How to Use

Fluid
Intensifiers

Brendan Casey
Marian Tumarkin

How to Use Fluid Intensifiers

Copyright 2006 Brendan Casey & Marian Tumarkin

All rights reserved. No part of this electronic book may be reproduced or
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The contents of this book reflect the authors views acquired through his experience in
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First published in 2006 by
HydraulicSupermarket.com
PO Box 1029
West Perth WA 6872
Australia
Email: info@HydraulicSupermarket.com
Web: http://www.hydraulicsupermarket.com/books

About the Authors

Brendan Casey is the founder of HydraulicSupermarket.com and the best-selling
author of 'Insider Secrets to Hydraulics' the most comprehensive guide to reducing
hydraulic equipment operating costs ever published. A fluid power expert with an MBA,
he has more than 18 years experience in the design, maintenance and repair of mobile
and industrial hydraulic equipment.
Dr Marian Tumarkin has over 35 years of experience in the field of Fluid Power with a
Ph.D. from the National Academy of Science in Moscow. He is an accomplished
scholar in the field with over 50 published papers and 10 patents to his name.
A highly experienced Fluid Power engineer, Marian has designed electro-hydraulic
systems for Russian and Australian Air Forces, Australian and American automotive
industries, as well as developing special purpose machines. In this role, he was
responsible for concept design and problem solving, calculations and component
selection, system testing and troubleshooting.
Marian has extensive teaching experience both in Europe and Australia, delivering
basic and advanced Fluid Power subjects to undergraduate and post-graduate
students as well as engineers and technicians.

Copyright 2006 www.HydraulicSupermarket.com

How to Use Fluid Intensifiers

FLUID INTENSIFIERS
Intensifiers can be used to create hyper-high hydraulic pressure above 1000
bar (15,000 psi). Other advantages of using intensifiers are:

An intensifier can develop and maintain high pressure for long periods of
time without using power or generating heat in the hydraulic system.
Therefore, it can be used in many applications, where constant fluid flow
is not required (clamping, pressing, static testing, etc)

Air-Oil Intensifier creates high oil pressure without a hydraulic system at

all (without hydraulic power unit, valves, filters, etc)

Oil-Special Fluid Intensifier enables the pressure of a variety of special

fluids to be controlled using a standard hydraulic system. These include:
brake fluid, synthetic fluids, water and water-based fluids, methanol, etc.

PRINCIPLE OF OPERATION
Intensifiers increase fluid pressure using ratio-of-areas principle in a linear
actuator - Figure 2.12. Lower pressure fluid in the chamber (1), acting on the
piston (2), exerts a force that is transferred mechanically to the rod (4), which
displaces a smaller volume of fluid in the chamber (5), but at a higher pressure.
Seals around the rod (4) separate
the chambers (3) and (5). Check
valves (6) and (7) enable inlet
and outlet of high pressure fluid.

The pressure ratio of the

intensifier is inversely
proportional to the areas ratio:

p1 A1 = p 2 A 2

Low Pressure
Fluid

p1 A1

A2

p2

High Pressure
Fluid

Fig. 2.12. Intensifier principle of operation

p 2 A1
=
p1 A 2

The intensifier ratios for different

piston and rod diameters are
shown in the Table 2.1
For any particular intensifier ratio,
high pressure p2 proportional to

Table 2.1. Intensifier ratios

Piston diameter Rod diameter
mm
inch
mm
inch
50
2
25
1
200
8
16
5/8

Ratio
4 :1
160 :1

low pressure p1:

p 2 = p1

A1
A2

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How to Use Fluid Intensifiers

There are three basic types of intensifiers:

Single-stroke intensifier
Double-stroke intensifier
Reciprocating intensifier (pump) - can be single-stroke or double-stroke

Intensifiers can use different fluids:

Low pressure (LP) fluid the fluid that drives the intensifier
High pressure (HP) fluid the fluid that is pressurized to high pressure

a) General symbol

b) 2 types of fluid

Fig. 2.13. Intensifier symbols

SINGLE-STOKE INTENSIFIER
The single-stoke intensifier usually
3
3
delivers a volume of up to 50 cm (3 in )
of HP fluid. This type of intensifier can
operate without check valves (Fig. 2.14)
and with solenoid DCV (6). Such a
configuration optimizes intensifier
efficiency and reliability.
To fill the HP chamber, bleeding solenoid
valve (7) should be installed on the test
component (actuator). Given the limited
capacity of the intensifier, proper bleeding
is essential.
To simplify design, the solenoid
DCV (6) in Fig. 2.14 can be
replaced by installing a special seal
(8) Fig. 2.15. In this configuration,
the effective stroke does not begin
until the rod enters the seal.
Drain port (9) prevents mixing of
the different fluids.

HIGH PRESSURE
FLUID

BLEEDING

TEST
COMPONENT

LOW PRESSURE
FLUID

Fig. 2.14. Single-stroke intensifier

HP FLUID IN

HP FLUID OUT

9
LP FLUID

Fig. 2.15. Single-stroke intensifier with

rod-seal valving of HP fluid

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How to Use Fluid Intensifiers

Two examples below describe intensifier applications developed by Industrial

Research Technology Pty Ltd (Melbourne, Australia) IRT.

EXAMPLE 2.1.

IRT Brake Burst Test Rig

Test Rig creates high water pressure proportional to input electrical signal. It
uses an Air-Water Intensifier Fig. 2.16.

Computerized Test Rig

generates the control signal
Proportional electropneumatic valve converts the
input signal into proportional
air pressure
Intensifier converts low air
pressure into high water
(special fluid) pressure
Water pressure transducer
provides feedback signal

AIR
CONTROL SIGNAL

WATER

BLEEDING

DRAIN

Fig. 2.16. Application of Air-Water Intensifier

Main parameters:

Ratio 204 : 1
3
3
Displacement 25 cm (1.5 in )

EXAMPLE 2.2.

IRT Brake Endurance Test Rig

Test Rig creates brake fluid pressure proportional to input electrical signal. It
uses an Oil-Brake Fluid Intensifier Fig. 2.17.
BRAKE FLUID

Computerized Test Rig generates

the control signal
Proportional electro-hydraulic
valve converts the input signal into
proportional oil pressure
Intensifier doubles the pressure of
the brake fluid for a given oil
pressure
Brake fluid pressure transducer
provides feedback signal

Main parameters:

Ratio 2 : 1
3
3
Displacement 15 cm (1 in )

DRAIN

CONTROL SIGNAL
OIL

Fig. 2.17. Application of Oil-Brake Fluid

Intensifier

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How to Use Fluid Intensifiers

DOUBLE-STROKE INTENSIFIER
LP Fluid

To increase displacement, a doublestroke intensifier can be used Fig.

2.18. During stroke of LP piston to the
right, HP chamber (2) displaces HP
fluid, while the other HP chamber (1)
fills with the fluid. When LP piston
moves to the left, chamber (1)
displaces HP fluid, while chamber (2)
fills with fluid.

HP Fluid

Fig. 2.18. Double-stroke intensifier

RECIPROCATING INTENSIFIER (PUMP)

The reciprocating intensifier cycles continuously, supplying a small flow rate of
HP fluid. To provide automatic cycling, limit switches are usually installed on
both ends of LP piston stroke, and a pilot-operated DCV switches the LP supply
from one chamber of LP piston to the other.
If a single stroke intensifier is used, displacement of HP fluid only occurs on the
extension stroke. For many applications, this is satisfactory. A double-stroke
reciprocating intensifier can delivery 2 - 4 L/min (0.5 1 GPM) continuously.
Still, its output is highly pulsated.

EXAMPLE 2.3.

Air Driven Oil Pump

Pump intensification ratio could be up to 200 : 1. This means that air pressure of
5 bar (70 psi) can create hydraulic pressure of up to 1000 bar (15,000 psi).

1 Hydraulic plunger
4 Air piston
5 Upper limit switch
8 Air cycling valve
9 Oil out check valve
10 Lower limit switch
12 Oil in check valve

7
8

1
Air
With position of the cycling valve (8)
shown in Fig. 2.19, air is supplied to
upper chamber (3) and forces the
Oil IN
Oil OUT
piston (4) to move down on the
compression stroke. The oil plunger
9
12
11
10
(1) intensifies pressure in chamber
(11). Check valve (12) is closed, check
Fig. 2.19. Air driven oil pump
valve (9) is open, and HP oil flows into
the hydraulic system. When piston (4)
reaches the lower position, it actuates limit switch (10) and opens connection of
the line (7) to the air supply. Spool (8) moves to the right and connects air
chamber (2) with air supply, and chamber (3) with exhaust. Air piston (4) starts
moving up, drawing oil into chamber (11) through check valve (12).
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How to Use Fluid Intensifiers

INTENSIFIER CIRCUITS
Intensifier LP fluid is controlled by standard hydraulic/pneumatic system. For
example, pneumatic system for Air Driven Oil Pump shown in Fig. 2.20. Here air
pressure regulator (5) is used to control oil high pressure.

1 Air driven oil pump

2 Oil release valve
3 Safety relief valve
4 - On-off pilot valve
5 Pressure regulator
6 Pilot operated DCV

5
6

Cycling valve (8) in Fig. 2.19 could be

incorporated in the pneumatic circuit instead of being an integral part of the
pump

Oil OUT

2
1

AIR
CONTROL SIGNAL
3

Oil IN

Fig. 2.20. Circuit diagram for

pump installation

Intensifier HP fluid circuit can

incorporate extra functions.

WATER

Fig. 2.21. IRT Brake Burst Test Rig

with leak testing

An intensifier can include in-built

displacement transducer Fig 2.22.
In this case, electro-hydraulic closedloop control makes it possible to
install an odd number of intensifiers
in parallel and control them with
phase shift. This arrangement
operates like a rotary pump with
relatively smooth flow and
reasonably high flow rate of any
fluid, including brake fluid, water, etc.

For example, IRT Brake Burst Test

Rig (see Fig. 2.16) includes leak
testing shown in Fig. 2.21.
ON-OFF solenoid DCV (2) and
pressure transducer (3) enables
brakes to be tested for leaks by deenergizing valve (2) and monitoring
pressure in the brake with transducer
(3).

Displacement transducer

Fig. 2.22. Intensifier with in-built

displacement transducer

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How to Use Fluid Intensifiers

FURTHER READING
Advanced Hydraulic Control by Brendan Casey & Marian Tumarkin
Available second half of 2007: http://www.HydraulicSupermarket.com/books

Copyright 2006 www.HydraulicSupermarket.com