Accumulators

Hydraulic Accumulators

We know accumulators

With over 25 years combined working experience with the market leader of hydraulic accumulators Exotech has the past knowledge to meet your needs today! 
Whether you have an old Christie Hydraulics AC37, Fawcett SA18.8, G11 or even a Greer 60A-21 Exotech can identify and offer a current model to meet todays stingent OH&S requirements.

Jean Mercier (1901–1971), a Frenchman, was known as the father of the bladder-type hydraulic accumulator. Mercier fled France for the United States during the Nazi invasion, eventually settling in New York City. After meeting Edward M. Greer in 1940, the two founded Greer Hydraulics (in 1942) to produce aircraft hydraulic components.

In 1943, Jean Mercier recognized an opportunity for his bladder type accumulators in Hamilton Standard‘s hydromatic propellers. They needed a device that would fit inside the dome of their propeller, and have the ability to store sufficient hydraulic fluid to “feather” the propeller on an engine failure that might be experienced in combat. It also had to be able to function at temperatures from −40 °F to +180 °F. There was a single insurmountable problem—weight, which was a problem since World War II aircraft were quite small. The use of a gas/oil separator, today called a bladder, solved the problem.

Greer and Mercier formed a patent company (Greer-Olaer) and Greer Hydraulics became the sole licensee, with the rights to continue development and to license other companies outside the U.S. From the early 1950s, bladder-type accumulators became the unit that was specified and used in almost every application where hydraulics was employed – machine tools, plastic machinery, circuit breakers, rock crushers, oil drilling, farm and road machinery, to name a few.

Greer Hydraulics was later acquired by Parker-Hannifin of Cleveland, Ohio.

Mercier was awarded the Franklin Institute‘s Certificate of Merit in 1951. He was also decorated Chevalier de la Legion d’honneur by the French Republic.

‘Jean Mercier (engineer)’ 2020, in Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia, Wikimedia Foundation Inc., viewed 8 May 2020, < https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Mercier_(engineer)>.

With such a prestigious history many companies manufactured accumulators under license with the  Greer –Mercier design including:

• Fawcett Engineering
• Christie Hydraulics
• Fawcett Christie Hydraulics (FCH)
• OLAER
• OILTECH
• Olaer Fawcett Chrisite (OFC)
• OILAIR Hydraulics

It is with this experience and knowledge which has made Exotech Fluid Management the only authorised build centre for the Parker Olaer accumulator and coolers in Australia.