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Experimental investigation of effective bulk modulus of oil with entrained air

bubbles

Conference Paper · August 2014

DOI: 10.13140/2.1.2568.1285

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 The 12th International Conference on Motion and Vibration

MOVIC2014
2D22
Experimental investigation of effective bulk modulus of oil
with entrained air bubbles
Yutaka TANAKA*, Sayako SAKAMA* and Hiroyuki GOTO***
*Graduate School of Engineering and Design, Hosei University
2-17-1 Fujimi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-8160, Japan
E-mail: y_tanaka@hosei.ac.jp
**Technical Research Institute, Japan Society for the Promotion of Machine Industry
1-1-12 Hachiman-cho, Higashikurumeshi, Tokyo 203-0042, Japan

Abstract
Although hydraulic systems are compact and have high output power, the demand for further downsized
systems with increased output power has been on the rise in recent years. The operating pressures of hydraulic
systems have recently been increasing, and condition monitoring of the properties of hydraulic fluid has been
one of the most important technical issues. Bulk modulus is a property that indicates the compressibility of a
hydraulic fluid. Hydraulic fluids typically become aerated during use, and a certain amount of air is always
present in a hydraulic fluid. Aeration strongly influences the bulk modulus of hydraulic fluid because air is
significantly more compressible than oil. Entrained air in the form of bubbles reduces the effective bulk
modulus. Furthermore, air bubbles entrained in hydraulic fluids cause numerous problems in hydraulic
systems. Active bubble elimination devices that use swirl flow capable of eliminating air bubbles from
hydraulic fluid have been proposed and developed by the authors. We focus on the relationship between the
change in bulk modulus and the elimination of air bubbles from hydraulic fluid. Hydraulic fluid from which
bubbles have been eliminated is sampled in a vessel and experimentally pressurized by a servo piston. The
volume and pressure change of the sampled oil is measured, and bulk modulus change is calculated to evaluate
the bubble elimination. We conclude that the change in bulk modulus of the bubble-eliminated oil influences
system performance with respect to positioning, power loss, response time, and stability in hydraulic systems.

Keywords : Air entrainment, Bubble, Effective bulk modulus, Hydraulic systems, Tangent bulk modulus, Oil

1. Introduction

Reducing environmental burdens, saving energy, reducing costs, and achieving high performance and high
efficiency can be obtained by designing hydraulic systems that are more compact, require less hydraulic fluid in their
reservoir, and extend the lifetime of the hydraulic fluid. The operating pressures of hydraulic systems have recently
been increasing, and condition monitoring of the properties of hydraulic fluid has become one of the most important
technical issues.
Bulk modulus is a property that indicates the compressibility of a hydraulic fluid. Hydraulic fluids typically
become aerated during use. A certain amount of air is always present in a hydraulic fluid. Aeration significantly
influences bulk modulus because air is significantly more compressible than oil. Fluid compressibility strongly
influences the efficiency of a high-speed switching hydraulic circuit (James D. Van de Ven, 2013) and the dynamic
behavior of a hydraulic positive displacement machine (Casoli, et al., 2006). Entrained air in the form of bubbles
reduces the effective bulk modulus. Numerous researchers have studied and proposed models for the effective bulk
modulus that depend on entrained air. Kim and Murrenhoff (2012) reported the effective bulk modulus of hydraulic oil
at low pressure conditions. Yang, Feng and Gong (2011) measured the effective fluid bulk modulus which was
expressed as a function of working pressure when the air content was certain. Gholozadeh and Burton (2011) presented
a summary of the literature that was based on fluid bulk modulus.

© 2014 The Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers

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 Air bubbles in hydraulic fluids must be eliminated to realize more compact and efficient hydraulic systems. Our
project team developed an active bubble removal device known as a “bubble eliminator” (Suzuki and Tanaka, 2005)
and applied it to construction machinery to design highly efficient systems and increase the lifetime of the working
hydraulic fluid. We have previously experimentally and numerically verified that the bubble eliminator removes air
bubbles from the working hydraulic fluid efficiently (Sakama, et al., 2013), the restraint of the temperature increases in
fluids can effectively reduce their life, oil oxidation can be prevented (Tanaka, et al. 2012), and the occurrence of
cavitation occurrence is restrained under high-pressure conditions (Goto, et al., 2013).
In this paper we focus on the relationship between the change in bulk modulus and the elimination of bubbles from
hydraulic fluid. ISO VG32 hydraulic oil is used as the test liquid. Hydraulic fluid from which bubbles have been
eliminated is sampled in a vessel and experimentally pressurized up to 40 MPa by a servo piston. The volume and
pressure change of the sampled oil is measured, and the bulk modulus change is calculated to evaluate the bubble
elimination. We conclude that the change in bulk modulus of the oil after bubble elimination influences system
performance with respect to positioning, power loss, response time, and stability in hydraulic systems.

2. Nomenclature

K tangent bulk modulus

Ks scant bulk modulus
Ke effective bulk modulus
KB tangent bulk modulus of entrained air
KH tangent bulk modulus of oil
KH0 bulk modulus of air-free oil at atmospheric pressure
n polytropic constant of air (=1.4)
V fluid volume at operating pressure
VH oil volume
VB air volume
V0 initial fluid volume
V fluid volume change
p fluid pressure
p pressure change
x volume fraction of air in oil at operating pressure
x0 volume fraction of air at the initial pressure p0 (= p – dp )

3. Fluid bulk modulus

Bulk modulus is a property that indicates the compressibility of a hydraulic fluid. The average or secant bulk
modulus Ks is defined as the resistance to the decrease in volume when subjected to pressure and is the inverse of
compressibility (Kazama and Totten, 2012)

p
K s   V0 (1)
V

where V0 is the initial fluid volume, p is the pressure change, and V is the fluid volume change. The negative sign in
Eq. (1) indicates a decrease in volume with a corresponding increase in pressure. It can be applied to a static process,
such as a very slow change in pressure or volume.
The tangent bulk modulus K is the differential form of Eq. (1) and is expressed as

dp
K  V (2)
dV

where V is the fluid volume at the operating pressure, and p is the fluid pressure. The tangent bulk modulus is generally
used in processes where the pressure and volume rapidly change near the given pressure.
The effective bulk modulus of hydraulic fluids is a function of the specific fluid, entrained air content of the fluid,

© 2014 The Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers

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and operating pressure and temperature of the fluid. The entrained air content of the fluid, in particular, strongly
influences the fluid bulk modulus. A simple model can be developed by considering the compressibility of oil and
entrained air as springs in series as shown in Fig. 1. Therefore, the effective bulk modulus Ke is derived from Eq. (2) as

1  1  x dVH x dVB 
    (3)
Ke  VH dp VB dp 

where VH is the oil volume, VB is the air volume, and x is the volume fraction of air in oil at operating pressure.

Air

dVB
VB
V
p0 p
VH
dVH

Oil
Fig. 1 Volume of oil and air changes from V to V - (dVB + dVH) at the operating pressure p. The
compressibility of oil and entrained air is modeled as air and oil springs in series.

If entrained air is assumed to not be dissolved in the oil when the fluid pressure increases, then the effective bulk
modulus Ke and volume fraction of air in oil x at the operating pressure p can be expressed as follows (JFPA, 2012):

KH KB
Ke 
K B  x( K H  K B ) (4)

1
x 1
dp (5)
1
x0 KB
1 
1  x0 1  dp
KH

where KH is the tangent bulk modulus of oil, KB is the tangent bulk modulus of entrained air, and x0 is the volume
fraction of air at the initial pressure p0 (= p – dp ).
If the change process is assumed to be adiabatic, then the tangent bulk modulus of oil KH and the tangent bulk
modulus of entrained air KB are functions of the operating pressure (Klaus and O’brien, 1964) and are given as follows:

K H  K H 0  5.3 p (6)

K B  np (7)

where n is the polytropic constant of air.

Figure 2 shows the effective tangent bulk modulus calculated using Eq. (4) to Eq. (7) as a function of pressure with
various initial entrained air contents x0. The effective tangent bulk modulus Ke is normalized by the tangent bulk
modulus of oil KH. In these calculations, KH0 and n were set to 1.6 GPa and 1.4, respectively. The results shown in Fig.
2 indicate that the air content significantly influences the tangent bulk modulus under low-pressure conditions.

© 2014 The Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers

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 Fig. 2 Nondimensional effective bulk modulus variation calculated using Eq. (4) to Eq. (7) as a
function of pressure p with various initial entrained air contents x0. The air content significantly
influences the tangent bulk modulus under low-pressure conditions.

Fig. 3 Experimental setup for the measurement of bulk modulus. The experimental setup comprises the
hydraulic-fluid-filling circuit, the pressure vessel, the hydraulic servo cylinder, and the bubble
elimination circuit. The sampled hydraulic fluid in the pressure vessel was pressurized by the tip
of the hydraulic servo cylinder.

4. Experimental measurement of bulk modulus

4.1 Experimental setup and procedure
An experimental setup for the measurement of bulk modulus is shown in Fig. 3. The experimental setup comprises
a hydraulic-fluid-filling circuit, a pressure vessel, a hydraulic servo cylinder, and a bubble elimination circuit. We can
observe fluid conditions inside a transparent reservoir of the oil filling and bubble elimination circuit.

© 2014 The Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers

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 Air bubbles were intentionally infused into the hydraulic fluid at the suction line of the pump of the oil-filling
circuit. The amount of air infused into the hydraulic fluid was adjusted via a restrictor and measured by a volumetric
flow sensor. The hydraulic oils with and without air bubbles were circulated through the pressure vessel and returned to
a reservoir. The bubble elimination circuit was separately placed at the reservoir. The bubble eliminator (Suzuki and
Tanaka, 2005) was installed at the bubble elimination circuit, and the air bubbles were separated and eliminated from
the hydraulic oil in the reservoir. When the air blowing was turned off and the bubble eliminator was run for
approximately 10 min, the air bubbles in the hydraulic fluid were sufficiently separated and eliminated, and the
hydraulic fluid in the reservoir changed into a transparent oil. ISO VG32 hydraulic oil was used as the test liquid.
Figure 4 shows the typical results of the experiments to eliminate bubbles from the oil in the reservoir. When the
hydraulic oil was not circulated through the bubble elimination circuit, the amount of bubbles in the reservoir did not
substantially decrease. In contrast, when the oil was circulated through the bubble elimination circuit, the bubbles of oil
in the reservoir decreased substantially within a short time. As a result, we confirmed that the bubble eliminator can
efficiently remove bubbles from oil in the reservoir.
The hydraulic fluid in the pressure vessel was pressurized by the hydraulic servo cylinder. The hydraulic servo
cylinder was driven by a high-speed direct drive servo valve. The displacement of the cylinder was measured by a
position sensor and fed back to a personal computer through a digital controller. Pressure in the pressure vessel was
measured by a pressure transducer and stored to the personal computer. The sampling frequency of displacement and
pressure was 1 kHz. The tip end of the servo cylinder rod was inserted into the pressure vessel, and the sampled
hydraulic fluid was pressurized; as a result, the volume slightly decreased. The seal between the rod and pressure vessel
is a special labyrinth seal through which fluid leakage and friction loss are negligible. The initial volume of the pressure
vessel at atmospheric pressure, including the dead volume of connecting joints, was 1098 cm3. The temperature of the
hydraulic fluid was maintained at a constant value of 40 °C in the reservoir.
To investigate the influence of entrained air on the bulk modulus of the hydraulic fluid and the effectiveness of the
bubble eliminator, we measured the pressure and volume change of the sampled hydraulic fluid. In the experimental
procedure, after the hydraulic fluid in the reservoir adequately circulated in the oil-filling circuit at a flow rate of 6
L/min, shut-off valves A and B were closed, and the hydraulic fluid was sampled and stored in the pressure vessel. The
sampled hydraulic fluid was immediately pressurized by the hydraulic servo cylinder.
The two stages of the sampling hydraulic fluid conditions were selected as the bubble eliminator “on” and “off.” In
the case where the bubble eliminator was “on,” the bubble elimination circuit was active and the air bubbles in the

Fig.4 Typical results of the experiments to eliminate air bubbles from the oil in the transparent reservoir.
When the oil was circulated through the bubble elimination circuit, the air bubbles of oil in the
reservoir decreased substantially within 5 minutes. The bubble eliminator can efficiently remove
bubbles from oil in the reservoir.

© 2014 The Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers

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hydraulic fluid were perfectly eliminated. In the case where the bubble eliminator was “off,” the bubble elimination
circuit was not active and air bubbles were intentionally infused into the hydraulic fluid at a volumetric flow rate of 120
mL/min for 5 min.
4.2 Experimental results
The changes in volume and pressure of the sampled hydraulic fluid as functions of time and depending on the
presence of air bubbles are presented in Fig. 5. The volume change was calculated from the displacement of the piston
cylinder and is shown as the relative value of the initial volume of pressure vessel. The relative volume change was as
small as 2.5%. The pressure dramatically increased from atmospheric pressure to 45 MPa for 0.5 seconds. The pressure
response with the bubble eliminator turned off was slightly delayed compared with the response with the bubble
eliminator turned on. A slight positioning error of the servo cylinder for the hydraulic fluid was detected in the presence
of air bubbles under high pressure.
The pressure–volume curves are plotted in Fig. 6. The slope of the tangent to the curve represents the tangent bulk
modulus. In the low-pressure range, the slope of the curve obtained when the bubble eliminator was turned on is larger
than that obtained when the bubble eliminator was turned off.
Figure 7 shows the variation in the effective tangent bulk modulus with pressure depending on air content. Each
pressure and calculated bulk modulus are plotted on a logarithmic scale. The experimental bulk modulus calculated
from the data in Fig. 6 is also plotted in Fig. 7. In our experiments, we cannot precisely measure the air contents of the
sampled oil. The validations of the effective bulk modulus under the conditions of the bubble eliminator being “on” and
“off” are in good agreement with the mathematical model of 0.1% and 1% air content in the low-pressure range,
respectively. We experimentally clarified that the bubble eliminator can remove air bubbles from the hydraulic fluid. A
small amount of air significantly influences the tangent bulk modulus under low-pressure conditions. We conclude that
the change in bulk modulus of oil subjected to bubble elimination influences system performance in relation to
positioning, power loss, response time, and stability in hydraulic systems.

Fig. 5 The changes in volume and pressure of the sampled hydraulic fluid as functions of time and
depending on the presence of air bubbles. The nondimensional volume changes with the bubble
eliminator “on” and “off” are plotted with red-dashed and blue-dashed curves, respectively. The
relative volume change is as small as 2.5%. The pressure changes with the bubble eliminator “on”
and “off” are plotted with red-dash-dotted and blue-dash-dotted curves, respectively. The pressure
response with the bubble eliminator turned off is slightly delayed compared with the response with
the bubble eliminator turned on.

© 2014 The Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers

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 Fig. 6 Pressure-volume characteristics depending on air contents. The pressure-volume curve with the
bubble eliminator “on” and “off” are plotted with red-solid and blue-solid curves, respectively.
The slope of the tangent to the curve represents the tangent bulk modulus.

Fig.7 Effective bulk modulus as a function of pressure p with various initial entrained air contents x0. The
experimental bulk modulus is calculated and plotted. The validations of the effective bulk modulus
under the conditions of the bubble eliminator being “on” and “off” are in good agreement with the
mathematical model of 0.1% and 1% air content in the low-pressure range, respectively.

5. Conclusions
In this paper the effective bulk modulus of the hydraulic oil with entrained air was experimentally measured and
investigated. The mathematical model of the estimated effective bulk modulus was also proposed and calculated as a
function of operating pressure with various initial entrained air contents. The entrained air has much influence on the
effective bulk modulus. The developed bubble eliminator in the bubble elimination circuit can efficiently remove air

© 2014 The Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers

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 bubble from the hydraulic oil. A small amount of entrained air significantly influences the effective bulk modulus under
low-pressure conditions. It is experimentally clarified that the active bubble elimination strongly changes the rigid of
the hydraulic fluid and has a good performance of hydraulic systems.

References

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machines, Simulation Modelling Practice and Theory 14 (2006), pp.1059–1072.
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Power, Vol.12，No.3 (2011), pp.5-15.
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© 2014 The Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers

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