Hydraulic apparatus comprising synthetically commutated machine, and operating method

An apparatus comprising a synthetically commutated machine with two or more services,

• the synthetically commutated machine comprising a rotatable shaft and a plurality of working chambers having a volume which varies cyclically with rotation of the rotatable shaft, each working chamber having low pressure and high pressure valves which regulate a flow of hydraulic fluid between the working chamber and low and high pressure lines,
• wherein at least the low pressure valves are electronically controlled valves,
• the apparatus comprising a controller which controls the electronically controlled valves in phased relationship with cycles of working chamber volume to thereby determine a net displacement of the hydraulic fluid by each working chamber on each cycle of working chamber volume,
• a prime mover coupled to the machine,
• a hydraulic circuit extending between the two or more services and a plurality of hydraulic loads to thereby fluidically connect the two or more services to the plurality of hydraulic loads such that groups of one or more services are fluidically connected to respective groups of one or more hydraulic loads,
• the apparatus configured such that the flow of the hydraulic fluid to or from a group of the groups of one or more services of the machine is controlled responsive to receiving a demand signal indicative of a demanded pressure or flow rate,
• wherein the pressure of and/or the flow rate of the hydraulic fluid accepted by, or output by each service is independently controllable, and the apparatus is configured to selectively connect an input or output of two or more of the services to thereby selectively increase an effective capacity of the services.