Abstract: Hydraulic control rod drive technology (HCRDT) is a newly invented patent of Institute of Nuclear and New Energy Technology of Tsinghua University own independent intellectual property rights. The hydraulic cylinder is the key part of this technology, so the performance of the hydraulic cylinder directly affects the HCRDT. The theory model of the hydraulic cylinder was obtained and verified by the experiment. The parameters of the hydraulic cylinder were analyzed. The results show that the pressure of pump, the length and the diameter of the pipe, the external load, the coefficient of the spring, the width of the passageway of the seal ring affect the performance of the hydraulic cylinder, including the motion time of the hydraulic cylinder and the transient impact energy of the hydraulic cylinder arrival. Especially, the pressure of pump, the length of the pipe and the diameter of the pipe affect the hydraulic cylinder motion more largely. Furthermore, the hydraulic cylinder and the drive mechanism can be optimized based on the result.