum air pressure. In
addition, proper measures must be taken to control the level of noise in the vicin¬ity of
fluid power systems. Noise emanates from components such as pumps, compressors,
and pipelines. The underlining theme here is that fluid power systems must be properly
designed, installed, and maintained so that they operate in a safe, reliable, efficient, and
cost-effective manner.

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 Applications of fluid power
 Fluid power drives high-wire overhead tram
 Fluid power is applied to harvesting soybeans
 Fluid power is the musde in industrial lift trucks
 Fluid power drives excavators
 Hydraulics power robot to rescue humans
 Hydraulics control the pitch and yaw of wind turbines

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 Fluid power drives high-wire overhead tram

Hydraulically powered Sky-tram - Xe điện trên không truyền động thủy lực

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 Fluid power is applied to harvesting soybeans
Combine with hydraulically controlled
cutting platform in process of
harvesting a field of soybeans

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 Fluid power is the musde in industrial lift trucks
Industrial hydraulic lift truck

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 Fluid power drives excavators
Hydraulic-powered excavator

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 Hydraulics power robot to rescue humans
The BEAR: Battlefield Extraction-
Assist Robot.

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 Hydraulics control the pitch and yaw of wind turbines
Hydraulics control pitch and yaw of wind
turbines

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 Components of a fluid power system
 Hydraulic System
 Pneumatic System

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 Hydraulic System
There are six basic components required in a hydraulic system
1. A tank (reservoir) to hold the hydraulic oil
2. A pump to force the oil through the system
3. An electric motor or other power source to drive the pump
4. Valves to control oil direction, pressure, and flow rate
5. An actuator to convert the pressure of the oil into mechanical force or torque to do
useful work. Actuators can either be cylinders to provide linear motion, or motors
(hydraulic) to provide rotary motion
6. Piping, which carries the oil from one location to another

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 Hydraulic System
Basic hydraulic system
with linear hydraulic
actuator (cylinder)

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 Hydraulic System
Basic hydraulic system with rotary
hydraulic actuator (motor)

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 Hydraulic System
Of course, the sophistication and complexity of hydraulic systems will vary depending
on the specific applications. This is also true of the individual components that comprise
the hydraulic system.

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 Hydraulic System
As an example, which shows two different-sized,
complete hydraulic power units designed for
two uniquely different applications. Each unit is
a complete, packaged power system containing
its own electric motor, pump, shaft coupling,
reservoir and miscellaneous piping, pressure
gages, valves, and other components as required
for proper operation.

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 Pneumatic System
Pneumatic systems have components that are similar to those used in hydraulic systems.
Essentially the following six basic components are required for pneumatic systems:
1. An air tank to store a given volume of compressed air
2. A compressor to compress the air that comes directly from the atmosphere
3. An electric motor or other prime mover to drive the compressor
4. Valves to control air direction, pressure, and flow rate
5. Actuators, which are similar in operation to hydraulic actuators
6. Piping to carry the pressurized air from one location to another

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 Pneumatic System
Figure shows a portable pneumatic power unit with
an air compressor that is pulley driven by a 13-hp gas
engine. The compressor operates at pressures up to
175 psi and has a flow rate capacity of 19 cubic ft per
min. This system, which has a 30-gal compressed air
tank, features truck-bed mounting to meet the needs
of field service applications.

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 Pneumatic System
Figure (a) displays a pneumatic impact wrench designed to
tighten and loosen bolts for maintenance and automotive
applications. This impact wrench, which weighs 2.4 lb, has
an average air consumption rate of 4 cubic ft per min and a
maximum torque capacity of 280 ft • lb. In Figure (b) we see
this impact wrench in action as it is being used by a person
to torque bolts in an automotive application.

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 Components of a fluid power system
In pneumatic systems, after the pressurized air is spent driving actuators, it is then
exhausted back into the atmosphere. On the other hand, in hydraulic systems the spent
oil drains back to the reservoir and is repeatedly reused after being repressurized by the
pump as needed by the system.

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