Which type of accumulator is described as being constructed in two halves, either screwed or bolted together, and operates like a bladder-type accumulator?

• A. Gas-loaded accumulator
• B. No barrier accumulator
• C. Diaphragm type
• D. Piston-type

Answer: (C)

The main idea tested is how the separating element in an accumulator works when the housing is built from two halves and uses a flexible barrier to store energy. In a diaphragm-type accumulator, the shell is indeed made from two halves that are bolted or screwed together, with a flexible diaphragm clamped between them. This diaphragm acts as the separating boundary between the gas on one side and the hydraulic fluid on the other. As fluid is absorbed, the gas is compressed by the diaphragm, storing energy, and when flow drops, the gas pushes back through the diaphragm to smooth the pressure. This setup behaves like a bladder-type accumulator because the moving flexible barrier (the diaphragm) handles the volume changes without allowing the fluid and gas to mix. The diaphragm design contrasts with piston-type, which uses a rigid piston, and with no-barrier designs where the gas and fluid aren’t separated, making the two-halves diaphragm arrangement the correct match.