Problems of the starting and operating of hydraulic components and systems in low ambient temperature

More and more intensive technology development makes it possible to produce modern hydraulically driven devices which secure high reliability of operation in various conditions. To design such devices, investigations are performed, including experimental tests, which are very expensive and time consuming. In the design process of a new hydraulically driven machine or system, designers frequently have to solve problems concerning its operation in different weather conditions, for instance in low ambient temperatures. Due to the complexity of the phenomena of concern, the serviceability of the designed hydraulic component or system in those conditions is most frequently assessed based on numerical calculations, much cheaper than the experiments. The article presents three methods: experimental, analytical, and that based on computer simulation, applied for assessing the serviceability of cold hydraulic components supplied with hot working medium being a source of a so-called thermal shock.