A hydraulic component includes a camera integrated such that the camera observes at least one surface that is prone to wear and/or at least one edge that is prone to wear to make a statement about wear relating to the at least one surface and/or the at least one edge.

A pressure accumulator having an accumulator housing (10) in which a movable separating element (16) separates a gas chamber (12) filled with a working gas from a fluid chamber (14) in a fluid-sealed manner. A monitoring device (46) is provided, which, in the event of a fault impairing the sealing effect of the separating element (16), provides an optically discernible indication and has an inspection window (54), through which an indicator can be observed. The monitoring device is connected to the gas chamber (12) and changes optical properties discernibly when wetted with the fluid. The indicator changing its optical properties is accommodated in a capsule (48) with a capsule wall (50) permeable to the passage of the fluid and arranged between the inspection window (54) and the separating element (16) in the accumulator housing (10).

Disclosed is an expansion tank having an internal cavity separated by a flexible diaphragm to form an upper pressurized gas portion and a lower pressurized fluid portion, and an indicator positioned at an upper part of the expansion tank in communication with the contents of the upper pressurized gas portion. The indicator is configured so as to display a first color if the operating conditions are normal in the pressurized gas portion, and a second color if the amount of moisture detected in the pressurized gas portion greater than or equal to a predetermined amount. Further disclosed is a method for detecting whether there is an excessive amount of moisture in a pressurized gas portion of an expansion tank by allowing pressurized gas from the pressurized gas portion to come into contact with the indicator, and viewing the color displayed by the indicator. As such, the tank can be simply visually inspected to determine whether there is a potential failure in the tank.

A pressure accumulator includes an accumulator housing having first and second ports for receiving first and second pressure mediums, respectively, a movable separating element subdividing an interior of the accumulator housing into at least first and second working spaces, the first working space accommodating the first pressure medium and the second working space accommodating the second pressure medium, wherein the first port is in fluid communication with the first working space and the second port in fluid communication with the second working space. At least one sensor is operatively coupled to the first working space for measuring at least one characteristic of the first working space, and a gas generator is operative to generate a gas from ambient air, the gas generator including an outlet for outputting the generated gas, the outlet in fluid communication with the first port. A controller is operatively coupled to the at least one sensor and the gas generator, the controller configured to calculate an amount of gas in the first working space based on the at least one characteristic and upon the calculated amount of gas in the first working space being below a first threshold level, generate a command to introduce gas from the gas generator into the first working space.

A barrier system for a dual mechanical seal, the system comprising means for controlling barrier fluid pressure relative to product pressure. The pressure control means comprises means for monitoring the volume of barrier fluid in the system and for supplying additional fluid to the system to maintain the volume within a desired range. The system further comprises means for maintaining the barrier fluid pressure at a pre-determined pressure above product pressure.

A hydraulic pumping system can include a hydraulic actuator with a magnet that displaces with a piston, and a sensor that continuously detects a position of the magnet. A ferromagnetic wall of the hydraulic actuator is positioned between the magnet and the sensor. A hydraulic pumping method can include incrementally lowering a lower stroke extent of a rod string reciprocation over multiple reciprocation cycles of the rod string, and automatically varying the lower stroke extent or an upper stroke extent of the rod string reciprocation, in response to a measured vibration. Another hydraulic pumping method can include solving a wave equation in the rod string, and automatically varying a reciprocation speed of the rod string in response to a change in work performed during reciprocation cycles of the hydraulic actuator or a change in detected force versus displacement in different reciprocation cycles of the hydraulic actuator.

A hydraulic accumulator, in particular in the form of a piston accumulator, comprising an accumulator housing (10) and a separating element (20) arranged therein, in particular in the form of a piston, which separates a fluid side (22) from a gas side (24), is characterized in that at least the gas side (24) can be inspected, at least in part, by means of at least one sight glass (34, 36) which is fixed in the accumulator housing (10).

An exemplary method generally includes charging hydraulic fluid into or out of a cavity of an accumulator at a controlled flowrate, detecting movement of a machine component from a first position toward a second position, determining an idle time spanning from a start of the charging to detection of the movement of the machine component, and determining a pre-charge of the accumulator based upon the idle time and a flowrate value of the controlled flowrate.

A pressure accumulator having an accumulator housing (10) in which a movable separating element (16) separates a gas room (12) filled with a working gas from a fluid room (14) in a fluid-sealed manner, wherein a monitoring device (46) is provided, which, in the event of a fault impairing the sealing effect of the separating element (16), provides an optically discernible indication and which has an inspection window (54), through which an indicator can be observed, which is connected to the gas room (12) and whose optical properties change discernibly when wetted with the fluid, is characterized in that the indicator changing its optical properties is accommodated in a capsule (48), the capsule wall (50) of which is permeable to the passage of the fluid and which is arranged between the inspection window (54) and the separating element (16) in the accumulator housing (10).

A constant pressure system includes a pressure vessel with a vapor-liquid mixture used to provide pressure forces instead of compressed air that is typically used. The vapor-liquid mixture can be a number of substances, such as nitrous oxide, so long as the mixture exists in both the liquid and vapor phases. Importantly, the vapor-liquid mixture must maintain a constant pressure during the dispensing of fluids from the tank, so that the fluids are dispensed at the same constant pressure. As a result, the fluids within the tank can be dispensed at the same pressure as that of the vapor-liquid mixture within the tank, or scaled to a higher or lower pressure value through the use of a pressure-converter valve within the system.