Ken Korane • Contributing Editor
Everyone is for energy efficiency—as long as it doesn’t cost too much. Replace an incandescent light with a new LED bulb? Check. Find out an LED costs five times that of the old one? Maybe not so fast.
Hyundai R220-LC excavator
It’s no different with fluid-power systems. Engineers on a mission to improve efficiency can spend a lot of time comparing the benefits of high-efficiency pumps, VSDs and high-flow valves. But an often-overlooked way to make equipment more efficient is simply to change to a different hydraulic fluid.
根据德国达姆施塔特（Darmstadt）Evonik Resource效率的全球产品经理Frank-Olaf Maehling表示，使用合适的液体可以明显提高整体机器效率并产生大量的运营节省。他解释说，OEM之间的趋势是通过在较高的压力下运行较小的组件来缩小尺寸的电路。这增加了功率密度，但也增加了对液压系统的需求，并影响了工作温度。
And that, in turn, affects fluid viscosity. It’s important to keep viscosity within a machine’s recommended limits (usually between 10 and 100 mm²/sec). However, basic monograde oils only maintain that viscosity within a limited temperature range. A viscosity that’s too high or low hurts mechanical and volumetric efficiency.
为了解决这一缺点，Evonik的工程师开发了一种称为Dynavis的温度敏感聚合物添加剂组合，这些组合改善了标准液压流体的粘度指数（VI）。较高的VI流体在更广泛的温度范围内保持稳定的粘度。这些多元式油更薄，因此组件的摩擦较小，造成较快的启动时间更少。并且更厚，以更好地控制和较小的泄漏。虽然VI设备并不是什么新鲜事物，但对于液压设备的更高能源效率而言，它们越来越重要。
人们可能会期望在各种条件下的户外环境中获得这种好处，但是工程师发现在室内同样令人信服的效率提高。这是因为复杂系统中的所有不同组件很少在完全相同的温度下运行。
切换到节能液压液通常会很丰富。Evonik在挖掘机，打滑装载机和注射机器等设备中进行的现场测试表明，效率高达30％，具体取决于任务。这直接等同于每年每台机器几千美元的燃料或电力节省。
Maehling承认：“使用Dynavis技术配制的顶级液压流体的价格略高于单重液压液。”“但是，通过花费更多的液体，可以节省大量费用，而不仅仅是购买最便宜的可用。”
Even considering the minor price premium, a growing number of equipment owners are recognizing the value of reliable operation and a lower total cost of ownership, he said. “Many classes of hydraulic equipment will benefit from a proper selection of the fluid.” Good candidates include construction; mining and agricultural equipment; marine onboard pumps and harbor cranes; and industrial presses, plastics processing machines, and pulp and paper manufacturing equipment.
Filed Under:Mobile Hydraulic Tips
