Simulation on mechanism of contamination mitigation through Higee and hydrocyclone techniques in fluid power system

Abstract

In this study, an innovative Higee hydraulic oil purification device capable of removing the solid particle contaminants and water moisture simultaneously is developed for dealing with the contamination control problem of fluid power systems. The purification device is considered as a combination of two units (hydrocyclone separator and rotating packed bed) according to different separation functions. The mathematical models about the migration regularity and dynamic behavior of different phases have been established, in which discrete phase model model is employed to simulate the solid particles – hydraulic oil separation, and Eulerian model is selected as the multiphase simulation model to simulate the hydraulic oil – water moisture separation. Simulation results demonstrate that the hydrocyclone separator can remove solid particles of 5 to 15 µm, while the rotating packed bed can mitigate water moisture. The results indicate that the developed Higee hydraulic oil purification device can provide an effective and efficient manner for controlling the contamination level of fluid power systems.