pressure compensated hydraulic pump factory

A pressure compensator is a device built into some pumps for the purpose of automatically reducing (or stopping) pump flow if system pressure sensed on the pump outlet port, should rise above a pre-set desired maximum pressure (sometimes called the "firing" pressure). The compensator prevents the pump from being overloaded if an overload is placed on the hydraulic system.

A compensator is built into the pump at the factory and usually cannot be added in the field. Any pump built with variable displacement can be controlled with a compensator. These include several types of axial piston pumps and unbalanced (single lobe) vane pumps. Radial piston pumps can sometimes be built with variable displacement but do not lend themselves readily to this action. Most other positive displacement pumps including internal and external gear, balanced (double lobe) vane, gerotor, and screw types cannot be built with variable displacement.

Figure 1 is a schematic of a check valve axial piston pump, variable displacement, controlled with a pressure compensator. The pistons, usually 5, 7, or 9 in number, are stroking inside a piston block which is keyed to and is rotating with the shaft. The left ends of the pistons are attached through swivel joints, to piston shoes which bear against and slide around on the swash plate as the piston block rotates. The swash plate itself does not rotate; it is mounted on a pair of trunnions so it can swivel from neutral (vertical) position to a maximum tilt angle. The angle which the swash plate makes to the vertical causes the pistons to stroke, the length of stroke being proportional to the angle. Normally, at low system pressures, the swash plate remains at its maximum angle, held there by spring force, hydraulic pressure, or by the dynamics of pump construction, and pump flow remains at maximum. The compensator acts by hydraulic pressure obtained internally from the pump outlet port. When pump pressure rises high enough to over-come the adjustable spring behind the compensator piston, the "firing" pressure has been reached, and the compensator piston starts to pull the swash plate back toward neutral, reducing pump displacement and output flow. The spring in the compensator can be adjusted for the desired maximum or "firing" pressure.

Under working conditions, on a moderate system overload, the compensator piston reduces the swash plate angle just enough to prevent the system pressure from exceeding the "firing" pressure adjusted on the compensator. On severe overloads the compensator may swing the swash plate back to neutral (vertical) to reduce pump flow to zero.

Maximum Displacement Stops. Some pumps are available with internal stops to limit the tilt angle of the swash plate. These stops limit the maximum flow and limit the HP consumption of the pump. They may be fixed stops, factory installed and inaccessible from the outside, or they may be externally adjustable with a wrench.

Manual Control Lever. Some pressure compensated pumps, especially hydrostatic transmission pumps, are provided with an external control lever to enable the operator to vary the swash plate angle (and flow) from zero to maximum. On these pumps the pressure compensator is arranged to override the manual lever and to automatically reduce the swash plate angle if a system overload should occur even though the operator control lever is still shifted to maximum displacement position.

Basically the pressure compensator is designed to unload the pump when system pressure reaches the maximum design pressure. When the pump is unloaded in this way, there is little HP consumed and little heat generated even though pressure remains at the maximum level, because there is no flow from the pump.

Variable displacement pumps are usually more expensive than fixed displacement types, but are especially useful in systems where several branch circuits are to be supplied from one pump, and where full pressure may be required simultaneously in more than one branch, and where the pump must be unloaded when none of the branches is ill operation. If individual 4-way valves are used in each branch, each valve must have a closed center spool. The inlet ports on all 4-way valves must be connected in parallel across the pump line. However, if all branch circuits are operated from a bank valve of the parallel type, a pressure compensated variable displacement pump may not be necessary; a fixed displacement pump, gear, vane, or piston, may serve equally well because the bank valve will unload the pump when all valve handles are placed in neutral, but when two or more handles are simultaneously shifted, their branch circuits will automatically be placed in a parallel connection.

As in all hydraulic systems, more pump oil will flow to the branch with the lightest load. Bank valve handles can be modulated to equalize the flow to each branch. When individual 4-way valves are used in each branch, flow control valves may be installed in the branch circuits and adjusted to give the flow desired in each branch.

Figure 2 shows a multiple branch circuit in which a variable displacement pump is used to advantage. Individual 4-way valves, solenoid operated, are used for each branch, and they have closed center porting. Please refer to Design Data Sheet 54 for possible drift problems on a pressure manifold system. A pressure relief valve is usually required even with a pressure compensated pump due to the time interval required for the swash plate to reduce its tilt angle when a sudden overload occurs. The relief valve will help absorb part of the pressure spike generated during this brief interval. It should be adjusted to crack at about 500 PSI higher than the pressure adjustment of the compensator piston spring to prevent oil discharge across it during normal operation.

All hydrostatic transmission systems use a variable displacement pump with pressure compensator, and often combine the compensator with other controls such as the horsepower input limiter, load sensing, flow sensing, or constant flow control.

Hydraulic pumps are an incredibly important component within hydraulic systems. IFP Automation offers a variety of pump and hydraulic system products that deliver exceptional functionality and durability. Our partner Parker’s extensive line of hydraulic pumps deliver ideal performance in even the most demanding industrial and mobile applications. In this post, we are going to spend time discussing pressure compensated and load sensing hydraulic pumps.

Do to the surface area of the servo piston and the pressure exerted on that area, a force is generated that pushes the swash plate of the pump to a lower degree of stroke angle.

The pump tries to maintain compensator setting pressure, and will provide whatever flow (up to it’s maximum flow rate) that is necessary to reach that pressure setting.

For more information on how you can make use of hydraulic pump technology in your applications, please contact us here to receive a personalized contact by an IFP Application Engineer:

Piston pumps are typically much more complicated and are often available in wither fixed or, commonly, variable displacement configurations and with pressure compensation. These are big words that mean that piston pumps can usually adapt to the system pressure, providing maximum efficiency and flexibility. They are often used in “closed center” systems where the pump displacement varies to meet the needs of the work being done. Piston pumps use a “swashplate” to move the pistons and the angle of the swashplate & bore of the pistons determines the displacement. Pressure compensation regulates outputs in response to variations in the system. Piston pumps are typically the most efficient type of hydraulic pumps.

These pumps are designed for applications where light weight design, lower displacements, and multiple configuration capabolities are design requirements.

This Pressure Compensated Piston Pump is one of many pumps that the Hydraulic Megastore has to offer and they are all available for next day delivery.

There are typically three types of hydraulic pump constructions found in mobile hydraulic applications. These include gear, piston, and vane; however, there are also clutch pumps, dump pumps, and pumps for refuse vehicles such as dry valve pumps and Muncie Power Products’ Live PakTM.

The hydraulic pump is the component of the hydraulic system that takes mechanical energy and converts it into fluid energy in the form of oil flow. This mechanical energy is taken from what is called the prime mover (a turning force) such as the power take-off or directly from the truck engine.

With each hydraulic pump, the pump will be of either a uni-rotational or bi-rotational design. As its name implies, a uni-rotational pump is designed to operate in one direction of shaft rotation. On the other hand, a bi-rotational pump has the ability to operate in either direction.

For truck-mounted hydraulic systems, the most common design in use is the gear pump. This design is characterized as having fewer moving parts, being easy to service, more tolerant of contamination than other designs and relatively inexpensive. Gear pumps are fixed displacement, also called positive displacement, pumps. This means the same volume of flow is produced with each rotation of the pump’s shaft. Gear pumps are rated in terms of the pump’s maximum pressure rating, cubic inch displacement and maximum input speed limitation.

Generally, gear pumps are used in open center hydraulic systems. Gear pumps trap oil in the areas between the teeth of the pump’s two gears and the body of the pump, transport it around the circumference of the gear cavity and then force it through the outlet port as the gears mesh. Behind the brass alloy thrust plates, or wear plates, a small amount of pressurized oil pushes the plates tightly against the gear ends to improve pump efficiency.

A cylinder block containing pistons that move in and out is housed within a piston pump. It’s the movement of these pistons that draw oil from the supply port and then force it through the outlet. The angle of the swash plate, which the slipper end of the piston rides against, determines the length of the piston’s stroke. While the swash plate remains stationary, the cylinder block, encompassing the pistons, rotates with the pump’s input shaft. The pump displacement is then determined by the total volume of the pump’s cylinders. Fixed and variable displacement designs are both available.

With a fixed displacement piston pump, the swash plate is nonadjustable. Its proportional output flow to input shaft speed is like that of a gear pump and like a gear pump, the fixed displacement piston pump is used within open center hydraulic systems.

As previously mentioned, piston pumps are also used within applications like snow and ice control where it may be desirable to vary system flow without varying engine speed. This is where the variable displacement piston pump comes into play – when the hydraulic flow requirements will vary based on operating conditions. Unlike the fixed displacement design, the swash plate is not fixed and its angle can be adjusted by a pressure signal from the directional valve via a compensator.

Flow and Pressure Compensated Combined – These systems with flow and pressure compensation combined are often called a load-sensing system, which is common for snow and ice control vehicles.

Vane pumps were, at one time, commonly used on utility vehicles such as aerial buckets and ladders. Today, the vane pump is not commonly found on these mobile (truck-mounted) hydraulic systems as gear pumps are more widely accepted and available.

Within a vane pump, as the input shaft rotates it causes oil to be picked up between the vanes of the pump which is then transported to the pump’s outlet side. This is similar to how gear pumps work, but there is one set of vanes – versus a pair of gears – on a rotating cartridge in the pump housing. As the area between the vanes decreases on the outlet side and increases on the inlet side of the pump, oil is drawn in through the supply port and expelled through the outlet as the vane cartridge rotates due to the change in area.

Input shaft rotates, causing oil to be picked up between the vanes of the pump which is then transported to pump outlet side as area between vanes decreases on outlet side and increases on inlet side to draw oil through supply port and expel though outlet as vane cartridge rotates

A clutch pump is a small displacement gear pump equipped with a belt-driven, electromagnetic clutch, much like that found on a car’s air conditioner compressor. It is engaged when the operator turns on a switch inside the truck cab. Clutch pumps are frequently used where a transmission power take-off aperture is not provided or is not easily accessible. Common applications include aerial bucket trucks, wreckers and hay spikes. As a general rule clutch pumps cannot be used where pump output flows are in excess of 15 GPM as the engine drive belt is subject to slipping under higher loads.

What separates this pump from the traditional gear pump is its built-in pressure relief assembly and an integral three-position, three-way directional control valve. The dump pump is unsuited for continuous-duty applications because of its narrow, internal paths and the subsequent likelihood of excessive heat generation.

Dump pumps are often direct mounted to the power take-off; however, it is vital that the direct-coupled pumps be rigidly supported with an installer-supplied bracket to the transmission case with the pump’s weight at 70 lbs. With a dump pump, either a two- or three-line installation must be selected (two-line and three-line refer to the number of hoses used to plumb the pump); however, a dump pump can easily be converted from a two- to three-line installation. This is accomplished by inserting an inexpensive sleeve into the pump’s inlet port and uncapping the return port.

Many dump bodies can function adequately with a two-line installation if not left operating too long in neutral. When left operating in neutral for too long however, the most common dump pump failure occurs due to high temperatures. To prevent this failure, a three-line installation can be selected – which also provides additional benefits.

Pumps for refuse equipment include both dry valve and Live Pak pumps. Both conserve fuel while in the OFF mode, but have the ability to provide full flow when work is required. While both have designs based on that of standard gear pumps, the dry valve and Like Pak pumps incorporate additional, special valving.

Primarily used on refuse equipment, dry valve pumps are large displacement, front crankshaft-driven pumps. The dry valve pump encompasses a plunger-type valve in the pump inlet port. This special plunger-type valve restricts flow in the OFF mode and allows full flow in the ON mode. As a result, the horsepower draw is lowered, which saves fuel when the hydraulic system is not in use.

In the closed position, the dry valve allows just enough oil to pass through to maintain lubrication of the pump. This oil is then returned to the reservoir through a bleed valve and small return line. A bleed valve that is fully functioning is critical to the life of this type of pump, as pump failure induced by cavitation will result if the bleed valve becomes clogged by contaminates. Muncie Power Products also offer a butterfly-style dry valve, which eliminates the bleed valve requirement and allows for improved system efficiency.

It’s important to note that with the dry valve, wear plates and shaft seals differ from standard gear pumps. Trying to fit a standard gear pump to a dry valve likely will result in premature pump failure.

Encompasses plunger-type valve in the pump inlet port restricting flow in OFF mode, but allows full flow in ON mode lowering horsepower draw to save fuel when not in use

Wear plates and shaft seals differ from standard gear pumps – trying to fit standard gear pump to dry valve likely will result in premature pump failure

Live Pak pumps are also primarily used on refuse equipment and are engine crankshaft driven; however, the inlet on a Live Pak pump is not outfitted with a shut-off valve. With a Live Pak pump, the outlet incorporates a flow limiting valve. This is called a Live Pak valve. The valve acts as an unloading valve in OFF mode and a flow limiting valve in the ON mode. As a result, the hydraulic system speed is limited to keep within safe operating parameters.

Outlet incorporates flow limiting valve called Live Pak valve – acts as an unloading valve in OFF mode and flow limiting valve in ON mode restricting hydraulic system speed to keep within safe operating parameters

Why would we want to add this extra complication to our hydraulic systems?Having a hydraulic pump which reduces its output to near zero when the system pressure reaches maximum saves the system from pointlessly forcing oil over a relief valve.

Whenever a system is at maximum pressure, and the pump is a fixed displacement model, like a gear pump, then the system is at maximum displacement as well.

Variable-displacement pumps are used in hydraulic systems where the flow requirements vary. This usually means the system has several actuators and, depending on the current cycle of the machine, the number of actuators moving at a given time will fluctuate. The most common type of variable-displacement pump is the pressure-compensating pump.

Pressure-compensating pumps are designed to deliver only the amount of flow required by the system to maximize efficiency and avoid heat generation. The compensator is adjusted to a pressure somewhat higher than that required to move the system’s heaviest load.

A pressure-compensating pump will deliver its maximum flow until the system pressure reaches the compensator setting. Once the compensator setting is reached, the pump will be de-stroked to deliver only the amount of flow that will maintain the compensator setting in the line.

Whenever more flow is demanded by the system (such as would occur when an additional actuator begins to move), the pump will increase its stroke to meet the new flow demand. Whenever the system flow needs to decrease (such as when one or more actuators are stopped), the pump stroke is reduced.

When the system is stopped completely, the pump stroke is reduced almost to zero. It will stroke only a very small amount or whatever is required to maintain the compensator setting in the line, overcoming any system bypassing or leaks. While a pressure-compensating pump is efficient, the standby pressure remains high.

Adjusting a pressure-compensating pump is quite simple. With all flow blocked and the system idle, the compensator valve is adjusted to the desired pressure. However, some pressure-compensating pumps have two valves mounted on the pump body.

The two adjustments can look nearly identical. This type of pressure-compensating pump is called a load-sensing pump. The second adjustment is called either a “load-sensing” valve or “flow-compensator” valve.

A load-sensing pump is designed to reduce its pressure to a much lower standby level whenever the system is idle. This can conserve energy and reduce heat and wear in systems that spend a significant amount of time in an idle condition.

The two separate pressure adjustments allow setting the compensator valve to the required maximum system pressure and the load-sensing adjustment to a much lower standby pressure.

Whenever the system is moving a load, the high-pressure adjustment limits the system pressure. For instance, as a cylinder is extended, pressure in the system will build as necessary to move the load. Eventually, the cylinder reaches the end of its stroke, and flow is blocked.

When the flow is blocked in this fashion, the system pressure can build no higher than the setting of the compensator, but until another load is to be moved, there is no need for the system pressure to be kept so high.

Most load-sensing systems have a pump-loading directional-control valve of some sort that can place the system in an idle condition until it is necessary to move another load. When the pump-loading valve is shifted, the system pressure drops to the much lower load-sensing valve setting.

A load-sensing valve usually is smaller than the compensator valve and typically mounted directly on top of the compensator. The compensator valve is closer to the pump. The load-sensing valve is factory preset and normally does not need to be adjusted during the initial pump setup. In most pumps, the factory preset is approximately 200-300 pounds per square inch (psi).

The most common reason to adjust a load-sensing valve is because someone unfamiliar with the pump has mistakenly attempted to set the maximum system pressure by adjusting the load-sensing valve instead of the compensator. This not only can result in unstable system pressure but in some cases can also void any warranty on the pump.

A typical configuration of a pressure-compensating pump is shown in Figure 1. A pump-loading valve is used to determine whether the system is idle or prepared to move a load. The pump-loading valve is de-energized whenever the system is idle.

Pilot pressure on the left-hand side of the load-sensing valve is then released to the tank. The pilot line on the right-hand side of the load-sensing valve is connected to the pressure line at the pump outlet. System pressure shifts the load-sensing valve and directs pressure to reduce the pump stroke so that system pressure drops to the load-sensing setting of 300 psi, as illustrated in Figure 2.

When a load is to be moved, the pump-loading valve is energized. This directs pilot pressure to the left side of the load-sensing valve, keeping it from shifting. System pressure shifts the compensator valve to de-stroke the pump exactly the amount necessary to limit system pressure to the compensator setting, 3,000 psi as shown in Figure 3.

To make the pressure settings, always adjust the load-sensing valve first. The pump should be deadheaded by closing the manual hand valve. With the pump-loading valve de-energized, pressure will build only to the current setting of the load-sensing valve. Adjust the load-sensing valve to the desired pressure.

Once the load-sensing valve is set, energize the pump-loading valve. System pressure will then build to the current compensator setting. Adjust the compensator to the desired setting. Open the manual valve, and the system can be placed back into service.

There are several variations of this design. Sometimes a throttle valve will be used to determine if a load is available. The pressure drop that results when oil moves through the throttle valve signals the need for higher system pressure.

Another common variation is to use the load-sensing valve in conjunction with a proportional relief valve connected in series. Standby pressure will then be determined by the sum of the load-sensing pressure and the electronically controlled setting of the proportional relief.

In more complex arrangements such as this, hand valves should be installed that can be opened or closed to deadhead the load-sensing valve and also to release its pressure to the tank to enable setting the pressure.

Jack Weeks is a hydraulic instructor and consultant for GPM Hydraulic Consulting. Since 1997 he has trained thousands of electricians and mechanics in hydraulic troubleshooting methods. Jack has...

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Pressure compensated hydraulic systems are becoming more popular due to their high efficiencies. These systems run great when properly applied but there are things you should know before you run a pressure compensated system.

Heat and contamination are the two leading causes of failure in a hydraulic system; if both aren’t properly maintained then your system will inevitably fail. For now, let’s focus on the heat. Heat can be a hard culprit to chase down when starting a prototype system. Two major factors of heat generation in a pressure compensated system are relief valve heat and standby heat.

When first starting up a pressure compensated hydraulic system, you have to always set the pressures on the pump’s compensator and the main system relief valve. Doing this properly is the key to avoiding heat generation. The compensator must always be set at a lower pressure than your system relief valve. If the system relief is lower or equal to the compensator setting, you will have constant flow over the main relief, which will then produce a ton of heat until the system fails. It is a safe practice to set your system relief valve 300 PSI above what your compensator is set at. This will ensure no flow is going over the relief during normal working conditions but will still protect your systems from any pressure spikes.

A cause of heat that is rarely considered – and to some, completely unknown – is the standby heat. The benefit of a pressure compensated pump is that it will destroke once the pressure builds to the compensator setting, therefore cutting off the pump flow but still maintaining the desired pressure. The downfall to this is that if you are running at a high pressure and are destroked at the compensator pressure, you are creating heat inside the case which will flow out of the case drain line and into your reservoir. Many may think of this as a minor amount of heat, but if a system is left sitting in this high-pressure standby state, the heat can become a major factor in your system. Below is a chart that shows just how much heat can be created at different pressures and speeds when sitting at compensator pressure.