Hydraulic Pumps: The Nitty Gritties

17 May, 2010- The core job of hydraulic pumps is the transformation of mechanical energy and motion into hydraulic fluid power. Generally powered by gas or electricity, hydraulic hand pump and ram pump are also used for the same purpose of converting motion into fluid energy. Hydraulic pumps are primarily of 3 types- vane pump, gear pump and piston pump. These are displacement pumps which are shift a certain quantity of pressurized hydraulic fluid within the system resulting in the transformation of pressure into mechanical force.

Hydraulic pump designs can further be segregated into particular sections like – axial , radial, axial bent-axis piston or in-line reciprocating pumps. All the hydraulic pumps need different fluids with different viscosity, it is the difference in the viscosity which changes the performance of the pump.

Every hydraulic pump is available in a number of designs and can even be customized as per the requirements. Though the majority of pumps are damaged by the introduction of a solid particle within the fluid. Hence, filtration system is a must in a hydraulic system. Hydraulic pump is a useful equipment as it is known for improving the overall performance and efficiency of the entire system. Different materials are put to use to control the wear and tear of the pumps and maintain the sharpness of its performance. Though the materials choices are varied as per the temperature and pressure bored on the the system. Most of the high pressure systems are made up of high pressure alloys and polymers. Besides, a number of steel alloys, plastics and synthetic rubbers are used while in the development of hydraulic pumps.

While making a choice for a pump one should look for factors like temperature, frequency and operating pressure. In case of minimal pressure requirements, it is wise to go for cheap low pressure pumps which are enough to cater to the lesser requirements.