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If you’ve ever wondered how marine based remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) work then read on. The ROV is also known as an underwater robot and it can be controlled from above the surface of the water. They are connected via an umbilical cable that contains all the cables for the energy source, communications and information transfer.
In order to operate them, it’s necessary for all ROVs to have some type of visual capability, typically a camera. This makes it possible for those up top to be able to see under water and control the device as appropriate. Some ROVs are expected to operate at depths of up to 10,000 feet performing a multitude of activities and functions.
As the technology of ROVs and therefore their capabilities have advanced, the offshore gas and oil industries have relied on them to support their drilling and subsea construction tasks. They can make it possible to explore deep water in addition to working on development projects, all over the world.
Humans are able to submerge to limited depths due to the danger of deep water pressure. The ROV was developed to overcome these limitations and have now become an indispensable tool for the offshore energy industries.
The first ROVs were developed in the mid-1960s. This first concept was known as the Human Occupied Vehicle (HOV) but was fairly limited in its success due to the fragilities of humans, and not being able to travel to the depths of water required for successful task completion.
It was in 1966 that the US used an ROV to locate and recover a bomb off the coast of Spain and there was also a case when sailors were recovered from a sunken submersible off Ireland in 1973.
Since then, ROVs have been manufactured for extensive use in the offshore oil and gas industry. Technology has now advanced rapidly, making them more useful for a wide range of projects, drilling and cable related activities.
In this article we want to explain the ins and outs of hydraulic powerpacks. A vital piece of equipment that is used with so many machines we see every day. In a nutshell, hydraulic powerpacks are self contained units that are used instead of a built in power supply for hydraulic machinery. Hydraulic power uses fluid to transmit power from one location to another in order to run a machine. It really is as simple as that. So what do they look like? In order to recognise and better understand hydraulic powerpacks, it is a good idea to get to know the key components. Hydraulic powerpacks come in many different shapes and sizes, some are very large and stationary whereas others are much smaller and more compact. In fact, some hydraulic powerpacks are so compact that they can easily be transported in a small van or even an estate car. The only real way to identify hydraulic powerpacks is through its main components. No matter the size of the unit, all power packs will have the following; a hydraulic reservoir, regulators, a pump, motor, pressure supply lines and relief lines. What do these components do? It may be obvious to some but in this post we wanted to explain every component as simply as possible. So here goes. First up is the hydraulic reservoir which quite simply holds the fluid. Reservoirs will come in different sizes. Then we have the regulators. Regulators are vital as they control and maintain the amount of pressure that the hydraulic powerpack delivers. Thirdly we have the pressure supply lines and relief lines. The supply line simply supplies fluid under pressure to the pump and the relief lines relieve pressure between the pump and the valves. The relief lines also control the direction of flow through the system. Finally we have the pump and a motor. We will begin with the simpler component of the two, the motor. The motor is simply there to power the pump. Easy as that. Now the pump generally performs two actions. Firstly, it operates as a vacuum at the pump inlet and through atmospheric pressure forces fluid from the reservoir into the inlet line and then to the pump. It then delivers the fluid to the pump outlet and pumps it into the hydraulic system. We did warn you that the second part would be slightly more confusing. So what is the function of hydraulic powerpacks? Hydraulic powerpacks deliver power through a control valve which in turn runs the machine it is connected to. Hydraulic powerpacks come with a variety of valve connections. This means that you can power a variety of machines by using the appropriate valves. Hydraulic powerpacks are relied upon by a range of different machines that use hydraulic power to do its work. If a machine is required to carry out heavy or systematic lifting then its likely it would need help from a hydraulic powerpack. To make it easier for you to understand, we have included a list of trades that regularly rely on our powerpacks. On a building site you will see machines like bulldozers and excavators, which both need hydraulic powerpacks. But, it is not just on building sites that you will find these types of machines. Fishermen and mechanics both need hydraulic powerpacks too. If we did not have them then how would fishermen lift their nets or how would mechanics lift our cars? When picking a hydraulic powerpack there are a variety of pumps and options to pick from and it is important to pick the right pack to meet your machines needs. It is also important to consider a pack that will help maximise productivity and minimise cost. Many people will overlook the necessity of hydraulic powerpacks, but they really are vital to ensuring our society runs efficiently. Do you need to maintain hydraulic powerpacks? Yes you do and this is hugely important! Hydraulic powerpacks require regular maintenance to ensure they are working properly and safely and to help extend their life. Maintaining hydraulic powerpacks is relatively simple and includes checking the tubing, this can be for any noticeable problems such as dents or cracks. It is also vital to regularly change the hydraulic fluid and look at the reservoir to check for any corrosion or rust. What hydraulic powerpacks do we provide? Generally we provide four different types of hydraulic powerpacks. You can pick from a standard powerpack, a mini powerpack, a micro powerpack or a bespoke powerpack. The standard hydraulic powerpack uses a standard range of modular components and is ideal for the most demanding industrial applications. The mini powerpack is ideal for applications requiring up to 5.5kW. The micro hydraulic powerpacks were originally produced for mobility applications, so are great for when space is limited. Finally, if none of these seem to fit your needs then we offer bespoke hydraulic powerpacks ensuring your application gets the hydraulic powerpack it requires. Finally, who is the genius behind hydraulic powerpacks? The man behind hydraulics was Laissez Pascal. A French mathematician, physicist and religious philosopher who lived in the mid seventeenth century. Pascal made observations about fluid and pressure which led to Pascal’s law. Pascal's law states that when there is an increase in pressure at any point in a confined fluid, there is an equal increase at every other point in the container. Hydraulic powerpacks have been designed based on Pascal's law of physics, drawing their power from ratios of area and pressure.
So, interested in our Power Packs? Come on over to the main website and see what we can do for your Hydraulic Power Pack Needs .
The planet now offers very little in terms of unexplored and unmapped corners and regions and this is due in part to the fact that there are machines available to help humans to discover what is in its deepest oceans. Some of these machines are operated with the use of our hydraulic power packs – in particular the remotely operated vehicles (ROV) used in the offshore oil and gas industry.
Human divers are limited in where they can go underwater and what they can do. In both the UK and Norway they are legally confined to operating at depths of no more than 200m. With the oil and gas industry needing to go in deeper waters, the ROV fills a vacant role when it comes to construction of production facilities and their ongoing maintenance.
ROVs are typically used to perform observation work in addition to operating as a remote underwater robot to change out drilling equipment and cables on the seabed. They can operate as deep as 10,000 feet and can be controlled from the surface through use of their umbilical communications cable and an on board camera.
Drilling rigs that are located on the seabed in areas where there are strong currents may rely on the ROV to check that their legs and spud cans are still level and in position.
When new oil or gas is found, the rig will need to operate in development mode and the ROV will play a support role. It will operate valves, control umbilicals or pull in flowlines. This type of operation is required for both floating and non-floating operations and can save huge amounts of money that would otherwise be spent on lay barges.
ROVs are also capable of installing and maintaining cables, wreck recovery and more. Our hydraulic power packs are used to winch ROVs in and out of water.
Hydraulics has been around for a very long time. But are you aware of how far it has actually come? You wouldn’t be alone if you responded with no. It is a very technical subject that can be quite difficult to understand, but in this article we want to tell you the story of hydraulics! We want to share with you who discovered hydraulics, what it was originally used for and how hydraulic power got to where it is today. So why don’t we start at the beginning! Where does the word hydraulic come from? The word hydraulic originates from the Greek word ‘Hydros’ which means water. Why water? Well, this is because water was the first liquid to be used in the hydraulic system. Today, hydraulics includes the physical behaviour of all liquids, not just water.
Hi Everyone, here Hydra Products we have decided to start utilising our Blog more to keep you up to date, informed, and hopefully occasionally amused by our ramblings! There’s lot’s more to come but just to make sure we’re all starting on the right page we thought we’d better just give you a very brief history of Hydraulic power...
Water has played a huge part in the advancement of mankind and has been a powerful source for us to harness for thousands of years, right up to present day. Harnessing the power of water has enabled us to carve out a living using water wheels: to produce our food, tools, wood, clothes, paper, iron, marble, cotton and wool. Today, “fluid power” or hydraulic power relies on pressurized fluid in order to produce power. It’s all around us, in everyday objects, but if we look back in time, it was a while before it was used the way it is today.
In Imperial Rome, water was used to power mills to produce flour, saw stone and timber. In Britain, water was used to extract lead from tin ore in a process known as “hushing”. Many years later this was developed into hydraulic mining which was used during the California Gold Rush.
In 1648, a young French mathematician and physicist, Blaise Pascal, made a discovery that was to become known as Pascal’s Law. Through his works he realised that “pressure exerted anywhere in a confined incompressible fluid is transmitted equally in all directions throughout the fluid such that the pressure variations (initial differences) remain the same”. This laid the groundwork for further insights into how fluids could be harnessed for energy and in 1738, Daniel Bernoulli first formulated what was to become known as Bernoulli’s Principle which describes the behaviour of a fluid under different conditions of flow and height. This was later used in the network of high pressured water pipes between various generating stations which used steam driven pumps and mills that required power, allowing power to be transmitted over larger distances. Unfortunately this particular project did not continue for long as the development of electricity was found to be a far more convenient and, at the time, a much more suitable way of powering devices.
It was towards the end of the eighteenth century (1795) when Joseph Bramah, patented the hydraulic press. It was based on Pascal’s Law which formed the groundwork for the science of hydraulics. Not long after, the Americans developed the technique of producing electricity using hydropower and hydraulic power plants began to be built. Once the industrial revolution had firmly established itself, engineers and industrialists across the world realised they could utilise Bernouilli’s principles but on a much bigger scale. In the late 19th century, the first hydropower scheme was pioneered by William George Armstrong whom many see as the grandfather of Hydraulic Power (along with Joseph Bramah). A keen fisherman, after spending the day fishing and looking at the watermill, Armstrong decided that it wasn’t the most efficient way of harnessing energy. Upon returning home, he set about designing a rotary engine that was to be powered by water. When nobody showed any interest in it, he set about a redesign, and ended up with a piston engine. This led to the development of hydraulic power-pipe networks (with hydraulic power pipes being used to carry pressurised liquid to transmit mechanical power from a main power source) which were used to power cranes throughout Britain’s cities and also in Geneva, Switzerland. As time has gone on we have seen the development of different hydraulic parts including seals, control values and accumulators, all of which have lead to further uses of hydraulic power.
Today there are many different forms of hydraulic power and water power that are currently being used or developed. The majority of them generate electricity but there are a few that are mechanical. We see examples of hydraulic power in use all around us today and probably the best place to see it at work would be on a building site: diggers, cranes, bulldozers and all kinds of heavy equipment vehicles rely on power from hydraulic drives to ensure they have the power to get the job done! A hydraulic drive is a device that uses pressurised fluid in order to drive the machinery and it is made up of many components, of which an important one is the hydraulic pump which can have a power density of up to 10 times that of an electric motor. It’s not surprising that we are still harnessing the power of these incredible pieces of engineering more than 200 years after they were first conceived!
Hydraulic power is currently being developed further year after year. It will be extremely interesting to see what the developments will be in the future.
What do farmers, firemen and fruit pickers all have in common? Well, firstly they all begin with F, they’re all hard grafters but the most important similarity is that they all work with some pretty cool machines on a daily basis. I mean if they didn’t then how would farmers harvest potatoes, firemen rescue people who are stuck at the top of burning buildings and how would fruit pickers pick fruit from the highest trees? Thanks to the machinery they use (which are all powered by a hydraulic power unit), their jobs are made so much easier. So what is a hydraulic power unit? In a nutshell, a hydraulic power unit is a mechanism that transforms one form of energy into a fluid form. The hydraulic power unit is capable of moving the fluid, if the fluid reaches obstacles it pressurises and is then capable of mechanical force. The power transported by the fluid is then used to power machinery and it could easily lift a car or a tree. What affects a hydraulic power unit’s performance? Some important elements that impact the performance of a hydraulic power unit are the reservoir volume, power capability and pressure limits. Its physical size and pumping strength also play a part in its performance. Who relies on hydraulic power units? As we have already mentioned hydraulic power units are used by a variety of industries across the globe. Commonly they can be seen powering machinery in the construction, automotive, manufacturing and entertainment industry and the power supplies vary depending on the machine it needs to work with. In everyday life you may be surprised at the amount of machines powered by hydraulic power units, that help society function that little bit better. From bin men and their garbage trucks, to fairground rides that we like to enjoy, hydraulics is a big part of our life and most of us don’t even realise. All the drivers among also use the power of hydraulics whenever we brake. After this article, I'm sure you would agree with us when we say that hydraulics are pretty impressive.
Having spent over two decades developing a wide range of appropriate hydraulic power units, we have been told by our customers that our hydraulic power units are on point. Not only are they well thought out but they are maintenance friendly, efficient and leak proof. Each one is designed using the most advanced 3D modelling in combination with reliable fluid power analysis tools.
Our hydraulic power units range from micro sized to no-nonsense 375kW systems that are used offshore in the subsea oil and gas industry. Hydraulic power units are often used for serious hard core roles. After all, what else can perform such feats as pulling cars out of canyons, moving massive volumes of earth or lifting giant trees? The only machines that can are hydraulic power units that can convert the movement of liquid into mechanical force.
Power units are actually fairly simple. Their task is to pressurise fluid so that it can perform tasks such as those mentioned above. The fluid is then pushed along through a series of values as it cannot be compressed, so any pressure will cause it to move. At the end of the line, it will go into a piston which will extend as it fills and this is where the magic happens. A giant boulder is lifted up from a river bed or a disabled person’s wheelchair is lifted onto a bus. There are no end to the possible applications of hydraulic power.
Here’s an introduction to our range of hydraulic power units and examples of how they can be used in factories and out in the field:
Standard Hydraulic Power units The most common requirements are satisfied by these workhorse power units. They offer AC motors up to 30kW and can produce flows up to 100 litres per minute. Holding up to 180 litres in the reservoir and producing hydraulic pressures of up to 250 bar, these machines are used across all manner of industries.
Easy to configure, assemble and maintain, these HPUs are often used for any application that needs a dependable source of power. Industrial machine applications include punching machines, niche areas such as charcoal drying drums and performing any lifting duties.
Mini Hydraulic Power Units The little brother of the standard isn’t workshy either. Expect AC and DC hydraulic power units that product 30 litres per minute with reservoirs that can hold up to 100 litres and produce 250 bar pressure. These are the machines that can handle up to 5.5 kW.
Our customers find that our mini hydraulic power unit is perfect for a range of applications such as cardboard compacting machines, climbing walls, car park access control equipment and machine tool clamps. They have been designed for easy maintenance and deliver years of trouble free operation. Some of our customers use them on applications that have produced over 1 million operations.
Micro Hydraulic Power units The smallest of our everyday offerings can still deliver serious power. Although it may have only an 89 mm wide footprint, this little beast is able to handle both reversible and uni-directional work, depending on what you need. DC motors range from 150 to 800 watts and the AC goes from 150 to 275 Watts with flow rates of 5 litres per minute. Hydraulic pressures of 200 bar are the norm.
Perfect for those applications where hydraulic power is needed but the space is limited. For example, our customers have fitted these to step lifts, wheelchair lifts and on through-floor lifts. Although they were originally designed for mobility applications, they have been found to be ideal for wider use including unmanned operations of pipeline control valves to tasks such as lifting glass into place on tall buildings.
Bespoke Hydraulic Products and Systems
Whatever you need, we can design it for you. We have already produced a broad array of hydraulic products that have been used for all manner or purposes across most industries.
Hydraulic power is still something that amazes us. When it comes to transmitting power, hydraulics offer the densest method of it. In the past, we’ve even developed a bespoke hydraulic power unit to flush out gearboxes in the pit garages of F1. You may not know it but next time you watch a movie and you see a full sized ship with rocking hulls on it, it could be one of our products that is creating that rock.
We enjoy solving hydraulic power challenges. If you have one and you don’t know quite how to solve it, contact us today and we’ll work with you to find a solution.
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