Energy efficiency and resource conservation made possible by innovative ARGO-HYTOS filter systems

Energy efficiency and the associated fuel savings constitute part of the current climate debate, as fuel economisation correlates to a reduction in CO2 emissions. Energy efficiency is thus one of the key factors in effective climate protection. If nothing else, conserving energy can contribute to the containment of climate change.
In the future, successful companies will focus more and more on the development of energy-efficient products, ensuring their competitive advantage in the global marketplace.

Save energy – but how?

Many of the measures that are said to lead to energy savings first require investments to be made in new technologies such as, for example, refurbishing motors, recovering braking energy, hybrid drives and lightweight construction. However, the potential for savings can also be found in unexpected places – like hydraulic filters.

In cooperation with research institutions, ARGO-HYTOS has been looking for solutions to reduce pressure loss. Calculations have shown that the specific flow resistance depends on the filter materials used as well as on the structure and length of the fold spaces, the so-called fold channels.
The longer the fold channel, the greater the specific flow resistance. The reason for this increase is that the hydraulic medium cannot flow uninhibited through the fold channel. The pressure difference presses both sides of the fold on top of one another. The supporting fabric is the only thing keeping the fold channel open.
With the help of computational fluid dynamics, knowledge was gained regarding the conditions in the fold channel and the main influencing factors on the pressure loss in the folded filter material were exposed and optimised. See Figure: Computational fluid dynamics

The solution!

A special weaving technology used in the manufacture of the new EXAPOR^®MAX 2 filter material guarantees that the fold channels are held open to the optimal extent. The pressure loss in the fold is thus reduced by up to 50%.

The knowledge gained through simulations was implemented in practice and confirmed in numerous tests. Conversely, the reduction of the pressure loss in the filter of up to 40% at constant volume flow means that a volume flow of up to 65% higher can be achieved at the given pressure loss.

When it comes to the design of hydraulic systems, this means that depending on the application, smaller filters can be used, which in turn saves weight, resources and costs. In existing systems, the lower differential pressure brings about an improvement in energy efficiency since the pressure loss is reduced by an average of 20% with EXAPOR^®MAX 2 filter elements

A calculation example illustrates how much energy can be saved in this way.

Ehydr    = Energy    [kWh]
?p    = Differential pressure [bar]
V    = Volume flow    [l/min]
Bh    = Operating hours    [h]

With an average volume flow of 100 l/min, an average differential pressure of 1 bar over the life cycle of a filter and 1000 operating hours, the user saves 33 kWh per year. Assuming that the plant is operated by electricity, this would be a savings of € 6.67 at an electricity price of € 0.20 /kWh and a CO2 reduction of approx. 19 kg.

It does not seem like much at first glance – but seen from the quantity of EXAPOR^®MAX 2 filter elements, it would result in a savings of approx. 16.7 million KWh and thus a CO2 reduction of approx. 10,000 tonnes1 per year. That is the equivalent CO2 emission of more than 5,000 cars.2

Conclusion

Innovative solutions from ARGO-HYTOS are energy-efficient and conserve resources. They help reduce costs and protect our environment.
1 A CO2 emission of 557 g/kWh is taken as the basis in the German fuel mix (Source: Umweltbundesamt)
2 Average CO2 emission per car of 140 g/km (Source: bmu) based on a travel distance of 13,000 km/year (Source: destatis) Info: Stand 2008 - 479 Mrd. km gefahren von 36,8 Mill. KFZ in Deutschland