Comparative Analysis of the Overall Efficiency of a Hydraulic Pump Unit with and without a Separate Pre-Charging System

The overall efficiency and energy consumption problem in hydraulic power pack units with and without an additional pre-charging system was analyzed in this paper. A theoretical mathematical model was developed for calculating energy losses in both pump unit structures. To verify the theoretical relationships, a laboratory test stand was built, upon which the results of calculating the overall efficiency were compared with the results of the laboratory tests. Universal diagrams of the overall efficiency dependence as a function of pressure load and geometric adjustment of the main pump’s working volume were created for the case of a particular hydraulic pump unit without and with a pre-charging system. Based on this, discussions were carried out on whether and the way in which the additionally pre-charging system affects the parameters of the overall efficiency characteristics of the researched pump unit. Additionally, the dependence of the optimal pressure load and the maximum overall efficiency of the pump unit on the geometric adjustment of the main pump’s working volume was analyzed. It was shown that the pre-charging system affects the increase in the optimal pressure load at which the most favorable operating conditions, in terms of energy consumption, are obtained for the researched hydraulic pump unit.