Designing Greener, More Efficient Hydraulic Systems for Off-Highway and Construction Equipment
Chris Bortnik, VP of engineering at Schroeder Industries, will give a presentation at the National Fluid Power Association’s quarterly conference being held Dec 2. It will describe several technologies geared towards designing high-horsepower, off-highway equipment and high-volume industrial fluid systems that are carbon neutral and less costly to operate.
The presentation, titled “Sustainability & Manufacturing – Schroeder Industries’ 2030 Initiatives & Products,” focuses on reducing the volume of fluids used in hydraulic system and replacing them less often.
Some of the methods outlined in Bortnik’s presentation—which is targeted at company CEOs and upper management, OEM program managers, bench-level engineers, and fluid system designers and operators—include:
- Adjusting the filtering so that it uses less energy at given levels of filtration.
- Reduce the size and volume of fluid reservoirs by removing air from the circuit. Removing the air can shrink reservoirs by 78%.
- Better filtration management, which can extend oil life. There’s also the option of hiring a company to handle filter monitoring and upkeep, making it a service rather than a scheduled maintenance task.
- Recycling and reusing oil by installing automated and mobile PAG waste-oil recyclers.
Bortnik points out that OEMs will save money in the long run if they improve the efficiency of their hydraulic systems. “For example, through simulation, careful design and using products that promote de-aeration, reservoir volumes can be minimized,” he said. “This translates to less material used, less fluid required to run a system, and lower machine weight. Using reservoirs sized for the application is also a good place to start.”
To learn more about the conference and register for it, visit this site.
