Hydraulic hand pump

Right bottom clock wise:

  1. Male to male adapter 1/4″
  2. Female t-piece 1/4″ –> male to male adapter –> female high pressure valve for medium reservoir (not yet shown)
  3. Male to female adapter 1/4″
  4. Distance piece male to female 1/4″
  5. Male to male adapter 1/4″
  6. Female t-piece 1/4″ –> male high pressure 3-way valve for pressure relief –> gauge 250 bar
  7. Male to male adapter 1/4″
  8. Female t-piece 1/4″ –> plug. Also suitable to accept a pressure transducer for calibration
  9. Male to female high pressure hydraulic hose (to be replaced by a more flexible 1/4″ braided PTFE hose)
  10. Male to male adapter 1/4″
  11. Female to female adapter 1/4″ (sound a little over the top but this is to save the female thread of the hose)
  12. Exchangable adapter (in this case male 1/4″ to male M10x1,0 (metric equivalent and used in many of my motors)
  13. Bulkhead with female M10x1 thread

All threads are BSP unless mentiond otherwise and secured with high pressure thread sealant.

The purpose of this pump, which uses glycol as a pressurizing medium, is for hydro-static pressure testing of rocket motors. This allows a completed motor to be safely tested to 150% operating pressure (or greater) to confirm structural integrity and to check for possible leakage.

After reading the following I decided to use 100% glycol as a pressurizing medium: Water-glycol Hydraulic Fluid: Water-glycol fluids contain from 35 to 60 percent water to provide the fire resistance, plus a glycol antifreeze such as ethylene, diethylene, or propylene which is nontoxic and biodegradable, and a thickener such as polyglycol to provide the required viscosity. These fluids also provide all the important additives such as antiwear, foam, rust, and corrosion inhibitors. Operating temperatures for water-glycol fluids should be maintained below 49°C (120°F) to prevent evaporation and deterioration of the fluid. To prevent separation of fluid phases or adverse effects on the fluid additives, the minimum temperature should not drop below 0° C (32° F).