Abstract
With recent oil price increases, the fuel efficiency of hydraulic excavators has become a serious issue. Researchers have considered weight lightening by high pressurization in order to improve the efficiency of the excavator and pump controlled actuation (PCA) and to reduce pressure loss of hybrid and valves using mechanical inertia. However, high pressurization is not very effective because the excavator operates at a low speed; a hybrid is inefficient because little accumulated inertial energy is accumulated; and PCA is ineffective because control precision and responsibility are low. In this study, a method to minimize air and gas in hydraulic oil has been presented as a simple and new way to increase hydraulic efficiency.