Accumulator Bellows Cap Gasket Pressure Balance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional accumulators face the risk of plastic deformation and seal damage due to significant pressure differences generated between liquid and gas pressures during thermal expansion, especially when the device is stopped and temperatures rise, leading to unbalanced pressure reception areas in the bellows.
Innovation Solution
The accumulator design incorporates a disc-like gasket that moves with the bellows cap to balance liquid and gas pressures by adjusting its position based on pressure receiving areas, using a spring mechanism to facilitate smooth operation and prevent deformation, and a rigid plate with elastic bodies for enhanced sealing and thermal expansion management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the bellows cap is fixed with a small pressure receiving area, then the seal contacts the stay at zero-down state, but the pressure difference between liquid and gas becomes excessively large during thermal expansion causing plastic deformation
Solution Approach 1:
The bellows cap is designed to be movable rather than fixed, allowing it to dynamically adjust its position based on pressure conditions. During thermal expansion, the bellows cap moves to accommodate the pressure difference between liquid and gas, preventing excessive stress on the bellows while maintaining seal contact at zero-down state through the stay mechanism.
2Strength
If the bellows cap area is increased to balance pressure, then plastic deformation is prevented, but the seal cannot contact the stay at zero-down state
Solution Approach 1:
The system is segmented into two functional components: the bellows cap for pressure balancing and the stay for seal positioning. The stay acts as a separate positioning mechanism that ensures seal contact at zero-down state, while the bellows cap independently manages pressure balance by moving to appropriate positions, allowing both functions to operate simultaneously without interference.
3Strength
If the bellows cap is made movable to adjust pressure, then pressure difference is reduced, but the structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The bellows cap utilizes the pressure difference between liquid and gas as the driving force for its own movement, eliminating the need for external actuators or complex control mechanisms. The system self-regulates by allowing the bellows cap to move automatically in response to pressure changes, reducing device complexity while maintaining effective pressure balance.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design effectively reduces pressure differences between the liquid and gas sides, preventing plastic deformation in the bellows and improving the durability of the accumulator by maintaining balanced pressures and ensuring smooth operation during thermal expansion.
Implementation Method 1
a spring mechanism to facilitate smooth operation
Implementation Method 2
a rigid plate with elastic bodies for enhanced sealing and thermal expansion management
Implementation Method 3
the liquid sealed in the liquid chamber and the charged gas are thermally expanded respectively, and the respective pressures rise
Data Source
AI summary
To prevent plastic deformation of a bellows due to a pressure difference between inner and outer sides of the bellows in an outside gas type or inside gas type accumulator, a disc-like gasket is held in a floatable state to a surface close to a stay in a bellows cap by a gasket holder, so that, the disc-like gasket moves together with the bellows cap at a steady operation time, the disc-like gasket moves together with the bellows cap to contact with an end surface portion of the stay, thereby closing the liquid chamber at a zero-down time, and the bellow cap moves toward a position where liquid pressure and gas pressure balance while the disc-like gasket keeps contacting with the stay due to a difference of pressure receiving areas in both the surfaces when the liquid in the liquid chamber is thermally expanded at a zero-down time.