Hydraulic Bypass Conduit Layout for Cold-Weather Pressure Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
In agricultural hydraulic systems, cold weather causes hydraulic fluid in lines to remain cold, leading to high viscosity and resulting in hydraulic losses that hinder performance, especially in systems with long lines distant from the work vehicle.
Innovation Solution
A hydraulic system with a bypass conduit and bleed orifice configuration that enables intermittent fluid flow, purging air and contaminants, and maintaining warm, low viscosity fluid through continuous circulation, reducing line losses and pressure variations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If hydraulic lines are extended to reach distant actuators on the implement, then the actuators can be positioned for optimal performance, but the hydraulic fluid in the lines remains cold and viscous, causing increased line losses
Solution Approach 1:
The bypass conduit enables continuous circulation of hydraulic fluid through the entire hydraulic system, including distant lines. This continuous flow prevents the fluid from remaining stationary and cooling down, maintaining lower viscosity and reducing line losses while allowing actuators to be positioned optimally on the implement
2Loss of energy
If hydraulic fluid circulates continuously through long lines, then line losses are reduced, but air and contaminants accumulate in the lines
Solution Approach 1:
The bypass conduit provides a dedicated extraction path for air and contaminants from the hydraulic system. By routing fluid through this separate bypass path, air bubbles and particulate contaminants are removed from the main hydraulic circuit, preventing accumulation while maintaining continuous circulation to reduce line losses
3Loss of energy
If a bypass conduit is added to enable continuous circulation, then line losses are reduced, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The bypass conduit is integrated into the existing hydraulic circuit by connecting to available ports and utilizing existing fluid pathways. This merging approach enables continuous circulation functionality without requiring a completely separate independent system, thereby reducing the increase in overall system complexity while still achieving the goal of reduced line losses
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution maintains warm, low viscosity hydraulic fluid in lines, reducing hydraulic losses and pressure errors, ensuring improved performance and stability of agricultural implement actuators even in cold conditions.
Implementation Method 1
the bypass conduit is configured to enable intermittent fluid flow of a hydraulic fluid from the first cylinder conduit to the second cylinder conduit while bypassing at least a portion of the cylinder
Implementation Method 2
the bleed orifice is configured to enable intermittent fluid flow of the hydraulic fluid from the first cylinder conduit to the second cylinder conduit while bypassing the cylinder, the bleed orifice being further configured to enable the purge of air and potentially other contaminants
Data Source
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AI summary
A hydraulic system (112, 194, 202) includes a first cylinder conduit (150) configured to couple to a cylinder (122), a second cylinder conduit (152) configured to fluidly coupled to the cylinder (122), and a bypass conduit (176) fluidly coupled both to the first cylinder conduit (150) upstream of the cylinder (122) and to the second cylinder conduit (152) downstream of the cylinder (122). The bypass conduit (176) is configured to enable intermittent fluid flow of a hydraulic fluid from the first cylinder conduit (150) to the second cylinder conduit (152) while bypassing at least a portion of the cylinder (122).