Designers always seem to be looking for components to help improve the overall efficiency of their systems. Unfortunately, hydraulic fluid often is overlooked as a system component, even though it can have a profound effect on system efficiency, performance, and reliability.
To this end, Shell Lubricants, Houston, recently introduced Shell Tellus EE hydraulic oil, which is intended to increase the energy efficiency of hydraulic systems.
Shell Tellus EE has been shown to reduce the energy consumption of hydraulic equipment by an average of 8% while also protecting equipment and extending oil maintenance intervals. Shell Tellus EE is Shell Lubricants’ first synthetic hydraulic fluid specifically designed to help improve the energy efficiency of the machinery in which it is used. The fluid contains proprietary additives and has undergone extensive laboratory tests and field trials that have demonstrated its ability to help improve a machine’s energy efficiency.
“Energy costs will continue to represent a significant part of an industrial organization’s operating overhead for the foreseeable future,” said Dennis Woodley, Shell Hydraulics Product Application Specialist. “As a result, investing in a hydraulic lubricant designed to help improve energy efficiency and reduce the maintenance costs makes good sense.”
Shell Lubricants has used sophisticated fluid mechanics modelling to understand the different sources of energy loss in a hydraulic system as a whole. This information was then used to help develop a fluid with a balance of physical and chemical properties to help reduce energy loss throughout the system without compromising lubrication protection and long equipment life.
“When developing Shell Tellus EE, it was essential that the lubricant’s ability to contribute towards a machine’s energy efficiency was combined with high performance characteristics,” Woodley said. “For example, Shell Tellus EE exceeds the maximum test duration of 10,000 hr in the industry test for assessing the life of hydraulic fluids. It also exhibits wear levels in hydraulic pump tests way below those often set by industry standards or certain OEM limits.”
For more information, call (713) 241- 6161 in the US or visit www.shell.com.
