초록 ▼

An apparatus for cleaning hydraulic fluid includes a centrifugal fluid-spinning disk arranged in a housing, of which an upper portion forms a vapor chamber and a lower portion forms a fluid collecting basin. A vacuum pump is connected to the housing through an oil mist separator, such that water vap

An apparatus for cleaning hydraulic fluid includes a centrifugal fluid-spinning disk arranged in a housing, of which an upper portion forms a vapor chamber and a lower portion forms a fluid collecting basin. A vacuum pump is connected to the housing through an oil mist separator, such that water vapor is vacuumed away and hydraulic fluid collects in the oil mist separator to then be pumped away. The apparatus further includes preferably a single container that contains both the contaminated hydraulic fluid that is to be cleaned and the cleaned hydraulic fluid. A flexible inlet line and a flexible outlet line with respective hydraulic quick connectors are provided to connect the apparatus and particularly the oil container to a hydraulic system of an aircraft, for example. A high pressure pump connected to the outlet line pumps the cleaned hydraulic fluid into the aircraft hydraulic system and a pressure maintaining valve in the inlet line maintains the system pressure. The apparatus is embodied as a self-contained and self-sufficient mobile unit mounted on wheels. With this apparatus, the hydraulic fluid in the hydraulic system of an aircraft can be cleaned directly plane-side, and it is unnecessary to provide an exchange quantity of hydraulic fluid.

대표청구항 ▼

[ What is claimed is:] [19.] A method of cleaning a hydraulic fluid of a hydraulic system using an apparatus including a fluid container, a contaminant removal device, and a circulation pump connected in series with said fluid container and said contaminant removal device to form a circulation loop,

[ What is claimed is:] [19.] A method of cleaning a hydraulic fluid of a hydraulic system using an apparatus including a fluid container, a contaminant removal device, and a circulation pump connected in series with said fluid container and said contaminant removal device to form a circulation loop, a high pressure pump in an outlet line branching off from said circulation loop on an upstream side of said fluid container, and a pressure regulating valve in an inlet line branching off from said circulation loop on a downstream side of said fluid container, said method comprising the following steps:(a) connecting said inlet line to a first port of said hydraulic system, and connecting said outlet line to a second port of said hydraulic system;(b) after said step (a) and while said inlet line and said outlet line are respectively connected to said first and second ports of said hydraulic system, operating said circulation pump to circulate said hydraulic fluid around said circulation loop from said fluid container through said contaminant removal device and back into said fluid container; and(c) during said step (b), operating said high pressure pump to pressurize said hydraulic fluid to a hydraulic system pressure and pump said hydraulic fluid through said outlet line, into said second port, into and through said hydraulic system, out of said second port and through said inlet line at said hydraulic system pressure, wherein said pressure regulating valve maintains said hydraulic system pressure at a pressure level higher than a cleaning apparatus pressure present within said circulation loop.