Accumulators

• An accumulator is a device used to store energy.

• In hydraulic system the energy is stored in the form of fluid under
pressure.
• Definition:

An accumulator is a device that stores potential energy by means of either

gravity, mechanical springs, or compressed gases. The stored P.E. in the
accumulator is a quick secondary source of fluid power capable of doing
useful work as required by the system.

• Types of Accumulators
1. Weight-loaded or gravity type or dead-load
2. Spring-loaded type
3. Gas-loaded type
Dead-load accumulator:
• It consists of single-acting vertical cylinder which raises a heavy load .
• Large volumes of fluid can be stored but very heavy weights are needed.
• Scrap metal, bricks, concrete, soil etc may be used to form dead load.
Advantage:
• Discharge pressure is constant where as with all other types of
accumulators pressure varies as the volume of fluid stored.
Disadvantages:
• Large physical size
• Slow response owing to high inertia of the load and piston.
Spring-loaded accumulator:
• A free spring loaded piston moves within the cylinder as shown.
• The physical characteristics of the spring limit the piston stroke and hence
the volume of fluid which can be stored.
• As the volume of the fluid in the accumulator increases, the spring is
compressed and the spring force increases.
Gas loaded accumulator:
• Frequently called as hydropneumatic accumulators.
• They operate in accordance with Boyle’s law of gases.
“ for a constant temperature process, the pressure of gas varies inversely with its volume”.
Thus for example the gas volume of the accumulator would be cut in half if
the pressure were doubled.
• The compressibility of the gas accounts for the storage of potential energy,
• This energy forces the oil out of the accumulator when the gas expands due
to the reduction of system pressure when for example an actuator rapidly
moves the load.
• Nitrogen is mostly used gas as it contains no moisture.
• It is also an inert gas and supports no combustion.
• These are available in two types
1. Non separator type
2. Separator type.
- piston type
- diaphragm type
- bladder type
• Diaphragm type accumulator:
Diaphragm type accumulator
• It consists of a diaphragm, secured in a shell, which serves as an elastic
barrier between the oil and the gas.
• A shutoff button secured at the base of the diaphragm covers the inlet of the
line connection when the diaphragm is fully stretched.
• This prevents the diaphragm from being pressed into the opening during the
precharge period.
• On the gas side the screw plug allows control of the charge pressure and
charging of the accumulator by means of a charging device.
Working of the accumulator:
• The hydraulic pump delivers oil into the accumulator and deforms the
diaphragm.
• As the pressure increases, the volume of gas decreases thus storing
energy.
• In the reverse case where additional oil is required in the circuit, it comes
from the accumulator as the pressure drops in the system by the
corresponding amount.
• Its advantage is small weight to volume ratio which makes suitable for
airborne applications.
• Operation of diaphragm type accumulator
• Bladder type accumulator
Bladder type accumulator: (description)

• It contains an elastic barrier (bladder) between oil and gas.

• The bladder is fitted in the accumulator by means of a vulcanized gas valve

element and can be installed or removed through the shell opening in the
poppet valve.

• The poppet valve closes the inlet when the accumulator bladder is fully
expanded.

• This prevents the bladder from being pressed into the opening.

• This has positive sealing between gas and oil chambers.

• The light weight bladder provides quick response for pressure regulating,
pump pulsations and shock dampening applications.
Operation of bladder type accumulator:
Operation of bladder type accumulator:

• The hydraulic pump delivers oil into the accumulator and deforms
the bladder.

• As the pressure increases, the volume of gas decreases, thus

storing energy.

• In the reverse case, where additional oil is required in the circuit, it

comes from the accumulator as pressure drops in the system by a
corresponding amount.
Applications of accumulators:

• As an auxiliary power source

• As a leakage compensator:

• As an emergency power source.

• Accumulator as a Hydraulic shock absorber ( vehicle suspensions)

• To smooth pulsing deliveries.

• Thermal expansion compensation

• Leakage compensation

• Counterbalancing
Accumulator as an auxiliary power source:

• Accumulator stores oil delivered by the pump during a portion of the

work cycle.

• The accumulator then releases this oil on demand to complete the

cycle thereby serving as a secondary power source to assist the
pump.

• In systems where intermittent operations are performed the use of

accumulator results in use of smaller sized pump.
Working of Accumulator as an auxiliary power source.
• When a four way valve is manually actuated the oil flows from the
accumulator to the blank end of the cylinder.
• This extends the piston until it reaches its end of stroke.
• While the cylinder is in the fully extended position the accumulator is being
charged by the pump.
• The four way valve is then deactivated for the retraction of the cylinder.
• Oil flows from the pump and accumulator to retract the cylinder rapidly.
• The accumulator size is selected to supply adequate oil during the retraction
stroke.
Accumulator as a leakage compensator:
• It acts as a compensator for internal and external leakage during an extended
period of time during which the system is pressurized but not in operation.
• In the ckt below the pump charges the accumulator and system until the max
pressure setting on the pressure switch is obtained.
• The contacts on the pressure switch then open to automatically stop the
electric motor that drives the pump.
• The accumulator then supplies leakage oil to the system.
• Finally when the pressure drops to min setting on the pressure switch, it
closes the circuit of the pump motor (not shown) until system has been
recharged.
• This saves electrical power and reduces heat in the system.
Accumulator as an emergency power source:
• Some circuits safety dictates that a cylinder be retracted even though
the normal supply of oil pressure is lost due to a pump or electrical
power failure
• Such an application requires the use of an accumulator as an
emergency power source, as shown below.
• In this circuit a solenoid actuated 3-way valve is used in conjunction
with the accumulator.
• When the 3-way valve is energized oil flows to the blank end of the
cylinder and also through the check valve in to the accumulator and
rod end of the cylinder.
• The accumulator charges as the cylinder extends.
• If the pump fails due to an electrical failure, the solenoid will de-
energize, shifting the valve to its spring offset mode.
• Then the oil stored under pressure is forced from the accumulator to
the rod end of the cylinder.
• This retracts the cylinder to its starting position.
Accumulator as an emergency power source
Accumulator as hydraulic shock absorber:
• An important application is the elimination or reduction of high
pressure pulsations or hydraulic shocks.
• Hydraulic shock (water hammer) is caused by the sudden stoppage or
deceleration of a hydraulic fluid at relatively high velocity in a pipe
line.
• An example where this occurs is rapidly closing valve.
• This creates a compression wave where the rapidly closing valve is
located.
• This compression wave travels at the speed of sound upstream to the
end of pipe and back again to the closed valve, causing an increase in
the line pressure.
• This wave travels back and forth along the entire pipe length until its
energy is finally dissipated by friction.
• The resulting rapid pressure pulsations or high pressure surges may
cause damage to the hydraulic system components.
• If an accumulator is installed near the rapidly closing valve as show
below the pressure pulsations or high pressure surges are
suppressed.
Accumulator as hydraulic shock absorber
Vehicle suspensions:

• Accumulators are finding growing applications in automobile suspensions.

• In the figure below the vehicle has a suspension strut containing an accumulator.

• The suspension system absorbs shocks

• An accumulator provides a pressure fluid supply

• Constant level control is accomplished under varying load and road conditions by
mechanical servo valves linked to the front and rear anti-roll bars.
• These regulate the flow of fluid to and from the strut cylinders maintaining constant level.

• For example the chassis lifts relative to the wheel.

• Refer fig when the wheels are dropping, the height corrector (servo) valve opens releasing
pressure from the struts and the wheels return to their correct height thus closing the
valve.

• When the wheels lift the servo valve opens and supplies fluid to the strut cylinder, this
forces the wheels back down which closes the valve.

• Similarly an increase in load tends to lower the chassis and more fluid is fed into the struts
counteracting the movement.

• Nominal ground clearance can be varied by altering the ratios of the linkages to the servo
valves.
• Vehicle suspension system
Pump delivery pulsation damping

• The delivery from most hydraulic pumps is not absolutely constant with time
but is subject to pulsations or surges.
• For example –with five cylinder piston there will be five pulsations per pump
revolution.
• In most applications the surges are unimportant as they are partially
smoothed by the pipe work upstream of the pump.
• When system demands constant delivery, an accumulator positioned
upstream of the pump acts as a pulsation damper.
• A small accumulator will filter pressure pulsation to a negligible level but
complete elimination is impossible.

Flow & pressure

Thermal expansion compensation:
• When the mass temperature of fluid changes there is a corresponding
change in volume.
• If it is restrained in a closed container, the pressure will increase.
• It is necessary to compensate for thermal expansion in a closed
system.
• The variation in volume of the closed system is the volume which has
to be stored in the accumulator.
• The volumetric change ΔV of a volume of fluid V subject to a change in
temperature t0 C can be expressed as
ΔV = VtKv , where Kv is the coefficient of volumetric expansion of fluid
(this may be taken as 0.0007 for 1 degree change in temperature)
• the required volume of the accumulator can be calculated knowing the
stored volume and the permissible pressure variation.
Leakage compensation
• If there is only a very small leakage in a system containing a pump unloader
valve, the pressure will fall causing the unloading valve to chatter.
• This chatter can be eliminated by using an accumulator to make up the
leakage.
• In the clamping application as shown below the accumulator compensates
for leakage across the actuator piston or check valve seat, and maintains
the clamping force.
Counterbalancing:
• Large masses may be counterbalanced by using a hydraulic cylinder and an
accumulator in a self contained closed loop as shown below.
• The quantity of fluid stored will depend on the volume of the cylinder
displacement and the degree of underbalance or overbalance permissible.
• In counterbalancing applications, it is usual to have an accumulator with a
volume of at least twice the counterbalance cylinder total displacement with
a gas back up bottle of about five times the accumulator capacity.