Bulk Modulus
Bulk Modulus
Bulk Modulus
What is bulk
modulus,
and when is it Important?
0707HP34-39.indd 34
espite the frequent assumption that hydraulic fluid is incompressible, the fact remains:
All fluids have some degree of compressibility.
Granted, fluid compressibility may be neglected
in systems that do not
require tight control of
response and where operating pressure and fluid
volume are moderate.
However, when applying high pressure to a
large volume of fluid, a
significant amount of energy can be expended to
compress the fluid essentially squeezing the
fluids molecules closer together.
The result can be delayed response a loaded
actuator may not move until upstream fluid has
been compressed, and the energy stored in the fluid
may cause the actuator to continue moving after its
control valve has closed. Bulk modulus is a property
that indicates the compressibility of a fluid. With
many of todays hydraulic systems operating at
pressures 5000 psi and higher, ignoring bulk modulus can compromise response time of a system.
Applied pressure should directly affect the action of the system rather than compress the fluid.
8/7/07 3:34:28 PM
SYSTEM DESIGN
P2
P1
V2
V1
Volume m3
V0
10
9
Bulk modulus
50,000 psi
100,000 psi
200,000 psi
300,000 psi
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
0.1
0.5
0707HP34-39.indd 36
2.0
30
25
20
Figure 3. Power
lost at 3000 psig
for 1 in.2 of piston
area and 10-in.
stroke during short
time intervals
for various bulk
moduli.
15
10
5
0
0.01
0.02
Time sec
1.0
Time sec
Figure 2. Power lost at 3000 psig for 1 in.3 of cylinder volume over
time for various bulk moduli.
Pressure Pa
0.03
0.04
8/7/07 3:37:56 PM
SYSTEM DESIGN
Fluid type
Isentropic secant
bulk modulus
at 20 C
and 10,000 psi
Water glycol
500,000 psi
Water-in-oil emulsion
333,000 psi
Phosphate ester
440,000 psi
260,000 psi
30
B = 50,000
24
Hp = 1.75 Q
18
B = 100,000
12
B = 300,000
6
0
5
10
Flow gpm
15
20
0707HP34-39.indd 38
%
of air
8/7/07 3:38:14 PM
0707HP34-39.indd 39
8/7/07 3:38:37 PM