Sheet 3

List the basic types of hydraulic pumps, and discuss the basic difference
between.
PUMPS: Machines which increase the energy of the liquid flowing through them.
1) Hydrostatic or Volumetric Pumps: Displace liquid by contracting their oil-filled chambers.
2) Hydrodynamic pumps: Increase the kinetic energy of liquid due to momentum exchange between liquid and
rotor.

What is meant by positive displacement pumps.

is a mechanical device which displaces a known quantity of liquid for every revolution or
cycle that the pump completes. To overcome the pressure that results from the mechanical
loads on the system as well as the resistance due to friction.

Classify the positive displacement pumps.

1- Rotary positive displacement pump
2- Reciperocating positive displacement pump
Give the expressions describing ideal and real pumps.

• Ideal pumps • Real pumps

The actual pump flow rate is less than the theoretical flow mainly due to:

• Internal leakage
• Pump cavitation
• Fluid compressibility
• Partial filling of pump due to friction inertia

What is meant by fixed displacement and variable displacement pumps,

discuss briefly the need for the last one.
• A fixed-displacement pump is a positive displacement type where the geometric
volume (Vg) cannot be varied
• A Variable-displacement pump is a positive displacement type where the
geometric volume (Vg) can be varied

Variable displacement pumps used for two pumps:

1- Economy: The hydraulic systems designers try to minimize the hydraulic power
generation whenever it is not needed

2- Control: to control the flow rates and direction of the flow to hydraulic cylinders and
motors aiming to control the magnitude and direction of their velocity
Draw a scheme of a gear pump, explain briefly its function.
Gear pumps are rotary displacement pumps. It traps fluid on its suction side and discharges it at a
higher pressure on the discharge side.
Disadvantage of Gear Pump:

• Gear pumps can be “too noisy” in some environments. • They are limited by their size and
unsuitable for operations with large bulk flow rates.

External gear pump: Operation:

• Non-reciprocating parts which move at constant speed.
• As the teeth come out of mesh at the center, a partial
vacuum is formed which draws fluid into the inlet
chamber.
• Fluid is trapped between the outer teeth and the pump
housing, causing a continual transfer of fluid from inlet
to outlet chamber where it is discharged to the system.
• The oil enters the casing along the gear circumference
and it rotates with the gears and gain centrifugal force.
This force pushes the oil away and may prevent the oil from entering the pump. The inlet pressure
should be high enough to allow the fluid entering to the pump.
• Function: The max. pump speed depends upon the inlet pressure. And it is used at pressure up to 250
bar.

Internal gear pump: Operation:

• An external driven gear wheel is connected to a

smaller internal gear, with fluid separation as gears
disengage being performed by a crescent-shaped
molding.
• Function: it’s used up to pressures around 350 bar.

Draw a scheme of a swash plate axial piston pump and the bent axis type and
explain briefly their function.
Swatch plate axial piston pump:
• converts rotary motion of input shaft to axial reciprocating
motion of pistons.

• Pistons are stroked by fixed angle plate(swash). The piston is

in contact with it through springs.

• Capacity is controlled by angle of swash plate (the larger the

angle, the greater the capacity)

• Flow can be reversed

Bent axis axial piston pump:

• converts rotary motion of input shaft to axial

reciprocating motion of pistons.
• Reciprocating of pistons obtained by bending the
axis of the cylinder block so it rotates at a different
angle from drive shaft.
• The cylinder block contains a number of pistons
which are connected to the drives shaft flange by
ball-and-socket joints.
• A universal link connects the block to drive shaft to
provide alignment, the pump capacity is adjusted by
altering the drive shaft angle.

Draw a scheme of balanced, unbalanced and variable vane pumps and explain
briefly their function.
Balanced vane pump (Fixed displacement pump):

It reduces the leakage occurs by gear pumps, the cam ring

is cam-shaped or elliptical along with presence of two inlet
& two outlet ports that are connected inside the housing.

Operation:

• In the unbalanced vane pump, one half of the

pumping mechanism experiences pressure that is less
than atmospheric, while the other half is subjected to
full system pressure. And hence a severe load is
created on the vanes which -along with a large side load on the rotor shaft- can lead to bearing failure.

Unbalanced vane pump (variable displacement pump):

the vane pump reduces the leakage by using spring or hydraulic loaded vanes slotted into the rotor. And hence the
main advantage of the vane pumps is the high volumetric efficiencies of
95% caused by the reduced leakage

Operation:

• Vane pumps generate a pumping action by causing the vanes

to move along a ring. It consists of a rotor (which is connected
to the prime mover by means of a shaft), vanes, ring and a port
plate with inlet and outlet ports.
• When the shaft rotates, the vanes move outward against the
cam ring by the centrifugal force and track along the ring,
providing a hydraulic seal.
• The expansion of volume capacity which is indicated by the extension of the vanes as they move through
the inlet, allows the fluid to enter into the pump. The fluid is carried around to the outlet by the vanes
whose retraction causes the fluid to be delivered.
Explain briefly the principle of operation of radial piston pumps and draw a
schematic for their construction.
Radial Piston Pump: There is also eccentric cam shaft piston
pump.
1- Pump consists of several hollow pistons inside a
stationary cylinder block.
2- Each piston contains spring-loaded inlet & outlet valves.
As the inner cam rotates, fluid is transferred smoothly
from inlet to outlet port.
3- There is eccentric cam ring radial piston pump (stationary
cam and rotating cylinder block, doesn’t require multiple
inlet & outlet valves. Simple, more reliable and cheaper.

Cavitation problem:
• The term cavitation refers to the formation and collapse of vapor-filled cavities in the liquid.

• The collapse, under the action of high pressure, results in very high local velocities and great
impact forces and pressures (up to 7000 bar), which cause the erosion of the pump elements.

Speed limitation:
Speed is a critical limit for any pump, but even more so for Positive Displacement (PD) pumps. The
maximum allowable speed of a PD pump is determined by several factors including the inlet pressure,
density and oil viscocity.

what is meant by hydraulic pump unloading & Discuss the effect of pump
unloading on power consumption and hydraulic
power loss:
Pump unloading means to operate the pump at minimum
pressure when the oil is not required by the system. Pump
unloading reduces the pressure of the pump and therefore
reduces the pump power consumption and consequently reduces
the hydraulic losses. It reduces the temperature of the oil by
reducing the hydraulic power loss which it converted to thermal power. There are many method, to unload
the pump either using electricaly operated valve or unloading hydraulic valve based on pressure control.

what is meant by pilot operated valve?

A pilot valve is an add-on to the in-line valve. It enables a small force to operate the larger valve like in a
hydraulic piston. The pressure inside the temperature sensor and coil enables the main valve to operate.
The control is mechanical.