Under operating conditions characterized by large inlet valves or substantial load interfaces, valves such as cylindrical valves can be employed as the actuating mechanism for opening and closing, thereby replacing a single‑cylinder hydraulic drive with a multi‑cylinder configuration. Taking a cylindrical valve driven by six hydraulic cylinders as an example, during normal valve opening and closing, the water flow generates impact loads that vary in both timing and cross‑sectional position, manifesting as time‑varying dynamic loads. Consequently, the cylindrical valve must exhibit highly precise synchronous motion during operation; this requires multiple hydraulic cylinders to maintain high‑frequency responsiveness and real‑time adjustment of the hydraulic actuator’s stroke, ensuring accurate synchronized movement.
Therefore, actuating elements with synchronization capabilities should be employed. Earlier solutions included mechanical synchronization devices such as synchronous motors, or digital hydraulic cylinders featuring screw‑drive mechanisms. While synchronous motor‑based systems maintain reliable operation under normal cycling conditions, they suffer from a gradual loss of synchronization accuracy over time due to mechanical wear, which can introduce additional torque during valve actuation and result in closing characteristics that fail to meet control requirements. By contrast, digital hydraulic cylinders with screw‑drive architectures address the issue of declining synchronization accuracy caused by long‑term mechanical wear; however, this approach gives rise to two additional challenges: first, cavitation generated during screw‑thread operation can lead to structural fractures and shutdowns; second, encoder‑based position counting at high‑precision levels is prone to lost counts, and the need to achieve synchronization accuracy often necessitates custom‑made, non‑standard cylinders, complicating maintenance.
Schwerll’s Solution: Given the stringent safety requirements of operating conditions in hydropower, chemical processing, and similar industries, synchronous systems must also address the challenge of achieving reliable, high‑precision synchronous shutdown under power‑loss scenarios. Employing sprockets and gravity‑based mechanisms is clearly an outdated approach. Therefore, taking into account the functional characteristics of electro‑hydraulic control systems during power outages, it remains essential to ensure high‑precision synchronous closure even when subjected to dynamic hydraulic loads. Conventional methods typically rely on mechanical gravity‑chain drive mechanisms to accomplish synchronous shutdown in the event of a power failure. In contrast, Schwerll’s solution employs multiple servo cylinders equipped with high‑response servo valves, a multi‑channel synchronized cylinder‑valve architecture, and a piston‑type accumulator system with emergency‑operation capability to construct a hydraulically controlled synchronization system. This integrated approach resolves the dual challenges of maintaining high‑precision, long‑term reliability under dynamic loading conditions and ensuring dependable, high‑accuracy forced shutdown during power‑loss events.
The servo‑synchronization module system employs a piston accumulator with energy monitoring as its power source and utilizes a purpose‑built synchronized hydraulic cylinder valve to achieve dynamic water‑tight shutoff in the event of a power failure, significantly enhancing the precision of synchronous motion. Moreover, the system is compactly integrated, ensuring long‑term safe operation while consistently maintaining high‑precision synchronization.
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