PUMPS and CALCULATIONS

FLUID POWER FORMULAS

Basic Formulas: Pressure (psi) = Force (pounds) / Area (in2)

Force (pounds) = Area (in2) x Pressure (psi)

Area (in2) = Force (pounds) / Pressure (psi)

Fluid Power Horsepower (hp) = Pressure (psi) x pump flow (gpm) / 1,714

Torque (ft.lbs.) = Horsepower (hp) x 5,252 / Speed (rpm)

Horsepower (hp) = Torque (ft.lbs.) x Speed (rpm) / 5,252

Speed (rpm) = Horsepower (hp) x 5,252 / Torques (ft.lbs.)

Cylinder Formulas: Piston cylinder area (in2) = Diameter squared x .7854

= 3.1416 x Radius squared

Rod-end cylinder area (in2) (Annulus end area) = Cylinder area (in2) – Rod area (in2)

Cylinder force (pounds)

= Pressure (psi) x Area (in2)

Cylinder speed feet/minute) (divide by 60 for feet/second)=19.25 x Flow rate (gpm) /Area
(in2)        

Cylinder time (seconds)

= Area (in2) x Cylinder stroke (in.)        x .26 /Flow rate (gpm)

Cylinder flow rate (gpm) = 12 x 60 x Cylinder speed (ft./sec.) x Area (in 2) / 231

Cylinder volume capacity (gallons)= 3.1416 x Radius squared (in.) cylinder stroke / 231

Hydraulic Motor Formulas:

Fluid motor torque (in.lbs.) = Pressure (psi) x Fluid motor    displacement / 6.28                    

= Horsepower (hp) x 63,025 / Speed (rpm)
= Flow rate (gpm) x Pressure (psi) x          36.77 / Speed (rpm)

Fluid motor speed (revs./min.)= 231 x Flow rate (gpm) / Fluid motor displacement (in3/rev.)

Fluid motor power (hp output)

= Torque output (in.lbs.) x Speed (rpm) / 63,025

Fluid motor torque / 100 psi (in.lbs.)= Fluid motor displacement (in3/rev.) / 
.0628

Fluid motor flow rate (gpm)= Motor speed (rpm) x Motor displacement(in 3/rev.) / 231  

Pump Formulas:

Pump outlet flow (gpm)

= Speed (rpm) x Pump displacement (in3/rev.) / 231 Pump speed (rpm)

= 231 x Pump flow rate (gpm) / Pump displacement (in3/rev.)Pump input horsepower (hp)

= Flow rate output (gpm) x Pressure (psi) / 1,714 x Efficiency factor (overall %)

Pump Efficiency 
(Overall in %)( Output horsepower / Input horsepower) x 100 Pump displacement (in 3/rev.) =
Flow rate (gpm) x 231 / Pump speed (rpm)

Pump torque (in.lbs.) = Horsepower (hp) x 63,025 /Speed (rpm) 

= Pressure (psi) x Pump displacement (in3/rev.) /6.28

Miscellaneous Formulas, Data and “Rules of Thumb”:

Reservoir capacity (gallons) = Length (ins.) x width (ins.) x height (ins.) / 231

Reservoir cooling capacity (BTU/hr.)2 x Temperature difference between reservoir walls

and air (degrees F) x area of reservoir (ft 2)
(Based on adequate air circulation)

Heat radiating capacity of a steel reservoir expressed in horsepower (hp) Horsepower (hp)=
0.001 x reservoir surface area (ft2) x temperature Difference (degrees F) between oil and
surrounding air Heat equivalent of fluid power(BTU/hr.) = Pressure (psi) x Flow (gpm) x 1.5 

(Note: One horsepower = 2,545 BTU/hour)One British Thermal Unit (BTU) is the amount of
heat required to raise the temperature of one pound of water one degree Fahrenheit.
Heating hydraulic fluid = 1 watt will raise the temperature of 1 gallon of oil 1 degree
Fahrenheit per hour Compressibility of hydraulic oil = Volume reduction is approximately
1/2% for every 1,000 psi of fluid pressure Compressibility of water = Volume reduction is
about 1/3% for every 1,000 psi of fluid pressure Estimating pump drive horsepower (hp) =
Approximately 1 hp of drive for every 1 gpm (flow) at 1,500 psi (pressure)

Pump idling horsepower (hp) = Approximately 5% of a pumps full rated horsepower will be
required when a pump is running unloaded” Guidelines” for flow velocity in hydraulic lines:
Pump suction lines 2 – 4 ft./sec. Pressure lines to 500 psi 10 – 15 ft./sec.

Pressure lines of 500 to 3,000 psi 15 – 20 ft./sec. Pressure lines over 3,000 psi 25 ft./sec.
Fluid velocity of oil flow in a pipe (ft./sec.)
= Flow rate (gpm) x 0.3208 / Inside area of pipe (in 2)

Common Fluid Power Equivalents:

One U.S. gallon = 231 in3

4 quarts or 8 pints
128 liquid ounces
128 liquid ounces
133.37 ounces in weight
8.3356 pounds 
3.785 liters One imperial gallon =1.2 U.S. gallons One liter = 0.2642 U.S. gallons One cubic
foot = 7.48 gallons 
1728 cubic inches 62.4 pounds of water One Bar at sea level = 14.504 psi
0.98692 atmosphere 33.6 foot water column  41 foot oil column

Approximately ½ psi decrease for each 1,000 feet of elevation change

One inch mercury (hg.) = 0.490 psi

1.131 ft. water

One horsepower =

33,000 ft.lbs./min. 
550 ft.lbs./sec.
42.4 BTU/min.
2,545 BTU/hour
746 watts or 0.746 kilowatts (kw)One psi = 2.0416 inches of mercury (hg.)
27.71 inches of water
0.0689 bar

One atmosphere =

1.013 bar 
29.921 inches of mercury (hg.)
14.696 psi 
760 mm of mercury (hg.)One foot water column = 0.432 psi One foot oil column = 0.354 psi

LUBRICATION FORMULAS

Calculating Bearing Requirements for Oil Lubricants:

V=AxT

V = Volume in terms of lube-oil replacement rate in cubic inches per hour (in 3/hr)A = Bearing
surface area in square inches (in2) (Sized differently based on bearing type)

T = Film thickness…generally .001 inch… but it may vary based on oil type and application
Calculating Bearing Requirements for Grease Lubricants: V = A x TV = Volume in
terms of lube-grease replacement as cubic inches per four hour (in 3/4 hrs) A = Bearing
surface area in square inches (in2) (Sized differently based on bearing type)

T = Film thickness…generally .002 inches…but it may vary based on grease type and
application

Note: Quite often requirements are expressed in metric terms. 

To convert to metric, calculate volume requirements as noted above and simply multiply by
16.39 to convert to cubic centimetres per hour…cc 3/hr… (oil) or cubic centimetres per four
hours…cc3/4 hrs… (grease).

Common Bearing Types:(Necessary to know for calculating areas.)Plain Bearings: 

Area (in2) = 3.14 x Shaft diameter (ins.) x Length of bearing (ins.)Slides, Gibs and Ways:
Area (in2) = Area of largest contact surface Anti-Friction Bearings: Area (in2) = Shaft
diameter squared x number of rows

Gears:
Area (in2) = 3.14 x Pitch diameter of gear (ins.) x width of gear (ins.)

Sizing Example: Plain bearing with 6 inch shaft and 6 inch long bearing surface using oil.
Area (in2) = 3.14 x 6(ins.) x 6 (ins.) = 113.04 (in2)
Volume (in3/hr.) = 113.04 (in2) x .001 (in.) 
= .113 (in3/hr.) lube oil replacement rate

Should this need to be converted to metric, the requirement for this single bearing
application would be 1.85 cubic centimetres per hour.
.113 (in3/hr.) x 16.39 = 1.85 (cc3/hr.)

Each and every bearing or lube point on a machine would be calculated in this fashion and
when done, the replacement rates for all points would be added together to determine the
total system lubrication requirement.

ELECTRICAL FORMULAS

Volts: (E)
Volts = Square root of (Watts x Ohms)
= Watts / Amperes
= Amperes x Ohms
Ohms: (R)
Ohms= Volts / Amperes
= Volts squared / Watts
= Watts / Amperes squared
Watts: (W)
Watts = Volts squared / Ohms
= Amperes squared x Ohms
= Volts x Amperes
Amperes: (I)
Amps = Volts / Ohms
= Watts / Volts
= Square root of (Watts / Ohms)
 

PNEUMATIC FORMULAS

Air valves are sized for flow capacity (Cv) based on given cylinder piston size, stroke and
travel time requirements. Cv is actually a flow coefficient that measures the amount of air a
device can pass. The following formula can be used for air valve sizing:

Cv =Area (in2) x Length (ins.) x Compression factor 

Pressure drop factor x Time (secs) x 29

Area = Effective cylinder piston area in square inches

(A = 3.1416 x radius2 – or –  diameter2 x .7854)

Note: For the rod end (annulus end) of the cylinder, the same area formulas apply, but to
calculate accurately, one must take the cylinder area (in 2) minus the rod area (in2) in using this
valve sizing formula for determining return stroke Cv rating.

Pressure Drop Factor PD for Various Pressure Drops

 
Supply Compression
2 5 15 20
Pressure Factor
10
PSI  
CF PSID 
 
40 3.7 9.9 15.3 20.5 23.6 N/A
50 4.4 10.8 16.7 22.6 26.4 29
60 5.1 11.7 18.1 24.6 29 32
70 5.8 12.5 19.3 26.5 31.3 34.8
80 6.4 13.2 20.5 28.2 33.5 37.4
90 7.1 13.9 21.6 29.8 35.5 39.9
100 7.8 14.5 22.7 31.3 37.4 42.1
110 8.5 15.2 23.7 32.8 39.3 44.3
120 9.2 15.8 24.7 34.2 41.0 46.4
130 9.8 16.4 25.6 35.5 42.7 48.4
140 10.5 16.9 26.5 36.8 44.3 50.3
150 11.2 17.5 27.4 38.1 45.9 52.1

Length = simply the total cylinder stroke length in inches

Compression factor = Taken from the table based on supply pressure rating.

Pressure drop factor = Taken from the table….10 or 15 psi drop is a good guideline for
using in this formula

Time = Required cylinder stroke time in seconds

Sizing Example:

6 inch bore cylinder with 2 inch rod and 15 inch stroke…. 2 second travel time….100 psi
supply pressure….and 15 psi pressure drop factor will be used:

1. Calculate piston area in square inches

(A = 6 ins. x 6 ins. x .7854  =  28.2 in2)

Note that this is the cylinder extend area, to calculate the cylinder return area, the rod area
must be subtracted from

(A = 2 ins. x 2 ins. x .7854 = 3.14 in2)

Cylinder return area is then 28.2 in2 – 3.14 in2 = 25.06 in2

2. Simply apply application variables to the Cv sizing formula:

Cv = 28.2 in2 x 15 ins. x 7.8 =      3,299 =    1.52 Cv 

37.4 x 2 secs x 29                  2,169

3. Select a valve that meets this 1.52 Cv rating.

Many fluid power engineering and data resources have flow charts to simplify this sizing
process, but in absence of those charts, this information should help to size pneumatic
valve requirements.

Air Flow Rates

Standard Cubic Feet Per Minute (SCFM)

One cubic foot of gas (air) per minute at standard conditions of 68 degrees F, 14.69 psi and
a relative humidity of 36%.

Cubic Feet Per Minute (CFM): One cubic foot of gas (air) per minute at actual conditions…
ie: at actual temperature and compressed or expanded pressure.

Free Air Flow: The volume of air at normal atmospheric conditions which enters a vacuum
system due to the lower pressure caused by the pump or vacuum in a tank.

Expanded Air Flow: Air flow inside a vacuum system, same as CFM.

SCFM and Compressor Horsepower Requirements: To calculate pneumatic cylinder air

consumption in SCFM and convert it to required air compressor horsepower, please
request an RHM Fluid Power Data Book which includes quick reference charts for these
purposes.