How to Calculate Hydraulic Horse Power
When engineers design hydraulic pump systems, they also need to calculate hydraulic horsepower. A hydraulic pump system requires the use of a pump, a fluid and other devices to perform work. In a pump, the hydraulic horsepower is the power transmitted by the fluid flow under pressure. To determine this value, you will need a formula.
The determination of hydraulic horsepower involves using the formula (HP) = (FR X PR)/1714. In this formula, HP represents the hydraulic horsepower; FR is the flow rate of the fluid and PR stands for the pressure. The number 1714 is a conversion factor used to find the answer in terms of horsepower. For a hydraulic pump, this calculation specifies the horsepower a pump has to apply to a fluid to obtain a certain given pressure and flow rate. If you know these two factors, you can easily apply this formula.
- Have the flow rate and pressure in the correct units before doing the calculation. The flow rate (FR) should be in gallons per minute (gpm) and the pressure (PR) in pounds per square inch (psi).
- Apply the given formula to calculate the hydraulic horsepower (HP) required for a pump at a pressure of 1300 psi and water flow rate of 16 gpm.
- Substitute 16 gpm for FR and 1300 psi for PR into the formula (HP) = (FR X PR)/ 1714. Performing these substitutions, you get that HP = (16 x 1300)/1714
- Multiply (16 x 1300) to get 20800. Divide 20800 by 1714 to find the final answer of 12.13 HP. This number represents the required horsepower needed to drive the pump at the given pressure and flow rate. Note that you can utilize an online calculator to perform these calculations.