Hydraulic Accumulators

Accumulators store hydraulic energy and then provide this energy back to the system when required.
Accumulators store energy when hydraulic system pressure is greater the accumulator and provide
hydraulic energy when the accumulator pressure is greater than the system pressure. By storing and
providing hydraulic energy, accumulators can perform 5 basic functions for hydraulic systems:
• Supply oil for high transient flow demands when pump can’t keep up
• Help reduce pump ripple and pressure transients
• Absorb hydraulic shock waves (due to valve closures or actuators hitting stops)
• Used as a primary power source for small (low demand) systems
• Help system accommodate thermal expansion of the fluid
Almost all aerospace hydraulic systems use accumulators for one of the above reasons. In fact, most
hydraulic systems use an accumulator to dampen pressure transients in the power generation system.
The pressure transients result from pump ripple, opening/closing of valves, actuators bottoming out and
so on. Some practitioners believe accumulators are over utilized and systems can be designed without
an accumulator in the power generation system. However, this has not been standard practice and if an
accumulator is not used, other design considerations should be considered. The selection and design
characteristics of accumulators will vary between the applications.
Hydraulic accumulators store hydraulic fluid under pressure. Pressure is supplied through a bag,
diaphragm or piston by either a spring, or pressured gas (most common). Accumulators are inherently
dynamic devices – they function when configuration changes (actuators moving, valves opening, etc.) are
occurring within a hydraulic system. Accumulators respond very fast to configuration changes, nearly
instanteously for gas accumulators. The capability and affect of the accumulator is determined by the
overall volume of the accumulator and preload/precharge of the spring/gas
Gas accumulators take advantage of the fact that the gas (nitrogen) is compressible. A gas accumulator
has a gas precharge that is less than nominal hydraulic system pressure. As hydraulic fluid enters the
accumulator the gas is compressed to the nominal system pressure, which is an equilibrium position and
represents the maximum amount of energy stored by the accumulator. As system hydraulic pressure
drops, the gas will expand pushing hydraulic fluid back into the system. The gas precharge level is an
important parameter for gas accumulators since the precharge and overall accumulator volume determine
the maximum amount of hydraulic energy that will be available to the system.
There are 4 types of accumulators: bladder, diaphragm bladder, piston (either spring or gas controlled)
and metal bellows. The choice of accumulator to use in a given application depends on required speed of
accumulator response, weight, reliability and cost. Pressurized gas accumulators will have the faster
dynamic response and are reliable. Metal bellows accumulators are very reliable, but will not respond as
fast as a pressurized gas accumulator. Accumulators with seals generally have the lowest reliability.
Accumulators are either spherical or cylindrical in design. Bag, piston and metal bellows accumulators
are cylindrical. Diaphragm accumulators may be spherical or cylindrical. Accumulators are usually
manufactured into 2 halves which are either welded or threaded together. A fill port is installed at one
end of a gas accumulator and the hydraulic connection fitting (with poppet valve, if required) is installed at
the opposite end. For a spring accumulator, the non pressure side usually has a fitting that connects to
the hydraulic reservoir (for seal leakage and to alleviate back pressure on a piston). Materials are usually
steel, but accumulators may also be made from aluminum or a composite (filament wound) material.
Bladder Accumulator
A bladder accumulator consists of pressure vessel with an internal elastomeric bladder with pressurized
nitrogen on one side and hydraulic fluid on the other side (system side). Figure 1 shows a bladder
accumulator with the 3 stages of operation, plus an overexpanded bag schematic. The accumulator is
charged with nitrogen through a valve installed in the top. The accumulator will be precharged to nominal
pressure when the pumps are not operating, shown in Figure 1a. When nominal hydraulic system
pressure is applied the bag will be compressed to its fully compressed state as shown in Figure 1b.
When the bag is fully compressed, the nitrogen pressure and the hydraulic pressure are equal. As
system pressure drops the bag expands, forcing fluid from the accumulator into the system as shown in
Figure 1c. As the bag expands, pressure in the bag decreases. The bag will continue to expand until the
bag pressure equals the hydraulic pressure (which will be lower than nominal system pressure) or the
bag fills the entire accumulator volume as shown in Figure 1d (an undesirable situation). A poppet valve
keeps the bag in accumulator from being pulled into the downstream tubing should the bag overexpand.
If the bag was pulled into the downstream tubing, the accumulator would never recharge and normal flow
from the pump would be constricted. The maximum flow rate of the accumulator is controlled by the
opening area (orifice) and the pressure difference across the opening.
The main advantages of a bladder accumulator are fast acting, no hysteresis, not susceptible to
contamination and consistent behavior under similar conditions. Accumulators are easy to charge with
the right equipment. Because there is no piston mass, the speed of the bladder accumulator is governed
by the gas, which reacts very fast to changes in hydraulic system pressure. Hence bladder accumulators
are the best choice for pressure pulsation damping. Also, the bladder attachment internal to the
accumulator has proven to be very reliable in service. Of course there is always the potential for bladder
failure, which is a failure that would not usually be detectable in service. Also, temperature differences on
the gas will have some affect on performance. The main limitation of bladder accumulators is the
compression ratio (maximum system pressure to precharge pressure) which is limited to approximately 4
to 1. Hence gas accumulators will be larger than other accumulators for the same flow requirements.
The precharge pressure is typically set to approximately 80% of the minimum desired hydraulic system
pressure.

(a) Bag Precharged (b) Bag Compressed (c) Bag Expanded (d) Bag Overexpanded

Figure 1 Bladder Accumulator Schematic

Diaphragm Accumulator
A diaphragm accumulator is similar to bag accumulator except an elastomeric diaphragm is used in lieu
of a bag. This would typically reduce the usable volume of the accumulator so the diaphragm
accumulator may not have volume capacity of a bladder accumulator. A schematic of a diaphragm
accumulator is shown in Figure 2. The behavior characteristics of a diaphragm accumulator are similar to
a bag accumulator.
 Fill Valve

Nitrogen

Hydraulic Diaphragm
Fluid

Check Valve

P2, Q 2 P 1 , Q1
Pipe

Figure 2 Diaphragm Accumulator Schematic

Diaphragm accumulator’s behavior will be similar to a bladder accumulator and have the same
advantages and disadvantages. However a diaphragm accumulator may be spherical or cylindrical (or
possibly other shapes) which may be an advantage in some installations. The main difference with
bladder accumulators is an increased maximum compressions ratio (maximum system pressure to
precharge pressure) of approximately 8 to 1.
Piston Accumulator
A gas piston accumulator is shown in Figure 3. A gas piston accumulator has a piston which slides
against the accumulator housing on seals. On one side of the piston is nitrogen and on the other side is
the hydraulic fluid and connection to the system. A fill port allows pressurization of the nitrogen.

Fill Valve

Piston Stops

Nitrogen

Piston

Housing

Hydraulic
Fluid

P2, Q2 P1, Q1
Pipe

Figure 3 Piston Accumulator Schematic

A gas piston accumulator will not respond to transient pressures as fast as a bladder accumulator due to
the mass of the piston (frequency characteristics depend on piston mass and spring characteristics of the
nitrogen). However, a piston accumulator will have better damping due to hydraulic leakage (viscous
damping) and friction between the piston and housing (coulomb friction & seal friction). Piston
accumulators may also be more prone to leakage than other types of accumulators due to the seals.
Piston accumulators will generally provide higher flow rates than gas accumulators for equal accumulator
volumes. This is because piston accumulators can accommodate higher pressure ratios (maximum
system pressure to precharge pressure) than gas accumulators, up to 10 to 1, compared with bladder
accumulator ratios of 4 to 1. The disadvantages of piston accumulators are that they are more
susceptible to fluid contamination, have a lower response time than bladder (unless the piston
accumulator is at a very high pressure) and will have hysteresis from the seal friction. The precharge for
a gas piston accumulator is typically set to around 90% of minimum desired hydraulic system pressure.
A schematic of a spring piston accumulator is shown in Figure 4.
Prtn

ks

Piston x

Vacc Pacc
Ap
Qacc
Aacc

P2, Q2 P1, Q1

Figure 4 Spring Controlled Accumulator Schematic

In a spring accumulator, the spring applies a force to a piston which compresses (or pressurizes) the fluid
in the accumulator. As normal system pressure, the spring will be fully compressed. As system flow
demands exceed the pump capacity, the spring will extend pushing the piston which in turn pushes fluid
into the adjoining pipe. Hence the accumulator supplements pump flow.
The maximum response time of the accumulator is set by the natural frequency, which is computed using

ks spring rate
ωn = =
mp mass of piston (rad/sec)

Metal Bellows
Figure 5 shows a metal bellows accumulator. Metal bellows accumulators are used where a fast
response time is not critical yet reliability is important. Emergency brake accumulators are a good
application for metal bellows accumulators. A metal bellows accumulator is shown in Figure 5. The metal
bellows accumulator consists of a pressure vessel with a metal bellows assembly separating fluid and
nitrogen. The accumulator is similar to a piston accumulator, except a metal bellows replaces piston and
piston seals. Metal bellows accumulators are very reliable and long life components, and have a proven
service history. Metal bellows accumulators are pre-charged by supplier and then permanently sealed
leading to a maintenance free accumulator. Metal bellows accumulators will be slow in responding to
pressure changes due to increased mass of piston and bellows.
 Fill Valve

Stops

Housing
Nitrogen

Piston

Hydraulic Metal
Fluid Bellows

P2, Q2 P1, Q1
Pipe
Figure 5 Metal Bellows Accumulator Schematic

Gas Accummulator Precharging

The precharge is the pressure of the gas in the accumulator without hydraulic fluid in the fluid side. A gas
accumulator is precharged with nitrogen gas when there is no hydraulic fluid in the accumulator to the
desired pressure. A rule of thumb for bladder accumulators is to set the precharge pressure to
approximately 80% of the desired minimum hydraulic system pressure. A rule of thumb for gas piston
accumulators is to set the precharge pressure to approximately 90% of the of the desired minimum
hydraulic system pressure.
The gas accumulator pre-charge is a very important variable for ensuring optimal accumulator
performance and maintaining long life of the accumulator. Too high of a precharge pressure and the fluid
volume capacity is reduced. Furthermore, if a bag accumulator charge is too high than the bag may hit
the poppet valve which could damage the bag through repeated hits in service, or cause a fatigue failure
in the poppet valve assembly. For a piston accumulator, the piston may be driven into the stops
repeatedly affecting seals or cause a fatigue failure in the piston stop. Too low of a precharge pressure
and the accumulator may not maintain desired minimum hydraulic system pressure. Also a low
precharge pressure will allow a piston accumulator to repeatedly hit the “up” stops leading to premature
failure of the accumulator. For a bag accumulator, the bag may be forced into an unnatural shape (e.g.,
with folds) leading to bag damage and premature bag failure.
When sizing an accumulator the precharge pressure is an input to the sizing process. However, once the
accumulator is sized the minimum and maximum gas volumes should be computed (under worst case
conditions) and analyzed to ensure piston stops are not hit or that a bag cannot fully collapse or expand
completely in the accumulator.

Accumulator Design Considerations

The most important characteristics for hydraulic accumulators are listed below.
Accumulator Type – as described above there are 4 basic types of hydraulic accumulators (bladder,
diaphragm, piston, and metal bellows). Each type has advantages and disadvantages and the
specifications will vary between the 4 types.
Accumulator Volume – total volume of the accumulator (both gas and fluid volume)
Nominal Hydraulic System Pressure – this is the nominal hydraulic system pressure in the system, which
will usually be the no flow rating of the hydraulic pump
Minimum Hydraulic System Pressure – this is the minimum pressure that the accumulator must maintain
in the hydraulic system. This is a design requirement used to size the accumulator.
Precharge Pressure – precharge is the pressure of the nitrogen in an accumulator without any hydraulic
fluid in the accumulator. The precharge pressure determines the amount of fluid that an accumulator can
hold at the system pressure and the desired minimum hydraulic system pressure.
Required Flow Rate – to maintain minimum hydraulic system pressure, the accumulator must be able to
supply sufficient flow over a determined period of time. The required flow rate is a key requirement that
drives the size of the accumulator. The accumulator volume for hydraulic flow is equal to Q * t (required
flow rate times the time required for this flow). The accumulator must provide this flow when the gas (or
spring) is between the nominal hydraulic system pressure and the minimum desired hydraulic system
pressure. Note that the flow rate provided by the accumulator will be nonlinear because as the gas
expands the pressure drops off nonlinearly. This is a design requirement used in sizing accumulators.
Output Volume Capability – the output volume capacity of the fluid volume the accumulator is capable of
providing between the nominal hydraulic system pressure and the required minimum hydraulic pressure.
This volume must be provided at the required flow rate (see Required Flow Rate). The value is also
called the working volume.
Response Time – this is the time for the accumulator to provide the desired fluid volume. The response
time times the output volume capability equals the flow rate of the accumulator. This will be a function of
precharge value and the flow opening (orifice) in the accumulator.
Recharge Time – this is the time fully charge an accumulator from a fully drained state (i.e., at minimum
volume, which is the volume at the minimum desired hydraulic system pressure). This should be
evaluated when there is a fast duty cycle requirement. The recharge time will be the amount of time for
fluid to fill the accumulator based on the available flow rate from the pump (minus other system
demands).
High Frequency Cycling Capability – only a concern when accumulators are used for damping of
pressure pulsations or very fast pressure transients. In this type of application, the frequency response
capability of the accumulator should be computed to ensure it is compatible with the transient
phenomena.
Fluid Type – accumulator seals and elastromeric bladder/diaphragm material must be compatible with the
hydraulic fluid used in the system
Failure Modes – the main failure modes for an accumulator will be failure of a bladder or piston seal, or a
pressure vessel burst. The affects of a loss of accumulator performance should be evaluated in the
hydraulic system to ensure no unacceptable affects may occur within the system. For a potential
pressure vessel burst, the installation should be reviewed with respect to surrounding components and
also for drainage of fluid and compartment ventilation.
Operating Temperature Range – the behavior of the gas (nitrogen) varies with temperature. Accumulator
performance should be evaluated over the expected temperature range of the nitrogen.
Mounting Position – vertical is always preferred with fluid outlet at the bottom. Horizontal installations will
tend to wear a bladder or diaphragm on the down side leading to earlier failures and lower reliability. For
piston accumulators, the seals will also tend to wear unevenly leading to earlier leakage. If a non-vertical
installation is required some evaluation of accumulator life should be accomplished and the appropriate
maintenance inspections (or life limits) put in place.
Mounting Flange – Determine method of mounting accumulator is acceptable in your application and that
the mount is capable of withstanding all mounting forces, including crash g loads. Analysis should use
the mass of the accumulator when fully charged with fluid.
Connection Fitting – the hydraulic interface fitting must be known so that a mating fitting can be included
in the design of the hydraulic system.
Applications of Accumulators
One of the main applications of hydraulic accumulators is to supply flow for brief periods of time when a
pump cannot keep up. A benefit of using an accumulator in this regard is that it allows the pump size to
be smaller. Usually the accumulator only assists during a worst case duty cycle or after a particular
failure has occurred in the system. This requires having an accumulator of sufficient volume to supply the
flow needs while still maintaining adequate system pressure. The approach to sizing an accumulator for
this application is shown in the sizing section (see Accumulators, Hydraulic – Sizing).
Another application of accumulators is to damp pressure spikes from pumps or downstream configuration
changes (such as actuators hitting stops and valves closing). This is most often done in the power
generation portion of a hydraulic system, but accumulators can be put anywhere in the system for
pressure pulsation damping. In this application, as a pressure wave moves up and down the piping, the
energy is partially absorbed by the accumulator each time the wave flows by the accumulator. Hence the
wave damps out much faster than in a system without an accumulator. Standard practice has shown this
to be a proven technique, but no well proven design procedure exists for both sizing and placement of
accumulators for pressure pulsation damping. Hence some experimentation may be required if an initial
design does not achieve the desired results. One of the reasons for experimentation is that laboratory
research has shown pressure waves in pipe to be both a function of time and location along a pipe. Thus
at some locations along a tube there will only be small changes in pressure magnitude (high peak to low
peak) while at other locations the pressure fluctuations (high peak to low peak) will be much larger.
A secondary function of accumulators is to absorb volume changes in fluid due to temperature
fluctuations. If an accumulator is not used and a rise in temperature increases pressure above system
pressure, then the fluid must flow through a thermal relief valve to the reservoir. This is wasted flow and
hence results in wasted energy thereby decreasing system efficiency. Furthermore, a pressure relief
valve exhibits hysteresis and must flow a sufficient fluid so that pressure drops below the level where the
valve will close (which could be a significant flow amount). With an accumulator, reasonable volume
changes can be accommodated without having flow to the reservoir. Computing accumulator size to
accommodate temperature variations is relatively straightforward.
Of course, an accumulator can be sized and installed to do multiple functions. Therefore, a single
accumulator can perform any or all of the above functions. The size and type of accumulator chosen will
depend on the functions that accumulator is addressing.
Lastly, the loss of pressurized gas in a sealed accumulator (or spring failure in spring accumulators) is
generally a latent failure. This latency may be an issue when conducting a safety analysis on a system
where the accumulator plays an important role (such as emergency gear extend or emergency braking).
In this case, an acceptable functional test procedure will usually need to be implemented at an
appropriate interval.