Measurement of Free Air in the Oil Close to a Hydraulic Pump

Noise is a well-known challenge in hydraulic systems and hydrostatic pumps are one of the largest noise contributors in a hydraulic system. The existing noise reduction features, such as pressure relief groove and pre-compression filter volume, are more or less dependent on the working condition. It is essential to know the amount of free air when designing a quiet pump; however, it is not evident how much free air the oil contains. The free air content is different if the suction port is boost pressured or self-priming. The amount of free air in a well-designed system can be as low as 0.5% while in others up to 10%. This paper uses the three-transducer method to measure the amount of free air in the oil. The oil's compressibility can be measured for different working conditions and the free air content can then be calculated. The pre-study is performed with an extensive simulation model. Various noise reduction features' sensitivity to free air content is considered.