Hydraulic power packs: what are they?
The hydraulic unit is aunit of power used to transform energy, electric or endothermic, in mechanical energy.
The rotation of the motor, which can be pneumatic, endothermic or electric, allows the rotation of the connected pump. This sucks the oil, both synthetic and mineral, from its tank and from there pushes it to operate the machines to which the control unit is connected.
Each hydraulic unit is characterized by:
- displacement, i.e. the quantity of oil that passes in each rotation
- pressure, that is the pressure which the control unit can reach without bursting
Do you want to understand how to choose a control unit? Here is the right article for you!
Fluid control valves
A control unit cannot function without a fluid pushed by the pump and without valves that control it; these valves each have a different characteristic and function:
- Check valve: channels the fluid in an obligatory path, blocking a possible path in the opposite direction.
- Flow control valves: hydraulic components that regulate the speed of the oil flow, determining the time needed to complete its path.
- Hydraulic distributor: both manual and mechanical or electro-mechanical, it takes care of directing the flow arriving from the pump towards its final task, closing other uses that at that moment must remain stationary.
- Pressure control valve: mechanical or electro-mechanical, this valve intercepts the flow of fluid in a circuit and controls the pressure at predetermined levels. Thanks to these valves, any bursting or breakage of other parts of the circuit is avoided.
More generally, the fundamental components of hydraulic power packs are always:
- asynchronous three-phase motor
- elastic joint
- lantern that protects the joint
- submerged pump
- suction filter
- one filter on the intake and one on the exhaust
- pressure valve
- gauge
- tap
- heat exchanger
- tank filling and unloading cap
- an oil level indicator
- lifting rings
- cover
