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Hydra-Oil
Role and importance of oil used in Wanner Hydra-Cell Pro® pumps
We get a lot of questions about Hydra-Oil, the oil that ships in every new Wanner Hydra-Cell Pro® pump. This article covers the grades Wanner® supplies, what to put in after the first fill, and how to change it.
Call 908.362.9981
or submit a Hydra-Cell Pro inquiry
Hydra-Oil is offered in conventional, synthetic blend and fully synthetic versions. Inside the pump it does three jobs:
- Lubricate sliding and rotating parts
- Carry heat off those parts
- Form the hydraulic pistons that move the diaphragms and make flow
Oil thickens when it is cold and thins when it is hot. The grades used in Hydra-Cell Pro pumps are picked so those three jobs still work with:
- The room or outdoor air around the pump
- Pump-head material
- How hard and how long the pump runs
- Special fluid or contamination rules
Nomenclature
Most oils are labeled with numbers on either side of a “W”:
The number before the “W” is resistance to flow at 0°F. The number after the “W” is resistance to thinning at 212°F.
You want the oil thin enough that the shaft can start, thick enough in service to keep a film on the moving parts, and still in the viscosity band a hydraulic piston needs to respond quickly.
Environmental Considerations
Outdoors, or indoors with no temperature control, ambient air can push you to a different grade. 5W-30 for cold rooms. 15W-50 for hot rooms.
Pump Head Materials
The “head” is the manifold and valve plate. Non-alloy and brass heads shed heat better, so 10W-30 is typical. Ductile iron, stainless and other alloys hold more heat, so 10W-40 may be used because it stays thicker at the higher oil temperature.
EPDM diaphragms need oil that is listed as EPDM-compatible. Standard mineral oil attacks EPDM.
Operational Characteristics
Shaft speed and hours on the clock drive oil temperature. A pump near its maximum RPM on continuous duty application will require a grade that does not thin out — 10W-40 or 15W-50 even with a non-alloy head. Process-fluid temperature <160F does not add much to oil temperature, higher temperature process liquids often require using a larger pump or incorporating an oil cooler.
Special Considerations
The diaphragm is the barrier between process liquid and oil. It usually fails from over-pressure or from chemistry/temperature. Some applications cannot risk even a trace of conventional oil in their product, so they specify a special oil which is an acceptable risk. Food-contact oil is the usual request in food, beverage and bio-pharm applications. We also supply water-soluble oil and ammonia-resistant oil when the site or the emission rules require it. Use the standard Hydra-Oil viscosities as the selection guide for those specialties.
Hydra-Oil Part Numbers
Seven part numbers cover the line: A01-114-3430, A01-114-3440, A01-114-3415, A01-114-3416, A01-114-3410, A01-114-3407 and A01-114-3402. The chart below maps oil to pump model and shows how much each model holds.
When to Use Hydra-Oil
Hydra-Oil has extra molybdenum for the first 100 hours on a new pump. After that you can replace it with commercial 5W-30, 10W-30, 10W-40 or 15W-50, and it will usually cost less. Large pumps or a large group of pumps may still want the 2½-gallon Hydra-Oil pack. Stay with Hydra-Oil for food-contact and EPDM-compatible products.
Why Change the Oil
Metal fines stay suspended and add friction and heat. Heat and friction then cut lubricity, so wear speeds up if you never change the oil. The hydraulic end will last decades when following the recommended oil change schedule. Those parts can be replaced but they cost more time and money than a fluid-end kit.
Oil Change Frequency
The IOM manual for your model has a recommended oil change interval. A typical chart looks like this:
Oil Changing Procedure
Shut the pump down. Open the drain and let most of the oil and sediment out. Close the drain and refill. If there is a sight bottle, fill to about the bottom quarter of the cylinder. If not, fill to just below the entrance to the expansion chamber. That chamber sits on top of the pump under the fill cap. Oil expands into this chamber as it heats; the chamber gives it room so it does not vent out via the fill cap.
Oil Level Monitoring
If oil in the product is a problem, watch the level. The cheapest way is a sight bottle. If you cannot see oil in the bottle, it has left the hydraulic end — torn diaphragm, shaft-seal leak, or a cracked housing.
A float switch on the bottle will close a circuit if the level rises or falls too far.
Remote skids often use a monitoring kit with a Murphy SWITCHGAGE®.
Oil Cooling Systems
A Hydra-Cell Pro running continuously typically has an oil temperature of 185–190°F. Very hot rooms, or hot process liquids can push oil past 200°F. The cooling systems will take 250°F oil down to 185°F with ambient air at or to 80°F with a water cooled ssytem. Air-cooled or water-cooled depends on the site. Oil is pumped through fins the same way a car radiator works.
