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Why would hydraulic oil get hot on heavy equipment?

And what could be done to prevent it from happening? Is it hard on the machine to run it hot?

Hydraulic oil gets hot for a variety of reasons, but they all have to do with inefficiency and loss of useful
energy. Even the most exceptionally well-engineered hydraulic system will always have viscous friction
losses due to fluid flowing through the system. That friction converts mechanical power (pressure and flow)
into waste power (heat). Specifically, system pressure is lost as the fluid flows through constrictions like
hoses. And fluid is also sheared between oil-lubricated moving parts such as in pumps and motors, which
imposes drag on power sources and makes more heat.

Hydraulic oil gets hot for a variety of reasons, but they all have to do with inefficiency and loss of useful
energy. Even the most exceptionally well-engineered hydraulic system will always have viscous friction
losses due to fluid flowing through the system. That friction converts mechanical power (pressure and flow)
into waste power (heat). Specifically, system pressure is lost as the fluid flows through constrictions like
hoses. And fluid is also sheared between oil-lubricated moving parts such as in pumps and motors, which
imposes drag on power sources and makes more heat.

Friction makes heat. You just can't avoid it. Some heat will always be generated in any real mechanical
system, and in hydraulic systems, most of the heat goes into the oil.

However, most hydraulic systems have a few key locations where heat is generated in addition to
unavoidable friction heating. The key is to look anywhere pressure is lost without doing useful mechanical
work.

 Metering or restriction orifices are often used to slow down moving parts, or split fluid into multiple
routes, or other “dumb” flow control applications. The pressure lost when the fluid flows through the
constriction is converted to heat.
 Variable or proportional flow control valves will often drop considerable pressure and thus generate
heat when they are metering (not fully open).
 Relief valves or unloading valves are often used in continuous operation to limit the pressure built up
by a fixed-speed and fixed-displacement pump when the load is not consuming all the flow produced
by the pump. All of the extra flow is dumped through the unloading valve back to the reservoir, and
its pressure energy is converted to heat. This is common in simple hydraulic circuits where a
variable-output pump is more complex or expensive than is merited.

Properly-designed hydraulic systems have a reasonably well-known amount of heat production, and have
appropriate cooling devices in place to limit the associated oil temperature rise to a safe amount. Small
systems may only need to use a metal-walked tank to passively lose heat. Larger systems may need dedicated
radiators or heat exchangers.

Some heating of the oil is even desirable! Hotter oil has lower viscosity, which reduces viscous losses, which
makes the system somewhat more efficient. Hydraulic oil is designed to be run at elevated temperatures. On
the other hand, lower viscosity increases leakage and “slip” through internal clearances. And extreme
temperatures will degrade the oil. It’s a trade-off the engineer must weigh during system design.

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