NFPA, ISO Working Toward Hydraulic Valve Energy Consumption and Efficiency Standards

by Eric Lanke
NFPA President/CEO

Utilizing a process for determining positions of public advocacy for standardization initiatives (see this NFPA News post), the NFPA Board of Directors has adopted the following position:

“The fluid power industry needs a standardized way to measure the energy consumption and efficiency of fluid power components and systems. As energy efficiency increasingly becomes a driver in fluid power’s core customer markets, such standards would provide an objective method for determining the efficiency contributions of fluid power products and for bringing new technologies more quickly to market.”

Work in this important area has been going on for some time in the various committees and task forces that produce international fluid power standards. Since November 2013, an ad hoc group of the U.S. TAG to ISO/TC 131 for Fluid Power Systems, led by John Berninger, TC 131 past chairperson and Parker Hannifin retiree, has met both at the national and international level to suggest proposals for adding component power loss measurement to current standards.

One area of activity in this regard has been hydraulic valves. A proposal for a revision to ISO 4411 (Hydraulic fluid power – Valves – Determination of pressure differential/flow characteristics) to include procedures for measuring power losses has been approved by the appropriate ISO working group. We’re now working to identify a project leader to make the revisions and champion the standard through the final approval process.

Members interested in helping to advance this project should contact Denise Rockhill in the NFPA office at drockhill@nfpa.com. NFPA will continue to look for ways to advance these and other activities forward. In our interactions with public policy professionals and wider industry networks, we will be speaking out about the need for these standards and, where appropriate, convening forums where interested parties—in and out of the ISO structure—can explore ways to advance the initiative.