VMAC – Vehicle Mounted Air Compressors
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6.4.3 Material
Many reservoirs provided by PTO. pump suppliers are molded in one
piece from polyethylene. This is an excellent material choice from
the standpoint of weight, appearance, internal cleanliness, and low
leakage. If for any reason a custom reservoir is required, then
welded aluminum, steel or stainless steel are all good choices. The
inside of the reservoir must be thoroughly cleaned after all the
welding is completed. If plain steel is used, then the inner surface
should be coated with paint compatible with the hydraulic fluid.
6.4.4 Essential Features
The hydraulic oil reservoir (Figure 15) should have the following
features.
•
The pump inlet line should be near the bottom of the
reservoir, well below the oil level and should protrude at
least 2” into the reservoir to keep it well clear of surfaces that
may collect contaminants.
•
Baffle plates should be use to prevent sloshing, to force the
flow to follow an indirect path from the return line to the
suction line in an S-shaped flow when viewed from above, to
promote cooling contact with walls, provide time for
deaeration and time for contaminants to drop out. They
should be notched or have a small end gap to the side wall
of reservoir, at opposite ends to produce an “S” shaped flow
pattern as viewed from above. The area of notches or end
gap should be at least two times the cross sectional area of
the suction line.
•
A drain plug, to facilitate draining of old hydraulic oil during
service, should be at the lowest point in the reservoir to
assure complete draining. It should be installed using an
adaptor or housing which does not protrude above the inner
surface of the floor of the tank. It should be visible and
accessible for removal, with sufficient space available for
catching the waste oil.
•
A return line drop tube is essential if the return line is
entering at or near the top of the tank. This minimizes
foaming, agitation and aeration of the oil, which is key to
system performance and pump reliability.
•
A return line filter provides the main protection against
system contaminants by removing small foreign particles
from the hydraulic oil and should be mounted external to the
reservoir for high visibility and easy service access.
