EXTERNAL GEAR PUMP PERFORMANCE WITH GRAPHENE HYDRAULIC FLUID

The literature reports that the addition of nanoparticles to hydraulic fluids significantly improves their fundamental properties such as viscosity index, lubricity, and anti-wear performance. Among the others, graphene-based nanomaterials are a potential candidate for hydraulic nanofluids due to their atomic thickness, high thermal conductivity, high thermal stability, and ecological nature. Based on the research reported so far at tribological level, it is interesting to assess whether, and to what extent, the properties of nanofluids have an impact on hydraulic components performance. Accordingly, the article is devoted to highlight the effects of graphene based nanofluid on pump performance. Two formulations of graphene hydraulic fluid are prepared with the same standard mineral oil and graphene particles. Pump performance is expressed in terms of volumetric efficiency and torque efficiency, measured in a wide range of pump speed and load pressure. The pump efficiency has been previously benchmarked with the standard hydraulic fluid. Then, for each formulation, experimental tests have been compared to the reference case, allowing quantitative performance comparison. The results have been lumped through loss coefficients, providing new data for modeling activities and for research and development in the field of hydraulic nanofluids.