Visualization research on the influence of an ultrasonic degassing system on the operation of a hydraulic gear pump

Abstract

Gear pumps make a group of the most popular hydraulic energy generators. Research and development works concerning those units have been going on for decades, and thanks to them gear pumps feature very good operating parameters. However, even well-designed gear pumps will not work properly if the physical properties of the working fluid are incorrect. One of such properties is compressibility of the fluid, which largely depends on the amount of gas dissolved in the medium. For this reason, the aim is to reduce the amount of gas dissolved in the working medium. It can be done using both chemical and physical methods. Because chemical methods can affect the chemical composition of the working fluid, it is the physical methods that are usually used in hydraulic systems. This paper presents preliminary visualization research into the influence of an ultrasonic degassing system on the operation of a hydraulic gear pump. Apart from that, operation of such a system and its theoretical impact on the work of the gear pump is discussed Experimental study, using a high-speed camera, was carried out in order to verify the theoretical description.