Hydraulic Pump and Motor Case

Drains - Should You Filter

Brendan Casey
Tags: hydraulics
Consider the following scenario: We have been involved in designing and building
a hydraulic machine. The system has three separate circuits, each with an axial
piston pump and a common reservoir. Case drain filtration was included to reduce
the possibility of crosscontamination if a failure occured. The pump manufacturer
led me to believe that although it isn!t the norm, if the pressure drop across the
filter is "ept to less than #$ %&' it will be all right. This forces filter maintenance.
What filter micron and beta rating should be used()
Recommended Approach
*ilters in a hydraulic system maintain fluid cleanliness at a level that maximi+es
component life. The appropriate cleanliness level is based on factors such as
operating pressure and the internal clearances of components within a system.
,iven that the ob-ective of this process is to extend the service life of components
in a system, it is imperative to understand that some filter locations can have the
opposite effect.
The rationale for installing filters in piston pump and motor case drain lines is
similar to the rationale for locating filtering media in the return line, meaning. if the
reservoir and the fluid it contains start out clean and all air entering the reservoir
and returning fluid is ade/uately filtered, fluid cleanliness will be maintained. The
main disadvantage of installing filters on piston pump or motor case drain lines is
that the bac" pressure created by the element can cause failures. 0rain line filters
can cause excessive case pressure, resulting in seal failure and mechanical damage.
Seal Failure
1igh case pressure results in excessive load on the lip of the shaft seal. This causes
the seal lip to wear a groove in the shaft, eventually resulting in lea"age past the
seal. 'f case pressure exceeds the shaft seal!s design limits, instantaneous failure
can occur. The subse/uent loss of oil from the case may result in damage through
inade/uate lubrication.
Mechanical Damage
The effect of high case pressure on axial piston pumps is similar to excessive
vacuum at the pump inlet. Both conditions put the pistonball and slipperpad
soc"et in tension during inlet 2*igure 34. This causes buc"ling of the piston retaining
plate and5or separation of the slipper from the piston, resulting in catastrophic
failure.
Figure 1. Effect of High Case Pressure on Axial Piston Design
1igh case pressure can cause the pistons of radial piston motors to be lifted off the
cam. This occurs in operation during the outlet cycle. The pistons are then
hammered bac" onto the cam during inlet, destroying the motor. 'f residual case
pressure remains high when the motor is stopped, loss of contact between the
pistons and cam allows the motor to freewheel, resulting in uncontrolled machine
movement.
' recently witnessed a situation where these problems occurred. ' was as"ed to
locate a replacement for a radial piston motor no longer in production. The motor in
/uestion was powering a winch on a barge wor"ing in an offshore oilfield. The
situation was urgent because the downtime was costing the company 67$,$$$ per
day. When ' in/uired about the nature of the failure of the original motor, he
reported the following symptoms:
3. 8otor ma"es a clun"ing noise when pulling up the load.
9. 8otor struggles to lift the load.
#. Winch doesn!t hold the load : motor rotates bac"ward with the control valve
in neutral.
7. ;oad drops even when a counterbalance valve is used to bra"e the motor.
<nsite personnel had torn down the motor and sent photos bac" to the company!s
onshore office. The photos of the motor internals showed no obvious failure,
confirming my suspicions. ' explained that the symptoms described were consistent
with high case pressure, most li"ely as a result of a bloc"ed or restricted case drain
line. ' later learned that a technician, who had recently completed a contamination
control course, connected the motor case drain line bac" to the tan" through the
system!s return filter.
To avoid these problems, piston pump and motor case drain lines should be
returned to the reservoir through dedicated penetrations. These penetrations must
be higher than the unit!s case port and be connected to a droppipe inside the
reservoir that extends below minimum fluid level. 0ue to the reasons above, filters
are not recommended on case drain lines. While this does allow a small percentage
of fluid to return to the reservoir unfiltered, in most applications the contamination
ris" is low and can be effectively managed using oil analysis and other condition
based maintenance techni/ues.
Filter ith Caution
The primary ob-ective of contamination control is extending the service life of
hydraulic components. =nfortunately, case drain filters can reduce the service life of
piston pumps and motors, ma"ing their installation in pursuit of this ob-ective a
paradox. >ffective contamination control is achievable using alternative filter
locations that do not compromise component reliability. 1owever, if case drain
filters are included in a system, precautions must be ta"en to ensure that damage
is not caused to the components they were installed to protect.
'f a filter is fitted to a piston pump or motor drain line, ' recommend a 39?micron
screen, grossly oversi+ed for the maximum expected flow rate to ensure that
pressure drop is minimi+ed, even under the most adverse conditions. The filter
housing must incorporate a bypass valve with an opening pressure lower than the
maximum allowable case pressure for the particular component 2typically ? to 3?
%&',4. 'nstalling a gauge or transducer upstream of the filter for monitoring case
pressure is also advisable.