Scribd
Upload
252 views2 pages

Load Sensing Hydraulic Control Overview

Load sensing is a type of pump control used in open hydraulic circuits where the load-induced pressure downstream of an orifice, like a directional control valve, is sensed and used to adjust pump flow to maintain a constant pressure drop across the orifice. A typical load sensing circuit includes a variable displacement pump, load sensing controller, and directional control valve with a load-signal gallery connected to the controller. This allows the pump to increase flow slightly in response to increases in the sensed load pressure to keep the pressure drop constant and flow unaffected by changing loads or speeds. Load sensing provides precise flow control and keeps flow constant regardless of pump speed variations.

Uploaded by

MSc Kostic Milos
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
252 views2 pages

Load Sensing Hydraulic Control Overview

Load sensing is a type of pump control used in open hydraulic circuits where the load-induced pressure downstream of an orifice, like a directional control valve, is sensed and used to adjust pump flow to maintain a constant pressure drop across the orifice. A typical load sensing circuit includes a variable displacement pump, load sensing controller, and directional control valve with a load-signal gallery connected to the controller. This allows the pump to increase flow slightly in response to increases in the sensed load pressure to keep the pressure drop constant and flow unaffected by changing loads or speeds. Load sensing provides precise flow control and keeps flow constant regardless of pump speed variations.

Uploaded by

MSc Kostic Milos
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
  • Load Sensing Control

LOAD SENSING CONTROL

Load sensing is a term used to describe a type of pump control employed in open circuits. It is so
called because the load-induced pressure downstream of an orifice is sensed and pump flow
adjusted to maintain a constant pressure drop (and therefore flow) across the orifice. The 'orifice'
is usually a directional control valve with proportional flow characteristics, but a needle valve or
even a fixed orifice can be used, depending on the application.

A load sensing circuit typically comprises a variable displacement pump, usually axial-piston
design, fitted with a load sensing controller, and a directional control valve with an integral load-
signal gallery (Exhibit 1). The load-signal gallery (LS, shown in red) is connected to the load-
signal port (X) on the pump controller. The load-signal gallery in the directional control valve
connects the A and B ports of each of the control valve sections through a series of shuttle
valves. This ensures that the actuator with the highest load pressure is sensed and fed back to
the pump.

Exhibit 1. Typical load sensing circuit. Enlarge

To understand how the load-sensing pump and directional control valve function together in
operation, consider a winch being driven through a manually actuated valve. The operator
summons the winch by moving the spool in the directional valve 20% of its stroke. The winch
drum turns at five rpm. For clarity, imagine that the directional valve is now a fixed orifice. Flow
across an orifice decreases as the pressure drop across it decreases. As load on the winch
increases, the load-induced pressure downstream of the orifice (directional valve) increases. This
decreases the pressure drop across the orifice, which means flow across the orifice decreases
and the winch slows down.

In a load sensing circuit the load-induced pressure downstream of the orifice (directional valve) is
fed back to the pump via the load-signal gallery in the directional control valve. The load-sensing
controller responds to the increase in load pressure by increasing pump displacement (flow)
slightly so that pressure upstream of the orifice increases by a corresponding amount. This keeps
the pressure drop across the orifice (directional valve) constant, which keeps flow constant and in
this case, winch speed constant. The value of the pressure drop or delta P maintained across the
orifice (directional valve) is typically 10 to 30 Bar (145 to 435 PSI). When all spools are in the
center position the load-signal port is vented to tank and the pump maintains 'standby' pressure
equal to or slightly higher than the load sensing controller's delta P setting.

Because the pump always receives the load signal from the function operating at the highest
pressure, high-end load sensing directional control valves feature a pressure compensator (not
shown) at the pressure inlet to each section. The section pressure compensator works with the
spool-selected orifice opening to maintain a constant flow, independent of the pressure variations
caused by the operation of multiple functions at the same time. This is sometimes referred to as
'sensitive load sensing'.

A load sensing pump only produces the flow demanded by the actuators - this makes it energy
efficient (fewer losses to heat) and as demonstrated in the above example, provides more precise
control. Load-sensing control also provides constant flow independent of pump shaft speed
variations. If pump drive speed decreases, the load-sensing controller will increase displacement
(flow) to maintain the set delta P across the directional control valve (orifice), until maximum
displacement is reached.

Load sensing pump controls usually incorporate a pressure limiting control, also referred to as a
pressure cut-off or pressure compensator. The pressure compensator limits maximum operating
pressure by reducing pump displacement to zero when the set pressure is reached.

Editor's note: for more information on load-sensing and other types of variable pump controls, go
to: [Link]

LOAD SENSING CONTROL Load sensing is a term used to describe a type of pump control employed in open circuits. It is so call
center position the load-signal port is vented to tank and the pump maintains 'standby' pressure equal to or slightly higher

You might also like