sallidan Posted November 4, 2011 Share Posted November 4, 2011 I am just about to take charge of an Saladin and would like to have any advice/HELP! on where and how to 'Charge' the 'Actuators!?'. I live down south in Southampton. Thankyou. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0 rbrtcrowther Posted November 5, 2011 Share Posted November 5, 2011 I know they are supposed to be filled with inert gas or something but we have just had an bloody great screw type air compressor delivered at work that has and air drying plant on it. It produces "dry" air and is all computer controlled ect. Would it be ok to pump up an actuator using this....Oh hang just thought it only runs to 150psi so probably not...sorry just a thought... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0 griff66 Posted November 5, 2011 Share Posted November 5, 2011 might it need nitrogen ? bottled stuff goes to about 3750 psi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0 Richard Farrant Posted November 5, 2011 Share Posted November 5, 2011 The accumulators require charging with either dry air or nitrogen, to 500 psi + or - 50 psi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0 marvinthemartian Posted November 5, 2011 Share Posted November 5, 2011 Hi, I would recommend you send a PM to Oily, as he owns a Saracen, and is located in the Southampton area. Though if you find that your accumulators are knackered, I am in the process of having seals made up for them. Simon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0 sallidan Posted November 7, 2011 Author Share Posted November 7, 2011 Cheers for that, PM = Private Message, yes ?. I'll have crack it . Ta. Hi, I would recommend you send a PM to Oily, as he owns a Saracen, and is located in the Southampton area. Though if you find that your accumulators are knackered, I am in the process of having seals made up for them. Simon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0 Simon Daymond Posted November 8, 2011 Share Posted November 8, 2011 you could try talking to Routemaster bus owners. These buses have accumulators, and need charging. We did one recently, you need a regulator that goes high enough, and a coupling pipe. We used the gas from the welding set. Read up on it first though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0 Richard Farrant Posted November 8, 2011 Share Posted November 8, 2011 We used the gas from the welding set. :shake::shake: not oxygen I hope ? :shocked: Due to the presence of oil in the accumulator, any gas should be inert and without oxygen content. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0 griff66 Posted November 8, 2011 Share Posted November 8, 2011 yep plse not OXYGEN! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0 Simon Daymond Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 No, it was argon. BTW, the bus garages in London, laterly used to charge the Routemaster accumalators with compressed air. It worked, but needed charging more often. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0 Richard Farrant Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 No, it was argon. BTW, the bus garages in London, laterly used to charge the Routemaster accumalators with compressed air. It worked, but needed charging more often. Simon, Dry charged air is what was always used by the Army for Saracen, Saladin, and Leyland, we had small bottles for ease of use, which were charged by a special compressor with an air dryer. As far as I am aware, London Transport had always used air as well for Routemasters. Whilst working for the army, other equipment came in service, such as Scammell EKA, Terex loading shovles, etc, with nitrogen charged accumulators. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0 Simon Daymond Posted November 11, 2011 Share Posted November 11, 2011 cheers Richard BTW, I thought Routemasters had stopped running in London, but we were there yesterday and saw several. We went to see the newly cleaned Artillery monument at Hyde Park corner, sorry no pics, it was dark when we got there, and it isn't lit, which did surprise me a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0 simonm Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 Hi, I thought a note on what can go wrong if compressed air was used that had traces of oil in it. Many years ago 1983ish when I worked in the oil industry I was offshore Port Said, about halfway between Egypt and Cyprus. Part of the equipment on the oil rig is a mud pump, a very powerful machine that pumps drilling fluid (bentonite mud) so that it circulates through the drill string and then up the drilled hole cleaning out the drilled cuttings. This pump had the equivalent of accumulators such as will be seen on the Saracen, in the Saracen's case to have a reserve of pressure, in the mud pump to balance out the reciprocations of the piston. The accumulator in this case was a huge steel ball shaped device with a bolted plate on top that was at least 1.5 inches thick. The mud engineer had topped up the pressure from cylinders marked nitrogen but in fact had been filled locally with air. When the pump started, the accumulator exploded, driving the top cap (having stripped 10 or so very large bolts) through a cable duct and on through the ri floor, another inch or so of steel. I remember all this very vividly as just 2 hours before I was working directly above and in the path of the top cap. Basically, compressed air with even the smallest amount of oil under high pressure is explosive. The pictures show before and after, and the cap with a hand to show scale and some of the damage Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0 griff66 Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 few reasons why nitrogen is preferred , its inert, and molecules are comparably large so leak rate is slower Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0 Richard Farrant Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 few reasons why nitrogen is preferred , its inert, and molecules are comparably large so leak rate is slower There are different grades of Nitrogen so it is best to ensure it is what is called "oxygen-free Nitrogen", as it is the oxygen and oil that do not mix. Simon, it always made me wonder with Saracens, etc using accumulaters, as the pistons seals are archaic in design and after a period the compressed air passes into the hydraulic system, recharging being a regular operation when in service. The army spec was to use dry charged compressed air throughout their service life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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sallidan
I am just about to take charge of an Saladin and would like to have any advice/HELP! on where and how to 'Charge' the 'Actuators!?'. I live down south in Southampton. Thankyou.
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