Hydraulic Oil Coolers

The hydraulic fluid used in airplanes must be able to handle high pressures, extreme climatic conditions and drastic temperature changes. It also needs to be able to lubricate moving parts and provide a good seal between components. However, if the hydraulic oil becomes too hot it will break down and its viscosity will increase dramatically, which could result in an expensive repair or even a mechanical failure. Hydraulic oil coolers are designed to help dissipate the heat generated by the hydraulic system, and thus keep the hydraulic fluid cool enough for optimal machine operation.

The main sources of heat within a hydraulic system are mechanical friction, pump and motor losses, pressure loss through control elements such as pressure relief valves, pressure reducing valves and orifices, and leakage. The hydraulic oil cooler is designed to dissipate the majority of this unwanted heat energy, thereby keeping the working fluid at a safe operating temperature.

To do this, the hydraulic oil cooler has an external flange and a series of baffles that create a maze for the hydraulic fluid to flow through. Cooling is achieved by a combination of the thermal conduction of the tubes and the forced airflow through the cooling fins. Generally speaking, each square foot of tube surface in a shell and tube heat exchanger will transfer approximately 2.16 horsepower (5,000 BTU/hr) under typical conditions, using a 50degF difference between oil and water temperatures and a system design that requires a return line.

There are a number of factors that need to be taken into consideration when sizing a hydraulic oil cooler, including the ambient air temperature, the fluid temperature, the ambient and fluid contaminant levels, and the system pressure. In order to calculate the size of an oil cooler engineers often add a safety factor that accounts for contingencies.

One of the most common mistakes made by hydraulics users is installing an insufficiently sized oil cooler. This is a mistake that can be quite costly, as the cooling capacity needed for the system will need to be much higher than originally anticipated. If the hydraulics user is unsure of how to properly size a hydraulic oil cooler, then it is best to contact a qualified professional who can assist with this process.

Beiler Hydraulics offers quality hydraulic oil coolers from Thermaflow by Stac Inc and Hydraflow by Paragon for a wide range of applications. These include Chemical Transports, Crude Oil Transports, CO2 Delivery Trucks, Food Transports, LP Gas Transports/Bobtails, Maintenance Trucks, and Utility and Agriculture Equipment.

These quality units are available in both horizontal inline and vertical inline designs. The horizontal inline models are typically more popular, as they are easy to install and allow for maximum space utilization on the chassis of the truck. However, the vertical inline models offer a great deal of versatility and are ideal for difficult to reach areas of a chassis. They are also available with a variety of tubing sizes, from 12 inch to 34 inch.hydraulic oil coolers