Hight Pressure Hydraulic System
Hight Pressure Hydraulic System
Hight Pressure Hydraulic System
Conducted by :
SEATRAIN INC.
This course has been designed to familiarise you with the high pressure hydraulic system used for cargo pumping & operation of deck machinery. Onboard some ships a common hydraulic system is installed for cargo pumping, operation of deck hydraulic machinery & mid-ship crane. YOU MUST REFER RELEVANT INSTRUCTION MANUALS ONBOARD BEFORE OPERATING THE SYSTEM AND CARRYING OUT ANY MAINTENANCE.
system than the direct circuit system. On the other hand it is necessary to maintain minimum pressure in the ring main line required to satisfy the highest consumer.
HYDRAULIC OIL
The medium used in a hydraulic system is hydraulic oil. It has four main functions to perform Transmit power from the hydraulic aggregate to the consumers. Lubricate all moving parts. Transfer all generated heat to the cooler. Transfer all dirt & other particles to the filter. To maintain hydraulic system in good condition for the lifetime, it is of utmost importance that oil is maintained in good clean condition. Type of oil used depends upon the design & intended use of the system. A typical high-pressure hydraulic system used for cargo pumping uses ISO VG 46 grade of hydraulic oil.
CARE OF OIL
Never mix oil of different grades. Replenish clean fresh oil through the filling filter. Check & drain reservoir tank for any water. Test oil for water content with onboard test kit. Take regular samples, generally every three months & land for complete analysis including particle count Monitor regularly the pressure drop across the filter. Renew filter elements before the bypass valve opens at the set differential pressure. Use only original filter elements.
SAMPLING
Always take sample from the same point, which should be clearly marked as sampling point. Take a clean representative sample. Drain oil from sampling point about a liter or two before taking sample. Flush the bottle before taking sample. Take sample when system is in use at normal operating parameters. Always use sampling bottles provided by the maker. Ensure these bottles are stored separately & used only for sampling purpose. These bottles should be kept closed during storage to avoid ingress of any foreign particles, which may give wrong results during analysis. Proper procedure for sampling & dispatching the sample must be followed as per the manufacturer's instructions.
OIL ANALYSIS
Analysis results must be examined carefully for following : Particle count is very important. If system is operated with high particle content it will damage the system components, which becomes an expensive affair. Number of particles per 100ml > 5 micron - 32,000, Max. 64,000. Number of particles per 100 ml > 15 micron - 2,000,Max. 4,000. High water content - It increases wear down in the system, increases rust in the system, damages the additives of the oil & causes clogged filter for some types of hydraulic oils. Chlorides - High chlorides will have the same effect as water. In addition it will accelerate corrosion in the system. Viscosity - Any change in viscosity indicates mixing with other liquid. Reduced viscosity indicates insufficient shear stability. Increased viscosity indicates excessive oxidation. Zinc & Phosphorus - This is a normal antiwear additive in the oil. A decreased level will cause increased wear in the system.
In all hydraulic systems it is must to have a return filter. Normally a full flow filter of 10 micron fineness is used. This filter has a built-in adjustable bypass valve, which normally adjusted to open at 0.6 to 0.8 bar pressure differential across the filter elements must be replaced before the differential pressure reaches this value. These filters are also fitted with magnetic rods for arresting iron particles & should be inspected & cleaned regularly. In bigger systems a separate return filter box outside the tank-is generally provided instead of incorporating the filters in the tank.
A change over switch from system 'A' (High pr system) to 'B' (Low pr system) is provided on cargo control room panel. Main power packs in high-pressure system can not be used when low-pressure system is in use. Only electrical power pack no.3 can be used along with low-pressure system depending upon the type of installation on your ship.
Ensure to stop all power packs before changing over the system.
A feed pump continuously supplies oil at inlet of hydraulic pumps at 5-bar pressure. One pilot pump is always kept running even when main power packs are not in use to avoid ingress of -any air or moisture in the system. There is a flow control valve before every cargo pump for controlling oil flow to hydraulic motor for cargo pump. Storage cum expansion tank for system oil is provided in the system. Feed & pilot pumps take suction from this tank. Oil from system is returned back to this tank. Complete unit of feed pumps, pilot pumps & tank is termed as auxiliary hydraulic unit.
Waft for a few minutes before stopping the engine till exhaust temperatures are reduced. Stop cooling water for hydraulic oil cooler.
HYDRAULIC PUMP
Piston pumps are used, as they are able to discharge a bigger flow & operate at a higher pressure than the vane pumps. In a bent axis piston pump the cylinder block rotates with the drive shaft, but at an offset angle. Piston rods are attached to the drive shaft flange by ball joints & are forced in & out of their cylinder bores as the distance between the drive shaft flange & the cylinder decreases or increases. A link shaft keys the cylinder block to the drive shaft, to maintain alignment & assure that they turn together. The link shaft does not transmit force. These piston pumps can be of fixed displacement type or variable displacement type. In fixed displacement pumps angle of pump axis is fixed & delivery can not be varied. In variable displacement pumps by changing the angle of pump axis (swivel angle), delivery change is achieved. Variable delivery pumps are preferred over fixed delivery pumps in high pressure hydraulic system installed on board. Swivel angle of pump is hydraulically controlled with spring centering via the control cylinder. A bigger angle will give more oil flow, but it will also require a bigger torque on the drive shaft to maintain the same pressure. Piston pumps are highly efficient units available in a wide range of capacities. Because of their reversability they have an advantage for some applications. However due to very fine clearances between their closely fitted parts & finely machined surfaces, cleanliness &-good quality oils are vital for their long service life. These pumps are not so -simple to service & repair as vane pumps are because of their complex design. However as long as oil is kept free from impurities, no service is required normally.
HYDRAULIC MOTOR
Construction of a hydraulic motor is exactly same as a hydraulic pump. Hydraulic motors are designed for a certain capacity to perform a particular function, hence they are of fixed maximum capacity & rpm is controlled by flow control valve installed before them to control oil flow to hydraulic motor. A hydraulic motor used in the system is exactly same as a fixed displacement hydraulic pump. Refer diagram as shown on next page.
Refer drwg. This valve is an assembly of four valves attached together a) Solenoid valve for remote control from cargo control room b) Valve for emergency manual operation (Normally open) c) Relief valve (Adjusted to set system pr 240 bar) d) Operating valve Emergency manual operation - When system pressure is not developed with remote control solenoid valve, follow below mentioned procedure 1) Open relief valve fully. 2) Close manual emergency operation valve. 3) Start closing relief valve very slowly & check that system pressure is coming up. Set system pressure as required. FLOW CONTROL VALVE A flow control valve is provided before every cargo pump for controlling oil flow to pump hydraulic motor, hence rpm of cargo pump. As these valves are controlling a good amount of oil flow, some extra power is required to drive these valves. Oil pressure from pilot system is supplied to flow control valve for its operation. The main purpose of flow control valve is To start & stop the cargo pump To control speed (rpm) of cargo pump To prevent overspeeding of cargo pump Cargo pump ran be operated & rpm controlled either from cargo control room or locally with a local control valve mounted on flow control valve. To operate the pump remotely from cargo control room - Ensure local control valve is in closed position. To operate the pump locally - Ensure that pump start lever in cargo control room is in zero or stop position. Open the local control valve fully & then put the pump start lever in cargo control room to maximum position. Now pump can be operated by closing local control valve slowly. Different types of flow control valves are fitted for different types of pumps. Adjustments of flow control valves are factory set & not to be disturbed at all.
CENTRIFUGAL PUMP
Centrifugal pump works on the principle of centrifugal force.. Rotation of pump impeller causes the liquid it contains to move outwards from the centre to the circumference of the impeller. The revolving liquid is impelled by centrifugal effect. It can only be projected in to the casing around the periphery of the impeller if other liquid in the casing can be displaced. Displaced liquid in moving from casing to the delivery line causes flow in the discharge side of the system. The liquid in the impeller & casing is essential for its operation. In moving out from impeller to casing by centrifugal effect, it drops the pressure at the centre to which suction line is connected for supply of liquid to be pumped. It is termed as the volute pump due to the shape of its casing. The object of the volute is to reduce the velocity of liquid after it leaves the impeller, and so convert part of its kinetic energy to pressure energy. Pump Discharge Characteristics For a centrifugal pump it can be shown that the theoretical relationship between discharge head H and throughput 'Q' is a straight line. Throughput is minimum when head is maximum. Because of the eddy losses caused by impeller blade thickness & other mechanical considerations there will be some head loss, increasing slightly with throughput. These losses together with friction losses due to fluid contact with the pump casing and inlet & impact losses result in the actual H/Q curve as shown below.
The discharge characteristics of centrifugal pump are obtained by measuring the throughput 'Q' with increase in head H during a test at constant speed. The actual discharge characteristics provide important information for the designer of a pumping system. From power curve 'HP/Q' we see that minimum power is consumed by the pump when there is no flow & discharge head is maximum. This equates to the discharge valve being closed. Maximum pressure of the pump, with discharge valve closed, is only moderately higher than the working pressure. That is the reason a relief valve is not necessary for a centrifugal pump.
CARGO PUMP
Centrifugal pump is used for cargo pumping driven by hydraulic motor with all required pipe connections etc, Complete pump system has been subdivided in. three main parts - Top cover plate, pipe stack & pump unit. Top cover plate : Installed on top cover plate are - Flow control valve for pump speed control with pilot pressure connection for remote operation & local control valve for local operation, Hydraulic oil inlet & outlet connections, Cargo
outlet connection, stripping connection & purging connection for pump cofferdam i.e. air/inert gas inlet & exhaust connections.
Pipe stack : A hydraulic pipe unit and a cargo discharge pipe forms the pipe stack. Hydratflic pipe unit is made of three concentric pipes leading from top cover plate to pump unit. Inner, pipe is high pressure hydraulic pipe, outside of this pipe is low pressure oil return pipe & outermost is the cofferdam which segregates cargo from hydraulic oil.
Pump unit : it consists of a hydraulic motor driven single stage, vertical, centrifugal pump. In the pumphead there is a cofferdam connected to cofferdam in pipe stack. Cofferdam purge pipe is connected to the pumphead cofferdam. Any leakage of oil whether cargo or hydraulic oil will be blown through by air or inert gas to the cofferdam purge pipe. Shaft
seal arrangement is made to- segregate cargo & hydraulic oil. For repairs & overhaul of pump refer relevant instruction manual onboard.
CARGO OPERATIONS
LOADING THROUGH THE PUMP
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- Maximum acceptable loading pressure is 8 bar at top cover plate. The pump is equipped with an anti-rotation device enabling the pump to be used as a drop line for cargo loading. It is very important to check the pressure gauge on flow control valve for any indication of hydraulic oil pressure during cargo loading. Any rise in hydraulic pressure on gauge during cargo loading indicates that pump is turning. Stop loading through the pump. Anti-rotation device must be checked as soon as possible. - If a separate drop line is installed, start loading through the pump only until 1 -foot sample is taken, and the cargo tank level is above the drop line outlet. Then open valve to drop line & continue loading through both the pump & the drop line. CARGO DISCHARGING - After starting high pressure hydraulic system, increase system pressure to 150 bar. - Start cargo pump slowly & let it run with hydraulic pressure 40-50 bar for about 1-2 minutes. - Raise the pump's discharge pressure above manifold pressure to avoid back flow in to the tank. Then open the cargo pump discharge valve. - Increase the pump hydraulic pressure until required discharge pressure or capacity is achieved. If required increase the system pressure. The system hydraulic pressure should be maximum 10-15 bar above the highest consumer pressure in order to minimise energy consumption, noise level, wear & tear. - Pump capacity should be controlled by the pump hydraulic pressure & not by throttling the cargo discharge valve or any other valve in the cargo piping system. This can be achieved easily by keeping all cargo pump controllers in maximum position & regulate the main hydraulic system pressure until required discharge rate is achieved. If necessary each cargo pump must be balanced individually by decreasing/increasing cargo pump hydraulic pressure. Generally it is recommended to run as many pumps in parallel as practical at a reduced hydraulic pressure rather than just a few pumps with maximum hydraulic pressure. - At the end of the discharge, cargo pump may run dry & suck air which will be indicated by vibration in pump & hunting
in hydraulic pressure. This can easily be avoided by reducing the pump hydraulic pressure & throttling the discharge valve as required.
STRIPPPING OF CARGO TANKS & CARGO PIPE - After cargo discharging is complete, stripping is done by cargo pumps only. Best possible stripping results are obtained with minimum manifold back pressure. Air or inert gas is used to pressurize cargo pump discharge pipe & pump is run at slow speed locally. - Close cargo pump main discharge valve. - Open stripping line valve to discharge line. - Connect air or inert gas hose to the connection provided on top cover plate of pipe stack for pressurizing the cargo discharge pipe. - Start pump slowly & keep about 60-80 bar pressure. This depends on practical experience. Open air/inert gas to pipe & maintain 4-5 bar pressure. It has been observed that if pressure is less or if 2-3 tanks are being stripped together, then stripping is not good. - A booming noise is heard when cargo tank is empty. - Close stripping valve. - Shut air/inert gas. - Stop pump.
TANK CLEANING
- A separate tank cleaning pump is provided for tank cleaning operation. To keep a dry tank top & still avoid dry running of
cargo pump during tank washing, the capacity of tank cleaning machines & cargo pump discharge capacity must be kept equal. To achieve this increase or reduce the cargo pump hydraulic pressure accordingly until capacities are balanced. - Before tank cleaning is finished, close cargo pump discharge valve & open stripping valve to allow an increase in water level of the tank. Run pump at about 100 bar pressure against closed discharge,valve for 1-2 minutes to clean the pump. - Remember to flush the tank & pump with fresh water if sea water has been used for tank cleaning.
CARGO HEATING
Cargo heating is done by means of deck mounted steam heaters & forced cargo circulation through submersible cargo pumps. Advantages of this system as compared to heating coils in tank are - Good mixing of hot & cold cargo in tanks. - Easy regulation of temperature in each tank. - Clean tank surface & hence easy tank washing. - Small heating surface - High efficiency. - Forced circulation & high velocity of cargo through heater means lower surface temperature & risk of carbonising avoided - As cargo is passing the heating surface at high velocity, the temperature of heating medium can be kept higher than coils in tank - Easy maintenance (on deck only) - In combination carriers (OBO) heating coils have to be removed from tanks every-time for loading dry cargo & installed again before loading heating cargo. - Heater is exposed to cargo only when heating is required Cargo heating operation Refer hydraulic diagram & its description on page 10, 11 & 12, three electric motor driven hydraulic pumps are provided in the system for the purpose of cargo heating. For circulation of cargo through heaters, cargo pumps require hydraulic pressure of 40-60 bar. Low pressure pumps give a fixed system pressure of 50 bar. - Check available data of maximum recommended temperature of both heating medium & cargo - Change over the switch on ccr panel from high pressure system to low pressure system operation - Start any one or two or all three pumps as required Check system pressure is maintaining 50 bar Start cargo pump & ensure circulation through heater before heating medium is opened - To avoid overheating, never start heating without confirming proper cargo flow through heater - Shut off heating medium before pump is stopped. - Drain heaters properly after heating operation is completed. - Do not use sea water for cleaning heaters. Steam connections are provided for cleaning heaters. Very few cargoes require heating only for the purpose of becoming pumpable. In a tanker where cargo pumps are located in the pumproom, high frictional losses occur through the suction pipe while pumping viscous cargoes. Heating is required to reduce viscosity to overcome problem of frictional losses. With submersible cargo pumps this problem is avoided & viscous cargoes can be pumped, although at reduced capacity. Heating can therefore be only limited to the extent required or for those cargoes which are not pumpable in cold condition. Heat loss is basically proportional to the temperature difference between cargo & ambient temperature of air / sea. When no cargo heating is done, the temperature drop is approximately 1-2 deg c per day. Most heating systems are designed to raise temperature by 5-6 deg c per day. Heating operation is expensive. Saving achieved by faster unloading of cargo due to reduction in viscosity by heating, is much less than the money spent on heating.
CARGO
HEATING
OPERATIONAL ADVICE
Heating by means of deck mounted heat exchangers and forced circulation by submerged cargo pumps
SYSTEM MAINTENANCE
Hydraulic systems generally do not require any major routine overhauls, if system is operated carefully, & hydraulic oil condition is maintained good. A proper watchkeeping & good observation of the system during operation ensures earlier detection of any trouble to avoid major breakdown. Major overhaul of hydraulic pumps, motors, flow control valves, gearbox & clutch system etc, are generally done by the makers, as they are precision jobs & require proper tools, equipment & expertise.
- During operation of the system, note down the differential pressure across the filter. At full load on the system differential pressure up to 0.3 bar is normal. At 0.8 bar differential pressure filter elements must be renewed. - Every three months system oil sample must be landed for analysis including particle count. - Maintain hydraulic oil in good & clean condition. - Whenever system is stopped for any maintenance, purge the system for any air after restarting. Also deairate the system on regular basis. - Gear oil cooler & filters to be cleaned as required. - Gear oil to be tested for any water content every month with onboard test kit. - All alarms & trips must be tested regularly. - Cargo pump & pipe stack cofferdam to be purged before & after cargo loading as well as discharging. Any cargo or hydraulic oil in cofferdam will indicate seat leakage. Findings must be recorded by chief officer in the log sheet provided, which is to be sent to the company after completion of voyage. - Check coupling between hydraulic pumps & drive shaft from gearbox. These coupling are either grease filled or oil filled. Oil filled couplings are splined couplings & it is very important that they are always filled with oil as per recommendation. - Check-condition of cargo pump against performance curve at least once a year. - Never start dismantling any component unless until you know if, what & where is the problem. - Cleanliness is of utmost importance.