INSTRUCTION MANUAL

FOR THE
PISTON ACCUMULATOR
INSPECTING THE CONDITION OF
DELIVERY
After unpacking the accumulator, inspect it for possible
damage caused during the transit.
1. Inspect both the end caps and the gas valve for tight-
ness.
2. Check the precharge tag. The accumulator is either
precharged to 25 psig(1.7 bar) for shipping purpose
or charged to a pressure specified on the purchase
order.
3. Check that the working pressure indicated on the
accumulator name plate is equal to, or greater than
the maximum pressure of the system.

PROTECTION & PRECAUTIONS Charging Kit Charging Head Assembly

1. Protective Gloves: CG-3000 CG-3013
Use chemical resistant gloves, if needed, to avoid
prolonged or repeated skin contact from the clean-
ing solutions or solvents.
2. Eye Protection:
Use safety glasses before performing any mainte-
nance on the accumulator.
OTHER PRECAUTIONS
DO NOT operate the accumulator beyond the allowable
working pressure and temperature limitations attached
to the product.
DO NOT weld any thing to the accumulator. Use only the
tools recommended in this manual to perform the main-
tenance procedures.
Use only DRY NITROGEN for charging accumulator.
NEVER USE OXYGEN OR AIR, due to risk of explosion.
Use only valve cores approved for accumulator service
and NEVER USE AN AUTOMOTIVE TYPE VALVE CORE.
Failure to read & follow these instructions can cause rapidly
discharging gas and/or hydraulic fluid which may result in
property damage, serious personal injury or death. Hose Assembly Air Chuck
CG-3010 CG-3002

Tank Valve Bleed Valve

CG-3005 CG-3009
DISASSEMBLY

Instructions for disassembling the

accumulator.
Release all the hydraulic system pressure in a safe man-
ner (eg: bleed valve or automatic discharge valve in-
stalled in the system). Remove the accumulator from the
hydraulic system and place horizontally in a vice or a
clamping device. Protect the clamping jaws with wood
or rubber so as not to damage the accumulator.
Tools required
P/N: PA4-502 End Cap Spanner Wrench for
PA4 Model Accumulators
P/N: PA6-502 End Cap Spanner Wrench for
PA6 Model Accumulators
P/N: CG-3000 Charging & Gauging Assembly
1. Remove valve guard from the accumulator. 2. Remove the valve sealing cap from the valve adapter.

3. Connect the charging and gauging assembly to the 4. Remove the valve adapter and the crush washer
valve adapter and release all the nitrogen precharge from the gas end cap.
pressure from the accumulator until the gauge reads
zero.

5. Remove the gas end cap with the end cap wrench. 6. Remove the fluid end cap with the end cap wrench. 7. Remove the piston carefully by means of a wooden
stick. Care must be taken not to damage the inside
honned surface finish of the accumulator.
ASSEMBLY

Cleaning & Inspection

Remove all the seals from the end caps and the piston.
Clean the cylinder, end caps and the piston with an or-
ganic solvent. Inspect all the parts for any visual dam-
ages. The honed bore of the cylinder must be free from
any scratches or other imperfections which may result
in leakage due to improper sealing by the piston. Check
that there is no corrosion on any of the parts. Replace
all parts that are considered defective. All the seals for
end caps and piston must be replaced.

1. Lubricate the piston seal energizers with the sys- 2. Lubricate the Teflon seal and slide it over the ener-
tem fluid or a similar product and assemble into pis- gizers installed in the piston groves. Do not stretch
ton groves. Make sure the energizer seats properly the seals more than necessary. Make sure the seals
in the grove. snaps properly over the energizers.

3. Assemble the piston into the lubricated cylinder (cup 4. Lubricate the “O” Rings and the back-up rings and 5. Screw the gas end cap to the gas side and the
should face the gas side of the cylinder) by pushing it assemble them into the “O” ring groves of both the fluid end cap to the fluid side of the cylinder and
carefully avoiding any cocking. If necessary tap pis- end caps. The Back-Up rings must be behind the tighten. Lubricate the threads if necessary for
ton with a rubber mallet. Care must be taken not to “O”-Ring closer to the threads. ease of assembly
damage the piston seals during entry into the cylinder.

6. Mount the gas valve with the crush washer as- 7. Using a charging & gauging assembly, precharge 8. Remove the charging assembly, install valve cap and
sembled to it. Tighten to 90 In-Lbs. to the desired pressure at a moderate rate. USE DRY protective valve guard. Accumulator is ready for use.
NITROGEN only. Check the valve for leaks with
snoop or soap water.
PRECHARGING
Instructions

IMPORTANT
USE DRY NITROGEN GAS ONLY to precharge the accu-
mulator.
Check the precharge tag attached to the accumulator.
The accumulator will either be precharged to 25 psig(1.7
bar) for shipping purpose or to the pressure specified
on the purchase order. If the accumulator does not have
the correct precharge, it must be precharged to the re-
quired level using only DRY NITROGEN GAS, before it is
installed in the hydraulic system.
Precharge pressures vary according to the application
1. Remove the valve guard installed on top of the gas valve. 2. Remove the valve sealing cap.
and operating conditions. Please seek technical support
from the factory if you are not sure about the correct
precharge. Incorrect Precharge pressure can lead to
reduced accumulator performance, and damage the pis-
ton and the cylinder. It is very important to have the cor-
rect precharge. As a guidance, the following values can
be used.
Energy Storage:
90% of the minimum system pressure
Pulsation dampening:
70% of the system mean operating pressure
Shock absorption
75% of the system working pressure.
Precharge must never be below 25% of the maximum
system pressure.
3. Close the bleed valve on the charging and gauging 4. Install Charging and Gauging Assembly on the accumula-
Always use a pressure regulator valve on the nitrogen assembly. Retract the T-handle on the air chuck by tor by screwing the air chuck to the gas valve Hand tighten
bottle when the accumulator shell pressure is lower than turning counter clockwise direction. sufficiently to prevent any leakage. Turn the T-handle on
the gas pressure in the nitrogen cylinder. the air chuck clockwise to depress the valve core. Con-
Whenever you have to replace the gas valve core, re- nect the hose to the nitrogen bottle regulator.
place it with a valve core approved for accumulator ser-
vice. NEVER USE AN AUTOMOTIVE TYPE VALVE CORE.
CHECKING PRECHARGE
Check the precharge pressure only after the hydraulic
pressure has been completely released. When a new
accumulator is installed, the precharge pressure should
be checked to ensure that there is no leakage. This
should be performed once during the first week of op-
eration, and then every six months thereafter. Under high
cycling or high temperature conditions, the precharge
should be checked once every month.
5. Remove the seal cap from the gas charging tank valve 6. Retract the T-handle on the air chuck by turning counter
INSTALLATION: and connect the swivel connector on the hose assem- clockwise to close the valve core. Open the bleed valve
1. The accumulator can be mounted vertically (Rec- bly. Hand tighten sufficiently to prevent leakage.* to bleed of nitrogen in the hose. Disconnect the charg-
ommended) with the fluid port at the bottom and gas ing assembly from the accumulator and the gas bottle.
port at the top or it can also be mounted horizon- * Open the regulator valve on the nitrogen bottle carefully to let nitrogen flow at a slow rate into the accumulator. Proceed to charge untilthe
tally. accumulator reaches desired precharge pressure. Close the regulator and let the nitrogen stabilize and obtain gauge reading. Adjust
thepressure if necessary.
2. Use OilAir support brackets specifically designed for
accumulator mounting. Fluid port must not be used
to support the accumulator. Do not weld any sup-
port to the accumulator.
3. Allow sufficient clearance at the gas valve to en-
able use of OilAir charging assembly for precharge
maintenance at regular intervals.
4. An automatic discharge valve fitted between the
accumulator and the system pressure line is rec-
ommended.
Precharging Instructions
Use DRY NITROGEN ONLY to precharge the accumula- 7. Check for leakage through the valve core by soap so- 8. Replace the valve seal cap and the valve guard. Check
tor. NEVER USE OXYGEN OR AIR, due to risk of explo- lution or snoop. If the core is leaking, then retighten precharge pressure once in the first week of operation,
sion. To read precharge pressure in an accumulator, the the valve core. If leakage persists then replace the and then every six months during normal working or every
hydraulic pressure should be zero. valve adapter. month during high cycling or high temperature condition.

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© copyright 1997 OilAir Hydraulics, Inc. Printed in USA Bulletin #MMP97
OLAER GROUP COMPANY