Hydraulic oil tank capacity calculator - Take care of cooling

Foaming oil ejected through the filler cap? Sticking valves? Or perhaps a pump that starts to loudly "howl" after a dozen minutes of operation? All these failures often have one prosaic cause: a hydraulic oil tank that is too small.

Many designers treat the tank solely as a fluid container. Meanwhile, in power hydraulics, it plays the role of the main heat exchanger and air separator. With the free BRhydraulic calculator, you can determine how large a tank you should use for your system to operate reliably.

3 Most Important Functions of a Hydraulic Tank
Why not simply fill the system with the minimum amount of oil needed to fill hoses and cylinders? Because the tank must perform three critical tasks:

1. Cooling (Radiation): Oil flowing through valves, throttles, and operating cylinders heats up significantly. The walls of a steel or aluminum tank act as a large radiator, dissipating this heat to the environment.
   
2. Degassing (Defoaming): Oil returning from the system under high pressure is often foamed. In a sufficiently large tank, the fluid slows down, and air bubbles have time to rise to the surface before the oil is sucked in again by the pump (which protects it from destructive cavitation).
   
3. Sedimentation of Contaminants: Before the return filter catches shavings, the largest, heavy contaminants settle at the bottom of the tank due to gravity. A tank that is too small means too fast an oil flow, which does not allow dirt to settle.
   

Golden Rules for Tank Selection (Engineering Formulas)
In hydraulic engineering, there is no single rigid formula for tank capacity. Indicators are used that multiply the maximum pump flow (L/min) by an appropriate coefficient, depending on the type of machine:

• Mobile and agricultural machines (excavators, loaders, log splitters): Due to limited space and natural airflow, a capacity equal to 2 to 3 times the pump's flow rate is assumed. (Example: 40 L/min pump -> 80 - 120 Liters tank).
  
• Stationary / industrial systems (workshop presses, injection molding machines): They often operate in enclosed, warm production halls for many hours. Here, a tank with a capacity of 3 to even 5 times the pump's flow rate is required.
  
• Closed systems: Require the smallest tanks (1 to 1.5 times), as they only serve to replenish leaks and cool a small amount of oil from the charge pump.
  

What to do if you don't have space for a large tank?
Are you building a log splitter or a mobile power unit and physically cannot fit a 100-liter oil barrel? All is not lost! You can use a smaller tank, provided you equip the system with additional cooling.
In the BRhydraulic store, you will find professional solutions for managing the temperature and cleanliness of your oil:

• Solenoid valves: Ensure precise control of oil direction and flow in your system.
  
• Cylinders: A wide selection of ready-made cylinders with various strokes and diameters, ready for operation in the harshest conditions.
  
• CETOP blocks: Modular connection plates and blocks facilitating the construction of compact and efficient hydraulic systems.