Hydraulic System Condition Monitoring via Cooling Power Aging Detection
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
There is a lack of practical and economically feasible concepts for condition monitoring in hydraulic systems of metal processing plants, which hinders the optimized scheduling of maintenance and leads to unexpected failures and high costs.
Innovation Solution
A method and device that determine the maintenance urgency and ageing condition of hydraulic systems by linking the current cooling power of heat exchangers and the conveying power of pumps, using reference values and weights to assess the need for maintenance, and considering ambient temperature for more accurate evaluations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If regular preventive maintenance is performed on the hydraulic system, then unexpected failures are prevented and system reliability is maintained, but maintenance costs increase due to scheduled maintenance activities
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection of maintenance needs by continuously monitoring cooling power and conveying power parameters before actual failures occur. This allows maintenance to be scheduled based on actual condition rather than fixed intervals, performing maintenance preliminarily only when the determined maintenance urgency indicates it is necessary.
Solution Approach 2:
The system establishes a feedback loop by continuously determining current cooling power of heat exchangers and current conveying power of pumps, comparing these against reference values, and using this feedback to dynamically adjust maintenance scheduling. The maintenance urgency determination is based on this ongoing feedback from system performance parameters.
2Reliability
If maintenance is scheduled based on fixed intervals, then system reliability is maintained through regular preventive measures, but maintenance costs increase and maintenance timing is not optimized to actual wear conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The system transitions from fixed-time maintenance scheduling to condition-based scheduling by introducing dynamic parameter monitoring. It determines maintenance urgency based on measured parameters (cooling power, conveying power) that change with actual system condition, allowing maintenance timing to adapt to real wear states rather than following a static schedule.
Solution Approach 2:
The hydraulic system essentially monitors its own condition through the determination of cooling power and conveying power parameters. The system self-assesses its maintenance needs by comparing current performance against reference values, enabling autonomous decision-making about when maintenance is actually required without external intervention or complex external monitoring systems.
3Loss of energy
If condition monitoring is implemented to optimize maintenance scheduling, then maintenance costs are reduced by avoiding unnecessary maintenance, but system complexity increases due to additional monitoring requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The monitoring system uses existing hydraulic system components (heat exchangers, pumps) and their operational parameters (cooling power, conveying power) for dual purposes: both for normal system operation and for condition monitoring. This multi-functionality allows condition monitoring without adding separate dedicated monitoring hardware, reducing overall system complexity while still achieving optimized maintenance scheduling.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses cooling power and conveying power as intermediary parameters that indirectly indicate system condition and wear state. Rather than directly monitoring complex wear indicators or component degradation, these intermediary power measurements serve as proxies for system health, simplifying the monitoring approach while still enabling effective maintenance scheduling decisions.
4Loss of energy
If maintenance is delayed until actual wear conditions are reached, then maintenance costs are reduced by eliminating unnecessary preventive maintenance, but the risk of unexpected failures increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection of approaching wear conditions by continuously monitoring cooling power and conveying power before actual failures occur. This early detection allows maintenance to be scheduled at the optimal moment - not too early (avoiding unnecessary maintenance) and not too late (preventing unexpected failures).
Solution Approach 2:
The system maintains continuous feedback on system condition through power parameter monitoring, enabling real-time assessment of wear progression. This feedback allows dynamic adjustment of maintenance timing based on actual degradation rates, ensuring maintenance is performed just before critical wear conditions are reached, balancing cost reduction with failure prevention.
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
This approach allows for the scheduling of maintenance only when necessary, reducing costs and ensuring the hydraulic system is maintained at the right time, thereby preventing unexpected failures and optimizing maintenance schedules.
Implementation Method 1
one or more heat exchangers are provided in the hydraulic system to transfer a portion of the thermal energy of the working fluid flowing through their primary side to a cooling fluid provided on the secondary side of the heat exchangers
Data Source
AI summary
A method for monitoring the condition of a hydraulic system of a metal forming plant is presented. The hydraulic system is coupled to or provided with a pump drivable by a drive motor for providing a working fluid and with a heat exchanger. With the presented method, the following steps are initiated or carried out by a condition-monitoring device during the operation of the hydraulic system: Determining a current cooling power of the heat exchanger; determining a current conveying power of the pump; and determining a current maintenance urgency and/or a current ageing condition of the hydraulic system on the basis of the determined current cooling power of the heat exchanger. Furthermore, a condition-monitoring device designed to carry out the presented method is presented.