Theory
A wide variety of hydraulic fluid product options are commercially available. Low performance, low technology options can be provided to the market at a low price, if the customer is focused on the purchase price of the oil and will accept minimum performance levels. Educated and sophisticated customers will want to consider the total cost of operation, which includes the purchase price of the oil, life of their equipment, maintenance costs and productivity. Optimizing the quality, volume and pace of production while reducing the total cost of operation requires the use of the latest technology–and MEHF has been designed to help.
The hydraulic fluid manufacturer, marketer and distributor promote a number of different fluids to satisfy the requirements established by the pump manufacturer and equipment builder. The list of product options includes:
- Straight mineral base oils
- HM monograde oil
- Engine oils used as hydraulic fluids
- HV multigrade oil
- Specialty oils: synthetic, fire resistant, insulating
- Multipurpose oils for combined use in hydraulics, gears, metalworking, etc.
- Automatic transmission fluids used as hydraulic fluids
- MEHF – Maximum Efficiency Hydraulic Fluid
All of these fluids can ”work,” but do they enable the operator to reduce the overall cost of operations while improving performance and productivity? Hydraulic fluids must endure the burden of increasing temperature and pressures in current system designs. The operator must select a fluid that suits the needs of both new and old equipment from multiple OEMs.
MEHF technology represents a new option for the hydraulic fluid marketer to meet these challenges, and also a clear mechanism to differentiate these specialty fluids in the marketplace. Fluids formulated to meet the MEHF performance level will deliver value to everyone in the industry. Equipment operators get improved productivity and cost savings, equipment builders can improve performance and reduce vehicle emissions, and oil marketers will find increased demand in the valuable specialty fluids segment.
MEHF products are formulated to minimize mechanical energy losses at low temperatures, and also reduce internal pump leakage under high pressure/high temperature operating conditions. The resulting improvement in pump efficiency over the entire temperature operating range provides many productivity benefits to the equipment operator, including:
- Energy savings per unit work of 5% or more, with a corresponding reduction in energy costs
- Increased hydraulic power and reproducible equipment performance over a wider temperature range
- Improved start-up performance at lower temperatures
- Reduced need for auxiliary cooling
- Reduced risk of overheating and consequent equipment shutdown
- Elimination of seasonal oil change-outs
Selecting a hydraulic fluid with the proper viscosity is critical in order to obtain optimum system response and guarantee long-term performance. A fluid with too high a viscosity at low temperature will not provide the necessary flow to avoid pump cavitation. A fluid with a low viscosity at the highest operating temperature will result in poor volumetric efficiency and, in some cases, in pump seizure.
Please review the following technical papers, which have been presented and published at major global fluid power and lubrication conferences:
 Influence of Oil Viscosity and Pressure on the Internal Leakage of Gear Pump, STLE 2002
IFPE 2002 Predicting Pump Efficiency
Reducing Energy Consumption with Multigrade Hydraulic Fluids, Fuels and Lubes Asia Conference 2003
Reducing Energy Consumption with Multigrade Hydraulic Fluids Presentation, Fuels and Lubes Asia Conference 2003
Selecting the Optimum Hydraulic Oil to meet the Viscosity Requirements of Major Pump Manufacturers, Fuels and Lubes Asia Conference 2004
IFPE 2005 MEHF Temperature Control, IFPE 2005
Hydraulic Fluid Efficiency Reference 8/2007
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