An accumulator includes a housing, a flexible bladder and a support. The housing includes a chamber having a defined volume and a passage extending through the housing. The flexible bladder is positioned within the chamber and contains a compressible gas. The bladder being operable in an expanded condition and a partially collapsed condition. The support is positioned in the chamber and engages the flexible bladder when the flexible bladder is in the expanded condition. Liquid is positioned in the chamber and in contact with the flexible bladder. A volume of the liquid within the chamber is at a minimum when the flexible bladder is in the expanded condition. The volume of liquid within the chamber increases as a pressure of the liquid increases to compress the gas and operate the flexible bladder in the partially collapsed condition.

A large-capacity bag-type constant-pressure accumulator comprises a shell and a bag placed in the shell, as well as a variable area piston, a floating piston, a piston, and a flange. On the piston rod of the variable area piston is mounted the floating piston, while at the bottom of the variable area piston rod is connected the piston. Additionally, through holes are provided on the central axes of the variable area piston and the piston; such holes are connected to the bag through an inflation valve and connected with a cover plate at the bottom. On the piston are arranged the check valves I and check valves II. The flange is connected to the inner wall of the shell bottom.

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 pulsation dampener includes: a housing having in internal cavity; an expandable bellows positioned within the internal cavity of the housing, the expandable bellows having a proximal end, a distal end, and an expandable portion between the proximal and distal ends; a bellows support member coupled to an interior side of the distal end of the expandable bellows and extending longitudinally away from the distal end of the expandable bellows toward the proximal end of the expandable bellows; and a cap fixed with respect to the housing and positioned to support the bellows support member when the expandable bellows is in a longitudinally compressed configuration.

An integrated hybrid energy recovery and storage system for recovering and storing energy from multiple energy sources is disclosed. The system includes an accumulator unit having a high pressure accumulator and a low pressure accumulator. At least one piston is mounted for reciprocation in the high pressure accumulator. The accumulator unit is configured to receive, store, and transfer energy from the hydraulic fluid to the energy storage media. The system further includes two or more rotational directional control valves, in which at least one rotational directional control valve is positioned on each side of the accumulator unit. Each rotational directional control valve includes multiple ports. The system also includes two or more variable displacement hydraulic rotational units. At least one variable displacement hydraulic rotational unit is positioned adjacent each of the rotational directional control valves.

An active accumulator system which automatically adjusts or adapts the charge pressure or volume of an accumulator to maintain an optimal charge pressure or volume of the accumulator may provide optimal operation of a pump. An active accumulator system may comprise a flow line coupled to a pump, wherein a fluid flows through the flow line to the pump, an accumulator coupled to the flow line, a transducer coupled to the pump, wherein the transducer detects a parameter of the pump at an inlet of the pump, and a controller coupled to the transducer and the accumulator, wherein the controller receives the parameter, and wherein the controller regulates air flow to the accumulator such that the accumulator is adjusted to an optimal charge pressure based at least in part on the parameter.

Examples described herein relate to compact and replaceable accumulator to be utilized in a chassis-level cooling device. The accumulator is a low pressurized device having a housing, a bladder, and a compressible fluid. The housing has an inner surface defining a volume and an opening. The bladder is disposed within a volume portion and attached to the opening. The bladder includes a plurality of elongated wall sections foldably coupled to each other and defining a bladder volume therebetween. The bladder inflates by unfolding the plurality of elongated wall sections to increase the bladder volume in response to an increase in a pressure of a working fluid inside the bladder volume. The compressible fluid is contained in a remaining volume portion between the inner surface of the housing and the bladder. The compressible fluid is compressed to an offset pressure in response to inflation of the plurality of elongated wall sections.

Systems, methods, and apparatuses for operating a machine using energy stored in a compressed gas are disclosed. Energy stored in the compressed gas may be used to pressurize a fluid, such as transmission fluid, and the pressurized fluid may be used to effectuate an operation of the machine, such as a transmission, and the operation of the machine may involve shifting of the transmission. The gas may be compressed by a first fluid using a second fluid, and the two fluids are be prevented from being mixed together.

An accumulator includes: a main cylindrical housing having a closed first axial end and a second axial end; a piston arranged in the main cylindrical housing and sealed to an inner surface of the main cylindrical housing, which piston is movable in an axial direction and provides with the main cylindrical housing and the closed first axial end of the main cylindrical housing a variable accumulating space; an urging device arranged between the piston and the second axial end of the main cylindrical housing for urging the piston towards the first axial end of the main cylindrical housing; a fluid supply opening arranged in the first axial end of the main cylindrical housing, which fluid supply opening is in fluid connection with the variable accumulating space; and a protective cylindrical housing having a first and a second axial end, the protective cylindrical housing being arranged concentrically.

An active accumulator system which automatically adjusts or adapts the charge pressure or volume of an accumulator to maintain an optimal charge pressure or volume of the accumulator may provide optimal operation of a pump. An active accumulator system may comprise a flow line coupled to a pump, wherein a fluid flows through the flow line to the pump, an accumulator coupled to the flow line, a transducer coupled to the pump, wherein the transducer detects a parameter of the pump at an inlet of the pump, and a controller coupled to the transducer and the accumulator, wherein the controller receives the parameter, and wherein the controller regulates air flow to the accumulator such that the accumulator is adjusted to an optimal charge pressure based at least in part on the parameter.