Estimation of the Heat Generation and Dissipation for the Hydraulic System of a Medium Size Excavator Using One Dimensional Analysis

Abstract

The heat generation and dissipation are important design parameters in the hydraulic system of an excavator which is composed of valves, pump, cylinders and cooler etc, for the evaluation of system efficiency, reliability and optimum design. Accurate estimation of heat generation is therefore required for the design of an excavator hydraulic system. In this study the hydraulic system of a medium size excavator is simulated using one dimensional transient network analysis method. To increase the accuracy of estimation, the pressure loss coefficients at the displacement valves calculated by computational fluid dynamics are applied. The simulated flow-rate pattern of the pump approximately coincides with the experimental data. And the temperature at the pump inlet with assumed solid surface heat dissipation rate is 2°C different compared to the experimental data.