A thermal energy storage system comprising a working fluid to store and transfer thermal energy between a heat source and a thermal load and a vessel to store the working fluid. The vessel has an interior region and a floating separator piston in the interior region to separate a hot portion from a cold portion of the working fluid. There is a first manifold thermally coupled to an output of the heat source and to an input of the thermal load and fluidly coupled to the interior region of the vessel and a second manifold thermally coupled to an input of the heat source and an output of the thermal load and fluidly coupled to the interior region of the vessel. There is a controller configured to maintain the working fluid in a liquid state.

A piston ring configured to be disposed in a floating piston for use in a vessel of a thermal energy storage system to separate a hot working fluid from a cold working fluid, wherein the piston ring comprises of a plurality of arc segments, each arc segment interconnected by a joint.

A thermal energy storage system comprising a working fluid to store and transfer thermal energy between a heat source and a thermal load and a vessel to store the working fluid. The vessel has an interior region and a floating separator piston in the interior region to separate a hot portion from a cold portion of the working fluid. There is a first manifold thermally coupled to an output of the heat source and to an input of the thermal load and fluidly coupled to the interior region of the vessel and a second manifold thermally coupled to an input of the heat source and an output of the thermal load and fluidly coupled to the interior region of the vessel. There is a controller configured to maintain the working fluid in a liquid state.

The present invention relates to a hydraulic device (10) with radial pistons, comprising: a shaft (12) arranged along an axis (1); a cover (13) forming a casing element, the cover and the shaft being free to rotate with respect to one another; a distribution assembly comprising: a multi-lobe cam (14); a cylinder block (15); a distributor (16) configured to exert a thrust force (P) against the cylinder block (15) along the axis (11) of the shaft; an assembly (22) of mechanical bearings comprising at least one mechanical bearing (22a) mounted in radial contact between the cover (13) and shaft (12), said assembly being configured to take up the thrust force (P) exerted by the distributor (16); and a radial contact ball bearing mounted in radial contact between the cover (13) and the shaft (12).

A housing for a motor or compressor has an elongate crankcase with two end surfaces. At least one cylinder chamber is provided in which a piston is caused to perform a movement by rotation of the crankshaft. The internal diameter of the crankcase narrows monotonously from the first end surface to the second end surface. A crankcase shaped in this way can be manufactured particularly easily by virtue of the casting being performed around a shaping mandrel. A shaping mandrel of this type must likewise narrow monotonously in order that, after the casting has been performed around it, the shaping mandrel can be pulled out of the housing at a first end. By way of the shaping of the crankcase, it is possible for the housing to be of unipartite and at the same time very compact construction.

A carrier for a motor subassembly of a hydraulic motor is provided that enables multiple components of the motor subassembly to be temporarily bundled into a compact and easy-to-transport motor subassembly kit. The carrier is a non-hydraulically-functioning member that is configured to have one or more features that mimic a corresponding one or more features of a hydraulically-functioning motor housing to which motor subassembly is intended to be coupled for forming the hydraulic motor. The carrier may have a body with a recessed portion that is configured to receive and/or enclose one or more components of the motor subassembly, and which may cooperate with the one or more motor subassembly components to temporarily secure and bundle the motor subassembly as a compact kit, thereby facilitating transportation and handling of the subassembly components.

Hydraulic cylinders and methods of fabricating hydraulic cylinders, including long-stroke rolling diaphragm cylinders with any stroke length. In some embodiments, the cylinders are manufactured to have a stroke length to bore diameter (“stroke-to-bore”) ratio optionally greater than 1:1. Various embodiments are suitable for use in a passive hydraulic body-powered wearable robot, for example.

A measurement of the pressure of hydraulic fluid in a fluid working machine can be determined from the timing of the movement of valves which selectively seal a working chamber of cyclically varying volume from a fluid gallery. The timing of opening of a low pressure valve, to connect a working chamber to a low pressure fluid gallery, following the closure of a high pressure valve to seal a working chamber can be used to estimate the pressure in the high pressure fluid gallery at the moment of closure of the high pressure valve.

A motor shaft seal assembly configured to prevent external elements from entering internal portions of a motor housing of a motor through a motor shaft seal is provided. The motor shaft seal assembly includes a seal plate configured to mount to a motor. The seal plate has a seal aperture configured to encircle a motor shaft of the motor. An inlet port is mounted to the seal plate. An internal passage extends from the inlet port, through the seal plate, to a plurality of annular cavities positioned proximate the motor shaft. A supply of a flexible sealing compound is provided to the plurality of annular cavities in a manner such as to contact the motor shaft, thereby forming an additional barrier to prevent external elements from entering internal portions of the motor through the motor shaft seal.

A culvert cleaner for cleaning clogged culverts using pressurized water having a self-contained water pump and maneuvering capabilities is described. The culvert cleaner includes a frame, a water pressurizing system, and a control system. The culvert cleaner may be used on a number of different machineries (e.g. truck, excavator, and rail equipment). The culvert cleaner is positioned in front of a clogged culvert using the hydraulic excavator that is on the railway. Once the culvert cleaner is position, the water pressurizing system of the culvert cleaner is engaged and high pressure water is used to clean the culvert. During cleaning alterations may be made to nozzle in the x-axis and y-axis due to the integrated positioning of the nozzle as a part of the water pressurizing system.