Driving Efficiency With Hydraulic & Pneumatic Systems

Energy Efficiency has become critical in hydraulic and pneumatic systems. Hydraulic and pneumatic producers are competing to reduce energy consumption in every area they can, from improved design in valves and pumps to right-sized components, pressure regulation, machine design, and advances in hydraulic fluids. Accumulated energy savings from these individual efforts can range from 15 percent to 35 percent. Taken together, these improvements can significantly drive down energy consumption.

Much of the gains have been driven by plants' needs to drive down energy consumption. Just a few short years ago, this wasn’t a major concern as they looked to hydraulic and pneumatic systems. Those days are gone. Now, energy consumption is a major concern. As well as cost, plants are also looking to become good environmental citizens by reducing their carbon footprints.

One of the approaches to reducing energy consumption is to reduce the size and space of the components. Integrated automation is another area that delivers energy savings, and variable speed drives are yet another move for saving energy.

Design News recently gathered experts in energy efficiency in hydraulic and pneumatic systems to discuss recent advances in energy efficiency. The Design News Webcast, "Energy Efficiency: Pneumatics/Hydraulics," brings together David Dornbach, engineering manager from Hydra Force; and Neal Hanson, product manager for industrial valves and electrohydraulics at Bosch Rexroth.