<p>Denna rapport sammanställer vattenhydraulikens möjligheter samt fördelar och nackdelar vid konvertering av befintliga hydraulsystem, eller nya anpassade system inom vattenkraften. Dessutom ska en jämförelse mellan miljöpåverkan av olja jämfört med vatten som behandlats för att passa i olika hydraulsystem redovisas. En stor fråga är om vattenhydrauliken har samma hållbarhet som oljehydrauliken och ifall man får accelererad nötning ifall man konverterar ett befintligt system från oljehydraulik till vattenhydraulik.</p><p>Vattenhydraulik i vattenkraft används redan till luckservon. För ledkransservo ställs högre krav på driftsäkerhet men vatten bör kunna användas där med. Pitchkontroll för kaplannav är under utveckling, det som saknas just nu är sviveln som sitter längst upp på turbinaxeln. Om man ska konvertera ett nav behöver man också byta ventilerna som sitter i navet för att få tillförlitlighet.</p><p>För att kunna konvertera ett oljehydrauliksystem till vattenhydraulik behöver man byta vissa komponenter: ventiler, filter och pumpar då dessa behöver vara anpassade för att kunna få en anständig livslängd. Livslängden är garanterad till 8000-10000h för ett nyinstallerat vattenhydrauliksystem, detta är med avseende på pumpen som normalt sett är den detalj med kortast livslängd i systemet. Jämfört med oljehydraulik så är detta i stort sett samma livslängd, vilket har varit målet för leverantören Danfoss utveckling av vattenhydraulik.</p><p>Ett vattenhydrauliksystem med rent vatten som hydraulmedium påverkar miljön minimalt om ett läckage sker, ett system med monopropylenglykol i vattnet ger väldigt liten påverkan då detta oftast är nedbrutet efter 24h i naturen enligt Dowcal som producerar glykolen. Monopropylenglykol är dessutom giftfri samt har inga påvisade fall av allergi, vilket gör arbetsmiljön och hanteringskostnader betydligt lägre än för hydraulolja. Olja behöver förhöjd temperatur i jord för en acceptabel nedbrytning, och även då tar det förhållandevis lång tid.</p><p>Livslängden på glidbussningar förekommande i Älvkarleby luckcylindrar har utretts genom en laboration där friktion och nötning studerats med hydraulolja respektive monopropylenglykol med vatten (50/50). Kontakten var glidande rulle mot plan. Dessa tester visar att nötningen är desamma för kompositmaterial mot kromat stål, som testats i de båda medierna. Friktionsvärdet var lägre när man hade monopropylenglykol med vatten som smörjmedel.</p><p>I fallet med brons mot kromat stål var resultatet detsamma, monopropylenglykol med vatten gav lägre friktionsvärde och återigen gavs samma slitage vid jämförelse av provbitarna som gått i hydraulolja respektive monopropylenglykol med vatten.</p><p>Slutsatsen är att vattenhydraulik är ett bra alternativ till oljehydraulik, men ingående kunskap om hydraulikens systemkomponenter vid vätskekonvertering är nödvändig. Till exempel om materialen i systemet lämpar sig för konvertering eller behöver bytas ut.</p> / <p>This report puts together the possibilities of water hydraulics. It also compare pros and cons of new adapted systems or when converting existing oil hydraulic systems to water hydraulics. A small comparison of environmental effects from oil and water treated for use in hydraulic systems will be made.</p><p>A large question concerning water hydraulics is if it has the same durability as oil hydraulics. Another is if you get accelerated wear when you convert an oil hydraulic system to water hydraulics. For hydropower, Water hydraulics is already used for sluice gates. For the operating ring you need very high reliability but water hydraulics should be suiting for this application as well. Pitchcontrol for kaplanrunners is under development, at the moment the swivel on top of the turbineshaft is missing. If you want to convert a kaplanrunner you will also need to change the valves in the hub to get a good reliability.</p><p>To be able to convert an oil hydraulic system you need to change some components: valves, filters and pumps, these needs to be adapted for water to have a reasonable lifetime. The lifetime is guaranteed to be 8000-10000h for a recently installed water hydraulics system. This is regarding to the pump, which is the part of both water- and oil- hydraulics with the shortest lifetime. If you compare water- with oil- hydraulics they have about the same lifetime. That has always been the goal for the supplier Danfoss development of water hydraulics.</p><p>A water hydraulic system with pure tap water as pressure media will not affect the environment at all. Systems with monopropylen glycol and water as media will have only a small environmental influence. Monopropylen glycol that has leaked out will be broken down in 24h if it is taken care of in a cleaning plant. In the nature it will take slightly longer according to dowcal who produces the glycol. Monopropylen glycol has no cases of allergy reported, which makes the working environment and handling better than for hydraulic oil. Oil needs elevated temperature and the presence of earth to be able to break down, and still it takes considerable time.</p><p>The lifetime on sliding bushings existing in the hydraulic cylinders for Älvkarleby hydropowerstation sluice gates have been investigated by laboratory work. Friction and wear was compared with hydraulic oil or monopropylen glycol with water (50/50). The contact was a sliding wheel against a sheet. These tests shows that the wear is equal if you test a composite against chromed steel, with the two different hydraulic medias. The friction was however lower when you tested it with monopropylen glycol and water as lubricant.</p><p>In the case bronze against steel the results were the same. Monopropylen glycol with water gave lower friction, though the wear was equal between the two medias.</p><p>The conclusion is that water hydraulics is a good alternative to oil hydraulics, thorough knowledge of the hydraulic components is necessary though. For instance if the materials in the system is suitable for use in water hydraulics, or needs to be changed.</p>

Denna rapport sammanställer vattenhydraulikens möjligheter samt fördelar och nackdelar vid konvertering av befintliga hydraulsystem, eller nya anpassade system inom vattenkraften. Dessutom ska en jämförelse mellan miljöpåverkan av olja jämfört med vatten som behandlats för att passa i olika hydraulsystem redovisas. En stor fråga är om vattenhydrauliken har samma hållbarhet som oljehydrauliken och ifall man får accelererad nötning ifall man konverterar ett befintligt system från oljehydraulik till vattenhydraulik. Vattenhydraulik i vattenkraft används redan till luckservon. För ledkransservo ställs högre krav på driftsäkerhet men vatten bör kunna användas där med. Pitchkontroll för kaplannav är under utveckling, det som saknas just nu är sviveln som sitter längst upp på turbinaxeln. Om man ska konvertera ett nav behöver man också byta ventilerna som sitter i navet för att få tillförlitlighet. För att kunna konvertera ett oljehydrauliksystem till vattenhydraulik behöver man byta vissa komponenter: ventiler, filter och pumpar då dessa behöver vara anpassade för att kunna få en anständig livslängd. Livslängden är garanterad till 8000-10000h för ett nyinstallerat vattenhydrauliksystem, detta är med avseende på pumpen som normalt sett är den detalj med kortast livslängd i systemet. Jämfört med oljehydraulik så är detta i stort sett samma livslängd, vilket har varit målet för leverantören Danfoss utveckling av vattenhydraulik. Ett vattenhydrauliksystem med rent vatten som hydraulmedium påverkar miljön minimalt om ett läckage sker, ett system med monopropylenglykol i vattnet ger väldigt liten påverkan då detta oftast är nedbrutet efter 24h i naturen enligt Dowcal som producerar glykolen. Monopropylenglykol är dessutom giftfri samt har inga påvisade fall av allergi, vilket gör arbetsmiljön och hanteringskostnader betydligt lägre än för hydraulolja. Olja behöver förhöjd temperatur i jord för en acceptabel nedbrytning, och även då tar det förhållandevis lång tid. Livslängden på glidbussningar förekommande i Älvkarleby luckcylindrar har utretts genom en laboration där friktion och nötning studerats med hydraulolja respektive monopropylenglykol med vatten (50/50). Kontakten var glidande rulle mot plan. Dessa tester visar att nötningen är desamma för kompositmaterial mot kromat stål, som testats i de båda medierna. Friktionsvärdet var lägre när man hade monopropylenglykol med vatten som smörjmedel. I fallet med brons mot kromat stål var resultatet detsamma, monopropylenglykol med vatten gav lägre friktionsvärde och återigen gavs samma slitage vid jämförelse av provbitarna som gått i hydraulolja respektive monopropylenglykol med vatten. Slutsatsen är att vattenhydraulik är ett bra alternativ till oljehydraulik, men ingående kunskap om hydraulikens systemkomponenter vid vätskekonvertering är nödvändig. Till exempel om materialen i systemet lämpar sig för konvertering eller behöver bytas ut. / This report puts together the possibilities of water hydraulics. It also compare pros and cons of new adapted systems or when converting existing oil hydraulic systems to water hydraulics. A small comparison of environmental effects from oil and water treated for use in hydraulic systems will be made. A large question concerning water hydraulics is if it has the same durability as oil hydraulics. Another is if you get accelerated wear when you convert an oil hydraulic system to water hydraulics. For hydropower, Water hydraulics is already used for sluice gates. For the operating ring you need very high reliability but water hydraulics should be suiting for this application as well. Pitchcontrol for kaplanrunners is under development, at the moment the swivel on top of the turbineshaft is missing. If you want to convert a kaplanrunner you will also need to change the valves in the hub to get a good reliability. To be able to convert an oil hydraulic system you need to change some components: valves, filters and pumps, these needs to be adapted for water to have a reasonable lifetime. The lifetime is guaranteed to be 8000-10000h for a recently installed water hydraulics system. This is regarding to the pump, which is the part of both water- and oil- hydraulics with the shortest lifetime. If you compare water- with oil- hydraulics they have about the same lifetime. That has always been the goal for the supplier Danfoss development of water hydraulics. A water hydraulic system with pure tap water as pressure media will not affect the environment at all. Systems with monopropylen glycol and water as media will have only a small environmental influence. Monopropylen glycol that has leaked out will be broken down in 24h if it is taken care of in a cleaning plant. In the nature it will take slightly longer according to dowcal who produces the glycol. Monopropylen glycol has no cases of allergy reported, which makes the working environment and handling better than for hydraulic oil. Oil needs elevated temperature and the presence of earth to be able to break down, and still it takes considerable time. The lifetime on sliding bushings existing in the hydraulic cylinders for Älvkarleby hydropowerstation sluice gates have been investigated by laboratory work. Friction and wear was compared with hydraulic oil or monopropylen glycol with water (50/50). The contact was a sliding wheel against a sheet. These tests shows that the wear is equal if you test a composite against chromed steel, with the two different hydraulic medias. The friction was however lower when you tested it with monopropylen glycol and water as lubricant. In the case bronze against steel the results were the same. Monopropylen glycol with water gave lower friction, though the wear was equal between the two medias. The conclusion is that water hydraulics is a good alternative to oil hydraulics, thorough knowledge of the hydraulic components is necessary though. For instance if the materials in the system is suitable for use in water hydraulics, or needs to be changed.

<div><p>Water is inflammable, non-toxic, environmentally friendly--- desirable traits, for a hydraulic fluid. However, its extremely low viscosity diminishes the load-bearing and sealing capacity of lubricating interfaces. Case in point: axial piston machines of swash plate design are compact, highly efficient positive displacement machines at the heart of hydraulic systems in forestry, construction, aerospace, and agricultural equipment, as well as industrial applications (presses, etc.); however, the three main lubricating interfaces decisive to the performance of such units in terms of both component life and efficiency are challenged by the use of water as working fluid. Especially during high-pressure operation, this low-viscosity lubricant can cause the these interfaces to fail in carrying the imposed load, resulting in severe wear, or even pump failure. The piston-cylinder interface is particularly challenging to design for water because it stands under obligation to carry the heavy side load that acts on the pistons of these machines, which increases with operating pressure. Furthermore, the architecture of axial piston machines of swash plate design does not allow this interface to be hydrostatically balanced.</p> <p> </p> <p>Through the development of a methodology that separates the fluid pressure fields of the three main lubricating interfaces of axial piston machines into their hydrostatic and hydrodynamic components, the present work enables a direct comparison of these interfaces in terms of how they support load. A case study of a 75 cc unit running on hydraulic oil conducted via this methodology at three different operating conditions (low pressure/low speed, low pressure/high speed, and high pressure/low speed) demonstrates that in the piston-cylinder interface, the force from hydrostatic pressure reaches such high magnitudes over the high-pressure stroke that less than half of it is needed to counter the load. The excess force from hydrostatic pressure then becomes the load. Consequentially, hydrodynamic pressure must counter a force from hydrostatic pressure that exceeds the original load. In the other two interfaces, by contrast, over half the load is being carried by hydrostatic pressure, thus significantly diminishing the amount of hydrodynamic pressure the interfaces are required to generate in order to achieve full load support. Moreover, nearly all of the moment on the piston is countered by hydrodynamic pressure, while less than half of the moment on the block is countered by hydrodynamic pressure, and the moment on the slipper is negligible by comparison.</p> <p> </p> <p>While this case study only investigates one pump, it shows how critical hydrodynamic pressure can be to load support in the piston-cylinder interface. The use of a low-viscosity fluid, e.g. water, reduces the hydrodynamic pressure that is generated in this interface, which, at challenging operating conditions, can lead to metal-to-metal contact. However, the performance of the interface can be improved via micro surface shaping, i.e. by giving the surface of the piston, or the bore that it moves through, a shape on the order of microns in height. The aim of present work is to pursue design trends leading to surface shapes that will enable this interface to function at higher pressures than currently achievable. </p> <p> </p> <p>This pursuit takes the form of systematic virtual design studies, an optimization procedure, and an algorithm developed specifically for tailoring the bore surfaces through which the pistons travel to piston tilt and deformation. From this emerges not only a set of design trends corresponding to the dimensions of two particularly powerful types of micro surface shaping, but also a profound insight into the behavior of the water-lubricated piston-cylinder interface fluid film, and how that behavior can be manipulated by changing the component surfaces that constitute its borders. Furthermore, in collaboration with Danfoss High Pressure Pumps, a physical prototype of a 444 cc axial piston pump with surface shaping generated via the aforementioned algorithm has been constructed and tested, achieving a total pump efficiency roughly 3% higher than that achievable by the commercial unit that the geometry of the prototype is based on.</p><br></div>

Tribology has been recognized as a very important discipline in different branches of industry because almost every mechanical system has some moving parts. Due to the relative motion between these different mechanical parts, a variety of contacts are formed, and they are very often lubricated with oil. Environmental protection and ecological awareness are becoming increasingly important, which in turn has resulted in the shift to a low-carbon society, making water more interesting as a possible lubricant. On the one hand, water is less environmentally damaging as a lubricant than oil, but on the other hand, water has very poor lubrication properties, as its viscosity is 100 times lower than the viscosity of oil. These limitations might be overcome by appropriate surface engineering (e.g., diamond-like carbon, DLC). Tribological tests were performed in oil and water for two different contacts. Steel/steel and steel/DLC were investigated. DLC was recognized as a very promising solution, which ensures low friction and low wear. DLC was deposited on a real hydraulic part in an orbital hydraulic motor and tested under real industrial conditions. The overall efficiency of the hydraulic motor was measured.