Hydraulic coupling is commonly found in equipment used in several industries like mining, petroleum, textile, and other material handling industries. Fluid couplings are a type of hydrodynamic device used to transmit rotational power from one shaft to another with the help of hydraulic fluid.
Couplings are primarily used in situations where the output power needs to be lower than the input power. This controlled difference is called slip and allows operators to mediate power transmission between the driver and the driven without mechanical contact.
As a result, couplings can be used for control starting, frictionless clutching in automated transmission, overload protection, torsional isolation, etc.
Types of fluid couplings
Fluid couplings essentially consist of three parts, i.e., casing, impeller, and runner. As the electric motor accelerates, the impeller pumps oil into the runner. Oil transmissions are defused by the impeller, which produces a gradual increase in torque, allowing the motor to accelerate rapidly to full speed.
In practice, there are two types of fluid couplings available in the market.
• Constant filling,
• Variable filling:
As the name suggests, the quantity of oil in the circuit in variable filling couplings can be modulated while running to regulate the amount of slip between the driver and driven machines.
Applications of fluid couplings
Fluid couplings find use in various scenarios, including but not limited to the following:
• Marine propulsion systems
• Automotive transmission
• Reciprocating pumps
• Diesel locomotives
• Extruders
• Belt conveyors
• Bucket elevators
• Boiler feed pumps
• Centrifuges
• Crushers and feeders
• Mixers and compressors
• Wagon tipplers
• Dryers, etc.
There are several types of fluid couplings available in the market. Therefore, you need to get in touch with professional valve manufacturers who can provide you with bespoke solutions that match your requirements.
