Chapter:

Hydraulic pumps
Dr. SALVADOR VARGAS DÍAZ
Departamento de Ingeniería Mecánica

Semestre 2018-II
 Introduction
Hydraulic pumps are machines that act to increase the energy of the liquid flowing through them. The three
main classes of pumps are displacement, rotodynamic, and special effect pumps. The displacement pumps act
to displace the liquid by contracting their oil-filled chambers. In this way, the fluid pressure increases and the
fluid is displaced out of the pumping chamber. The rotodynamic pumps increase mainly the kinetic energy of
the liquid due to the momentum exchange between the liquid and the rotor. The special effect pumps, such as
jet pumps and airlift pumps, operate using different principles.

Rotodynamics Positive displacement

Rotodynamic pumps derive their name from the
fact that a rotating element (rotor) is an essential
part of these machines. The mutual dynamic
action between the rotor and the working fluid
forms their basic principle of operation. The
blades, fixed to the rotor, form a series of passages
through which a continuous flow of fluid takes
place as the rotor rotates. The transfer of energy
from the rotor to the fluid occurs by means of
rotodynamic action between the rotor and the
fluid.
Displacement pumps consist of one or several
pumping chambers. These chambers are closed
and have nearly perfect sealing. The volume of
these chambers changes periodically with the
rotation of the pump driving shaft. The fluid is
displaced from the suction line to the delivery line
by the successive expansion and contraction of
the pumping chambers.
Classifications of hydraulic pumps
Example of displacement pumps function
(Piston)
The function of the displacement pumps is explained by
describing the construction and operation of the single-piston
pump, shown in Figure. The piston (4), driven by a crank shaft
(5), reciprocates between two dead points. During the suction
stroke, the piston moves to the right and the oil is sucked from
the tank (1) through a check valve (2) of very low cracking
pressure. The cracking pressure is the minimum pressure
difference needed to open the check valve. Then, during the
delivery stroke, the piston moves to the left, displacing the oil
to the exit line through the check valve (3). The pump acts on
the oil by the pressure, P, needed to drive the load. Therefore,
the pump drive should act on the piston by the force needed
to produce this pressure, and the crank shaft should be acted
on by a torque proportional to this force. The cylinder (6)
retracts under the action of the loading force by opening the
shut-off valve (7).
Ideal Pump Analysis Assuming an ideal pump, with no internal
The pump displacement is defined as the volume leakage, no friction, and no pressure losses, the
of liquid delivered by the pump per revolution, pump flow rate is given by the following
assuming no leakage and neglecting the effect of expression:
oil compressibility. It depends on the maximum
and minimum values of the pumping chamber
volume, the number of pumping chambers, and
the number of pumping strokes per one
revolution of the driving shaft. This volume Where
depends on the pump geometry; therefore, it is Qt = Pump theoretical flow rate, m3/s
also called the geometric volume, Vg. It is given n = Pump speed, rev/s
by the following equation:

Where
i = Number of pumping strokes per revolution
Vg = Pump displacement (geometric volume),
m3/rev
Vmax = Maximum chamber volume, m3
Vmin = Minimum chamber volume, m3
z = Number of pumping chambers
The input mechanical power is equal to the
increase in the fluid power as shown by the
following equation:

Where
Tt = Pump theoretical driving torque, Nm
ΔP = Pressure increase due to pump action, Pa
Real Pump Analysis Where
The hydraulic power delivered to the fluid by the
real pumps is less than the input mechanical
power due to the volumetric, friction, and
hydraulic losses. The actual pump flow rate, Q, is The effect of leakage is expressed by the
less than the theoretical flow, Qt, mainly due to: volumetric efficiency, ηv, defined as follows:

• Internal leakage
• Pump cavitation and aeration
• Fluid compressibility
• Partial filling of the pump due to fluid inertia
The volumetric efficiency of displacement
The first source of power losses is the internal geometric) pumps ranges from 0.8 to 0.99. Piston
leakage. Actually, when operating under the pumps are of high volumetric efficiency, while
correct design conditions, the flow losses are vane and gear pumps are, in general, of lower
mainly due to internal leakage, QL. The leakage volumetric efficiency.
flow through the narrow clearances is practically
laminar and changes linearly with the pressure
difference. The resistance to internal leakage, RL,
is proportional to oil viscosity, μ, and inversely
proportional to the cube of the mean clearance,
c.
The friction is the second source of power losses.
The viscous friction and the mechanical friction
between the pump elements dissipate energy. A
part of the driving torque is consumed to
overcome the friction forces. This part is the
friction torque, TF. It depends on the pump
speed, delivery pressure, and oil viscosity.
Therefore, to build the required pressure, a
higher torque should be applied. The friction
losses in the pump are evaluated by the
mechanical efficiency, ηm, defined as follows:
Where
T = Actual pump driving torque, Nm
TF = Friction torque, Nm
T – TF = Torque converted to pressure, Nm
ω = Pump speed, rad/s
The third source of power losses in the pump is
the pressure losses in the pump’s inner passages.
The pressure, built inside the pumping chamber,
PC, is greater than the pump exit pressure, P.
These losses are caused mainly by the local
losses. The hydraulic losses are of negligible value
for pumps running at speeds less than 50 rev/s,
and mean oil speeds less than 5 m/s. For greater
speeds of oil, the pressure losses are proportional
to the square of the flow rate. These pressure
losses are evaluated by the hydraulic efficiency,
ηh.
Where
PC = Pressure inside the pumping chamber, Pa
P = Pump exit pressure, Pa
An expression for the total pump efficiency, ηT, is Where
deduced as follows: Nh = Hydraulic power, W
Nm = Mechanical power, W
ΔP = Difference between the pump output and
input pressures, ΔP = P − Pi, Pa

If the pump input pressure, Pi, is too small

compared with the delivery pressure, P, then it
may be neglected, and the pressure difference,
ΔP, equals the pump exit pressure, P. If so, then
The mechanical power ω(T -TF ) is converted into
equal hydraulic power, Qt PC, then

In the steady-state operation, the real

displacement pump is described by the following
relations:
Cavitation in Displacement Pumps The impact pressure reaches very high values, up
The cavitation characteristics of a pump describe to 7000 bar. When subjected to cavitation, the
the effect of input pressure on the pump flow pump noise level increases and a very loud sharp
rate. The reduction of the pump inlet pressure to noise is heard. The surfaces of the inner pump
values less than the vapor pressure leads to the elements are damaged due to the pitting resulting
evaporation or boiling of oil. The fluid flow to the from the impact pressure forces. Therefore, the
pump inlet becomes a mixture of liquid, pump inlet pressure should be higher than the
liberated gases, and vapors. At zero or very low saturated vapor pressure of oil at the maximum
exit pressure, when the pump is bypassed for operating temperature by a convenient value.
example, the vapors do not condensate and the This value is called cavitation reserve and ranges
vapor cavities do not collapse. But during normal from 0.3 to 0.4 bar, see Figure.
operating conditions, the pump is loaded by
great load pressures. The vapor cavities collapse
due to the rapid condensation of vapors when
transmitted to the high-pressure zone.
Therefore, the net flow rate of the pump
decreases. Generally, a 1% increase in the vapor
volume in the oil-vapor flow reduces the pump
volumetric efficiency by about 1%.
Where
A = Piston area, m2
D = Pitch circle diameter, m 1. Drive shaft, 2. Disk, attaching pistons, 3.
d = Piston diameter, m Cylinder block, 4. Piston, 5. Port plate
h = Piston stroke, m
z = Number of pistons
α = Inclination angle, rad
Where
α = Swash plate inclination angle, rad.
1. Drive shaft, 2. Swash plate, 3. Slipper pad,
4. Retaining plate, 5. Cylinder block, 6.
Piston, 7. Port plate, 8. Fixed guide of the
retaining plate, 9. Cylinder block loading
spring
Where
b = Tooth length, m
m = Module of tooth, m
z = Number of teeth per gear
γ = Pressure angle of tooth, rad
1. Housing, 2. Mounting flange, 3. Drive shaft,
4. Two bearing blocks, side plates, 5. Bearing
bush, 6. Discs, 7 and 8. Inlet and exit ports, 9.
Driving gear, 10. Driven gear
1. Shaft, 2. Rotor, 3. Stator ring (cam ring),
4. Vanes, 5. Fixed side plates, 6. Casing,
7. Bearing mount, 8. Intra-vane
 Pump Specification
The following list shows the basic specifications that should be available to specify the
pump precisely:

• Size (displacement)
• Speed (maximum and minimum speeds)
• Maximum operating pressure (continuous/intermittent)
• For open/closed circuit
• Direction of rotation (viewed to shaft end; clockwise [R], counterclockwise [L])
• Controller (for variable displacement pumps)
• Seals (oil)
• Drive shafts
• Port connections
• Mounting type
• External dimensions
• Installation position
• Operating temperature range
• Further details in clear text
The magnitude of flow pulsation is evaluated by the pulsation coefficient and is
defined as

Where
σQ = Flow pulsation coefficient
Qmin = Minimum value of pump flow rate, m3/s
Qmax = Maximum value of pump flow rate, m3/s
Qm = Vg n = mean flow rate, m3/s
Considering the case of a throttled pump exit line and neglecting the fluid
compressibility, the pressure at the pump exit is given by

Where
σP = Pressure pulsation coefficient
Pmin = Minimum value of pump exit pressure, Pa
Pmax = Maximum value of pump exit pressure, Pa
Pm = Mean exit pressure, Pa
If the flow rate oscillates between 0.9Qm and 1.04Qm, then σQ = 14% and σP = 27.16%.
Actually, considering the effect of oil compressibility, the pressure oscillation decreases
especially for the increased volume of the exit line.
END