Drive unit
By designing mechanically coupled control inlet valves and outlet valves in the drive unit and using the control of the outlet valve to open the inlet valve, the problem of high energy consumption in the drive unit in the prior art is solved, and energy consumption reduction and equipment cost optimization are achieved.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202380077432.X
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Priority Date
- 2022-11-08
- Filing Date
- 2023-11-07
- Publication Date
- 2025-06-24
AI Technical Summary
The existing drive units require high energy input in the control system to operate the plunger device, resulting in higher energy consumption and increased equipment costs.
A driving unit is designed in which the inlet valve and the outlet valve are controlled by mechanical coupling, the opening and closing of the outlet valve is controlled by the valve control unit, and the inlet valve is opened by the movement of the outlet valve, reducing the need to independently control the inlet valve and the outlet valve.
By reducing energy input to the inlet and outlet valve control systems, the overall energy consumption and cost of the drive unit is reduced while avoiding friction and leakage problems caused by deformable seals in high pressure areas.
Smart Images
Figure CN120202347A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The invention relates to a drive unit according to the preamble of claim 1 and to the use of such a drive unit. Background Art
[0002] In a typical drive unit, a crankshaft or the like is driven by one or more plungers. For their part, the plungers are driven by supplying a high-pressure fluid, which is admitted into a working chamber of the plunger arrangement. Once the plunger is driven, the fluid, which has a reduced pressure due to the expansion of the working chamber, is forced to withdraw from the working chamber via a pressure line when the plunger returns to its initial position. These plunger cycles are controlled via a valve arrangement with an inlet valve and an outlet valve, which are controlled via a valve control system.
[0003] Typically, separate inlet and outlet valves are used for this purpose, each valve being individually controlled via a valve control unit. Summary of the invention
[0004] The object of the invention is to be able to operate drive units of the same type with a reduced energy input for the control system.
[0005] This first object is achieved by a drive unit having the features of claim 1 .
[0006] A drive unit according to the present invention has a plunger device having a first working chamber and a plunger arranged in the first working chamber so as to be reciprocatingly movable in an axial direction.
[0007] The drive unit also has a valve housing having a high-pressure connection and a low-pressure connection. A valve seat ring is arranged in the valve housing, having a second working chamber fluidically connected to the first working chamber, a high-pressure valve seat leading to the second working chamber, and a low-pressure valve seat leading to the second working chamber.
[0008] The inlet valve is arranged on the high-pressure valve seat between the high-pressure connection and the valve seat ring.
[0009] The outlet valve is arranged on the low-pressure valve seat between the low-pressure connection and the valve seat ring.
[0010] At least the opening of the inlet valve may be controlled via the outlet valve, and the opening and closing of the outlet valve may be controlled via the valve control unit.
[0011] In the working position, the outlet valve is closed and the inlet valve is moved to the open position via the outlet valve, such that the high-pressure fluid supplied via the high-pressure connection can be supplied to the first working chamber via the second working chamber, and in the non-working position, the outlet valve is open and the inlet valve is closed, such that after driving the plunger, the low-pressure fluid can be discharged from the first working chamber via the second working chamber and the low-pressure connection. The at least one plunger may be coupled to a consumption device (connected to a crankshaft).
[0012] With such a drive unit, the control energy of the valve devices of the inlet valve and the outlet valve can be reduced, since only the outlet valve needs to be actuated, which enables the inlet valve to open by moving.
[0013] Furthermore, the compact arrangement of the inlet valve and the outlet valve enables the drive unit as a whole to be made smaller, thereby reducing the cost of the drive unit.
[0014] Another advantage of this drive unit is that with this design, there are no deformable seals in the high-pressure area, which can cause pressure-related friction, thereby having a negative impact on the switching time of the valve, or, if labyrinth seals are selected, additional leakage and reduced efficiency.
[0015] Advantageous embodiment variants of the invention are the subject matter of the dependent claims.
[0016] According to an advantageous embodiment variant, the outlet valve has a tappet protruding into the second working chamber, the tappet having a first sealing surface which, in the closed position of the tappet, abuts against the sealing surface of the low-pressure valve seat. The inlet valve has a closing body having a second sealing surface which, when the closing body is in the closed position, abuts against the sealing surface of the high-pressure valve seat. When moving from the open position to the closed position, the tappet pushes the closing body from the closed position to the open position.
[0017] This mechanical coupling of the inlet valve and the outlet valve ensures reliable control of the inlet valve via the outlet valve.
[0018] According to an advantageous further refinement, in the closed position of the outlet valve, the first sealing surface of the tappet is in contact with the sealing surface of the low-pressure valve seat, and in the closed position of the inlet valve, the closing body is in contact with the sealing surface of the high-pressure valve seat.
[0019] According to an advantageous further refinement, the first sealing surface is designed as a conical annular surface which connects a first cylindrical tappet section extending through the valve seat ring into the second working chamber with a second cylindrical tappet section extending in the direction of the low-pressure connection.
[0020] The tappet is preferably guided only in the region of the section where the tappet extends away from the valve seat ring from the second cylindrical tappet section in the low-pressure section of the housing body of the valve housing, or is guided in a guide bushing arranged in the housing body, and is sealed in this region by an elastically deformable low-pressure seal or a low-pressure seal designed as a labyrinth seal.
[0021] This enables the deformable seal to be arranged specifically only in the low-pressure range to isolate and seal the tappet from the environment or the valve controller.
[0022] According to a further advantageous refinement, the inlet valve has an accumulator, in particular in the form of a compression spring, which presses the closing body into its closed position.
[0023] In particular, this means that the tappet of the outlet valve only needs to abut against the closing body of the inlet valve without moving it to its closed position.
[0024] According to a preferred embodiment variant, the closing body is designed as a sphere, the particular advantage of which is that when the inlet valve is open, there is almost no turbulence due to the spherical surface.
[0025] According to a preferred embodiment variant, the outlet valve can be pneumatically, electrically or hydraulically controlled.
[0026] According to a preferred embodiment variant, the valve control unit is coupled to a position sensor that detects the rotational position of the crankshaft and thus the position of the plunger in the first working chamber.
[0027] According to another preferred embodiment variant, at least three, preferably five, plunger devices are provided, and each plunger is assigned an inlet valve and an outlet valve.
[0028] According to the present invention, the use of the drive unit for pressure control in a hydraulic process assembly is characterized in that the drive unit is designed as described above, wherein the drive unit is coupled to the process assembly such that the plunger is coupled to a generator for generating electrical energy via the crankshaft, or is coupled to a mechanism that uses the rotational movement transmitted to the crankshaft via the crankshaft. Description of the Drawings
[0029] Hereinafter, preferred exemplary embodiments will be explained in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0030] Figure 1 A schematic cross-sectional view showing a variant of the drive unit according to the present invention;
[0031] Figure 2 Showing Figure 1Enlarged sectional view of the cross-section of the drive units marked II and III, showing the inlet valve and the outlet valve and the valve seat ring, where the outlet valve is closed and the inlet valve is open, and
[0032] Figure 3 showing the corresponding enlarged sectional view where Figure 2 the outlet valve is open and the inlet valve is closed. Detailed Description of the Invention
[0033] In the following description of the drawings, terms such as top, bottom, left, right, front, and back specifically refer to the exemplary representations and positions of the drive unit, the plunger device, the plunger, the valve seat ring, the inlet valve, the outlet valve, etc. selected in the corresponding drawings. These terms should not be understood restrictively, that is, these references can be changed due to different working positions or mirror-symmetrical designs, etc.
[0034] In Figure 1 the reference numeral 1 is used to designate a variant of the drive unit.
[0035] The drive unit 1 basically consists of a plunger device 2 with a plunger 22, which is arranged in a working chamber 22 of a plunger housing surrounding the plunger 22 so that it can reciprocate axially (coaxially in the exemplary embodiment shown) in the direction of its longitudinal axis. The plunger 22 and the plunger housing 23 are accommodated in a plunger frame 10.
[0036] It is also conceivable to design the drive unit 1 with such a plunger device, where the plungers are preferably arranged in one or more rows side by side.
[0037] A crankshaft 12 etc. is preferably connected in the region of one end of the plunger 22 so that the movement of the plunger 22 can directly or indirectly drive the consumption device. The crankshaft 12 is coupled to the plunger 22 via a connecting rod 13 and a coupling member 14 attached to the connecting rod 13.
[0038] It is also conceivable to use the drive unit 1 for energy recovery, where the fluid that has been raised to a high pressure in a previous process is supplied into the drive unit 1, and a generator is driven, for example, via a plunger driven by high pressure and a crankshaft connected to the plunger, and the generator converts the energy released by the expansion of the high-pressure fluid into electrical energy.
[0039] The first working chamber 21 of the plunger device 2 is connected to a high-pressure pipeline 8 arranged in a connecting frame 9, and this high-pressure pipeline in turn leads to a valve housing 3.
[0040] As Figure 1 shown, the valve housing 3 has a housing body 33, and a high-pressure connection portion 31 is connected to its lower side. The high-pressure connection portion 31 is accommodated in another frame 11, which is attached to the housing body 33 of the valve housing 3.
[0041] The housing body 33 of the valve housing 3 itself also has a low-pressure connection portion 32.
[0042] The valve seat ring 4 is arranged in the cavity of the housing body 33.
[0043] The valve seat ring 4 has a second working chamber 41 fluidly connected to the first working chamber 21, a high-pressure valve seat 42 leading to the second working chamber 41, and a low-pressure valve seat 43 leading to the second working chamber 41.
[0044] The inlet valve 5 is arranged on the high-pressure valve seat 41 between the high-pressure connection portion 31 and the valve seat ring 4.
[0045] The outlet valve 6 is arranged on the low-pressure valve seat 43 between the low-pressure connection portion 32 and the valve seat ring 4.
[0046] The inlet valve 5 is opened by the movement of the outlet valve 6.
[0047] The outlet valve 6 is opened and closed via the valve control unit 7, as Figure 1 shown in the example. There is no separate valve control unit for opening or closing the inlet valve 5.
[0048] In the embodiment variant according to Figure 2 and Figure 3 shown herein, both the high-pressure valve seat 42 and the low-pressure valve seat 43 are designed as approximately annular grooves that enclose the second working chamber 41, having corresponding sealing surfaces 421, 431, and these sealing surfaces, together with the inlet valve 5 or the outlet valve 6, prevent or release the flow of fluid.
[0049] In the embodiment variant shown herein, the outlet valve 6 has a tappet 61 that projects into the second working chamber 41, and a first sealing surface 614 is integrally formed on the outer surface of the tappet. In the closed position of the tappet 61, this sealing surface directly abuts against the sealing surface 431 of the low-pressure valve seat 43, that is, in order to seal the second working chamber 41 on the low-pressure side, the tappet 61 directly abuts against the valve seat ring 4 (the sealing surface 431 of the low-pressure valve seat 43 of the valve seat ring 4).
[0050] In the embodiment variant shown herein, the first sealing surface 614 is designed as a conical annular surface that connects a first cylindrical tappet section 612 extending through the second working chamber 41 of the valve seat ring 4 to a second cylindrical tappet section 613 extending in the direction of the low-pressure connection portion 32.
[0051] The end face 611 of the tappet 61 is designed to fit the contact surface of the closing body 51 of the inlet valve 5.
[0052] The portion of the tappet 61 that extends away from the first tappet section 612 and from the second cylindrical tappet section 613 is guided only in the low-pressure section of the housing body 33 of the valve housing 3, or preferably in a guide bushing arranged in the housing body 33, and is sealed by an elastically deformable low-pressure seal 15.
[0053] The low-pressure seal can also be designed as a labyrinth seal to reduce the frictional component of the valve circuit.
[0054] The low-pressure section of the housing body 33 is understood to be the section of the housing body 33 that is not exposed to high pressure. As Figure 2 and Figure 3 can be seen, this low-pressure section extends above the low-pressure valve seat 43 in the direction of the low-pressure connection 32 and, in addition, extends into the area of the housing body 33 for guiding the tappet 61.
[0055] The preferably spherical closing body 51 is pressed against the contact surface 611 of the tappet 61 from the side facing away from the tappet 61 by an accumulator bracket or another accumulator 54 pretensioned with a compression spring.
[0056] As Figure 1 shown, the valve control unit 7 is preferably designed as a pneumatic control unit and has a compressed air inlet 75 which, when compressed air enters, pushes the valve disk 71 downward relative to the cover 73, where the valve disk 71 drives the tappet 61, thereby closing the outlet valve and simultaneously opening the inlet valve.
[0057] In the embodiment variant shown herein, if the compressed air is released again to open the outlet valve 6, the valve disk 71 that drives the tappet 61 is pressed back to its initial position against the cover 73 by a compression spring 74.
[0058] The valve control unit 7 preferably has a housing part 72 with an internal thread which is screwed onto the external thread of the cross-section 34 of the valve housing 3. For example, a flange connection can also be envisaged between the valve control unit 7 and the valve housing 3.
[0059] As an alternative to the spherical closing body 51, a cylindrical or conical closing body 51 can also be envisaged.
[0060] The accumulator 54, which is designed herein as a compression spring, is received in a cylindrical recess of the accumulator bracket and is supported on a step of the closing body receiving part 56 in the valve holding body 55.
[0061] In an envisaged embodiment variant in which the closing body 51 is directly connected to the tappet 61, the accumulator unit 54 is not necessary. In this case, the compression spring 74 acting on the valve disk 71 of the valve control unit 7 can assume this function.
[0062] The fluid connection of the closing body receiving part 56 is closed and connected to the high-pressure connection part 31.
[0063] High-pressure fluid can flow through the closing body 51 into the second working chamber 41 of the valve seat ring via the closing body receiving part 56 through the passage opening 52 provided in the accumulator bracket, provided that the second sealing surface 511 of the closing body 51 does not abut against the sealing surface 421 of the high-pressure valve seat 42, and the closing body 51 is pressed against this high-pressure valve seat by the force of the spring retainer.
[0064] In its position where it seals the second working chamber 41, the closing body 51, like the first sealing surface 614 of the tappet 61, directly abuts against the sealing surface 421 of the high-pressure valve seat 42 of the valve seat ring 4.
[0065] This means that no elastic sealing element is installed in the high-pressure range, otherwise it will cause pressure-related friction, which will have a negative impact on the switching time of the valve.
[0066] To drive the plunger 22 from its top dead center (as Figure 1 shown), the inlet valve 5 must be opened in the first working chamber 21.
[0067] To open the inlet valve 5, the tappet 61 presses against the closing body 51 and pushes the closing body 51 downward away from the sealing surface 421 of the high-pressure valve seat 42 against the force of the accumulator 54.
[0068] The inlet valve 5 is opened by the movement of the outlet valve 6.
[0069] The outlet valve 6 is opened and closed via the valve control unit 7 as described above, as Figure 1 shown in the example.
[0070] The mechanical or geometric connection between the tappet 61 of the outlet valve 6 and the closing body 51 of the inlet valve 5 is such that in the working position (where the plunger 22 is driven by the high-pressure fluid supplied to the first working chamber 21 by its own movement to drive the crankshaft), the outlet valve 6 can be closed, and the inlet valve 5 is moved to the open position by the outlet valve 6, as Figure 2 shown.
[0071] At the bottom dead center of the plunger 2, the outlet valve 6 is depressurized. As Figure 3 shown, the outlet valve 6 opens and the inlet valve 5 closes, so that after the plunger 22 is driven, the low-pressure fluid can be discharged from the first working chamber 21 via the second working chamber 41 and the low-pressure connection part 32.
[0072] Comparing Figure 2 and Figure 3 it can be seen that when the outlet valve 6 is open, the tapered annular first sealing surface 614 of the tappet 61 does not contact the sealing surface 431 of the low-pressure valve seat 43.
[0073] In this regard, the downward movement of the tappet 61 in the Z direction (as Figure 2 shown) causes the outlet valve 6 to close while the inlet valve 5 is open, where the closing body 51 is pushed away from the sealing surface 421 of the high-pressure valve seat 42.
[0074] Furthermore, the above design means that there is no need for any moving parts to be sealed to the outside in the high-pressure area, so dynamic sealing elements, especially in the form of elastic sealing lips or labyrinth seals, can be completely dispensed with in the high-pressure area.
[0075] The outlet valve 6 is preferably pneumatically, electrically or hydraulically controllable.
[0076] The above drive unit 1 can be used in a first application for energy recovery in a hydraulic process setup, thereby generating electrical energy. For this purpose, a generator for generating electrical energy is coupled to at least one plunger 22 via the crankshaft 12.
[0077] In a second use of the drive unit 1, a mechanism that utilizes the rotational movement transmitted to the crankshaft is coupled via the crankshaft 12. The mechanism that utilizes the rotational movement can be a pump, for example, where the plunger of the pump is coupled to the crankshaft 12.
[0078] Other consuming devices that utilize the rotational kinetic energy generated by the drive unit 1 are also conceivable.
[0079] List of reference numerals
[0080] 1 Drive unit
[0081] 2 Plunger device
[0082] 21 First working chamber
[0083] 22 Plunger
[0084] 23 Plunger housing
[0085] 3 Valve housing
[0086] 31 High-pressure connection
[0087] 32 Low-pressure connection
[0088] 33 Housing body
[0089] 34 Flange
[0090] 4 Valve seat ring
[0091] 41 Second working chamber
[0092] 42 High-pressure valve seat
[0093] 421 Sealing surface
[0094] 43 Low-pressure valve seat
[0095] 431 Sealing surface
[0096] 44 Ring body
[0097] 45 Transverse hole
[0098] 5 Inlet valve
[0099] 51 Closing body
[0100] 511 Second sealing surface
[0101] 52 Passage opening
[0102] 53 Spring retainer
[0103] 54 Accumulator
[0104] 55 Valve retaining body
[0105] 56 Closing body receiving portion
[0106] 6 Outlet valve
[0107] 61 Tappet
[0108] 611 End face
[0109] 612 First tappet segment
[0110] 613 Second tappet segment
[0111] 614 First sealing surface
[0112] 7 Valve control unit
[0113] 71 Valve disc
[0114] 72 Flange
[0115] 73 Cover
[0116] 74 Compression spring
[0117] 75 Compressed air inlet
[0118] 8 High-pressure pipeline
[0119] 9 Connecting frame
[0120] 10 Plunger frame
[0121] 11 Frame
[0122] 12 Crankshaft
[0123] 13 Connecting rod
[0124] 14 Coupling
[0125] 15 Low-pressure seals.
Claims
1. A drive unit (1), comprising: - A plunger device (2) having a first working chamber (21) and a plunger (22) arranged in the first working chamber (21) so as to be axially reciprocable, - A valve housing (3) having a high-pressure connection (31) and a low-pressure connection (32), - A valve seat ring (4) arranged in the valve housing (3), the valve seat ring having a second working chamber (41) fluidly connected to the first working chamber (21), a high-pressure valve seat (42) leading to the second working chamber, and a low-pressure valve seat (43) leading to the second working chamber, - An inlet valve (5) arranged on the high-pressure valve seat (41) between the high-pressure connection (31) and the valve seat ring (4), - An outlet valve (6) arranged on the low-pressure valve seat (43) between the low-pressure connection (32) and the valve seat ring (4), Characterized in that - The opening of at least the inlet valve (5) can be controlled via the outlet valve (6), and the opening and closing of the outlet valve (6) can be controlled via a valve control unit (7), - Wherein, in the working position, the outlet valve (6) is closed and the inlet valve (5) is moved to the open position by the outlet valve (6), so that the high-pressure fluid supplied via the high-pressure connection (31) can be supplied to the first working chamber (21) via the second working chamber (41), and in the non-working position, the outlet valve (6) is open and the inlet valve (5) is closed, so that after driving the plunger (22), the low-pressure fluid can be discharged from the first working chamber (21) via the second working chamber (41) and the low-pressure connection (32), - Wherein the at least one plunger (22) can be coupled to a consumption device.
2. The drive unit (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The outlet valve (6) has a tappet (61) protruding into the second working chamber (41), the tappet having a first sealing surface (614), in the closed position of the tappet (61), the first sealing surface abuts against the sealing surface (431) of the low-pressure valve seat (43), and the inlet valve (5) has a closing body (51), the closing body having a second sealing surface (511), in the closed position of the closing body (51), the second sealing surface abuts against the sealing surface (421) of the high-pressure valve seat (42), wherein, when moving from the open position to the closed position, the tappet (61) pushes the closing body (51) from the closed position to its open position.
3. The drive unit (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that, In the closed position of the outlet valve (6), the first sealing surface (614) of the tappet (61) contacts the sealing surface (431) of the low-pressure valve seat (43), and in the closed position of the inlet valve (5), the closing body (51) contacts the sealing surface (421) of the high-pressure valve seat (42).
4. The drive unit (1) according to claim 3, characterized in that, The first sealing surface (614) is designed as a conical annular surface which connects a first cylindrical tappet section (612) extending through the second working chamber (41) of the valve seat ring (4) to a second cylindrical tappet section (613) extending in the direction of the low-pressure connection (32).
5. The drive unit (1) according to claim 4, characterized in that, The tappet (61) is guided only in the region of the section of the tappet (61) extending away from the valve seat ring (4) from the second cylindrical tappet section (613) in the low-pressure section of the housing body (33) of the valve housing (3) or in a guide bush arranged in the housing body (33), and is sealed in this region by an elastically deformable low-pressure seal (15) or by a low-pressure seal designed as a labyrinth seal.
6. The drive unit (1) according to any one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that, The inlet valve (5) has an energy accumulator (54), in particular in the form of a compression spring, which presses the closing body (51) into its closed position.
7. The drive unit (1) according to any one of claims 2 to 6, characterized in that, The closing body (51) is designed as spherical, conical or cylindrical.
8. The drive unit (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, The outlet valve (6) can be pneumatically controlled, electrically controlled or hydraulically controlled.
9. The drive unit (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, The valve control unit (7) is coupled to a position sensor which provides the rotational position of a drive shaft coupled to the plunger (22) or the position of the plunger (22) in the first working chamber (21).
10. The drive unit (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, At least three, preferably five, plunger devices (2) are provided, each plunger device having a plunger (22), wherein each of the plungers is assigned an inlet valve (5) and an outlet valve (6).
11. Use of a drive unit (1) for energy recovery in a hydraulic process assembly, characterized in that, The drive unit (1) is designed according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the drive unit (1) is coupled to the process assembly such that the plunger (22) is coupled via a crankshaft (12) to a generator for generating electrical energy or to a mechanism using the rotational movement transmitted to the crankshaft.