6.4 Hydraulic Oil Reservoir
6.4.1 Size
Hydraulic oil reservoirs range in size from about 3 times the total
system GPM on stationary equipment down to 0.1 times the total
system GPM on some mobile hydraulic systems. For a 20 GPM
hydraulic system, this equates to a size range from 2 gallons (14 lbs)
to 60 gallons (430 lbs) of oil.
The recommended size of hydraulic oil reservoir for use with the
PREDATAIR40 is 10-20 gallons and for the PREDATAIR60 is 15 to
25 gallons. It is wise to stay towards the high end of these ranges or
larger if one or more of these conditions exist:
•
large cylinders are being used in the system
•
maintenance practices and service intervals by the end user
are questionable
•
no diffuser is being used on the return line where it opens
out into the inside of the reservoir
6.4.2 Shape
The reservoir should be tall and narrow, not shallow and broad
(Figure 14). The tall, narrow tank is recommended because:
•
the oil level is well above suction line opening, avoiding the
possibility of drawing air into the pump due to a vortex or
“whirlpool” effect
•
more forgiving towards unusual vehicle angles
•
to keep return flow well below the surface so it does not break
the surface and cause aeration of the oil
Figure 14 – Reservoir shapes
VMAC – Vehicle Mounted Air Compressors
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