Virtually Variable Displacement Hydraulic Pump Including Compressability and Switching Losses

Hydraulic pumps can be fixed or variable displacement. Fixed displacement pumps are typically smaller, lighter, less expensive, and can be of any design (gear, vane, axial piston, radial piston, ect.)[1]. Variable displacement pumps are often axial piston with an adjustable swash plate. A virtually variable displacement pump (VVDP) is a fixed displacement pump combined with a fast switching control valve that performs the same function as a variable displacement pump. This is done by always pumping full flow, but using the control valve to divert only a certain percentage of flow to the system, and the rest back to tank. A VVDP has several advantages over a traditional variable swash axial piston pump. First, the pump can be of any design, not just axial piston. Second, the flow control bandwidth can be much faster because it is only limited by the bandwidth of the fast switching control valve and system accumulator, not the bandwidth of a swash plate. Third, a VVDP pump can be more efficient because it can operate at its optimum pressure and flow setting. On the downside a VVDP will require a high speed valve. There are also added switching power losses due to constant metering over valves, compressing and decompressing hydraulic oil, and metering during transition between pumping to system and tank. This paper concentrates on modeling these three switching losses.