Hydraulic Accumulator Damping Structure for Flushable Cleaning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing damping devices with hydraulic accumulators face difficulties in cleaning due to fluid residues trapped between the separator element and the accumulator wall, requiring disassembly and reassembly, which is complex, expensive, and results in long downtime.
Innovation Solution
A damping device with a second fluid room and a movable separating element that separates the fluid to be damped from the accumulator's fluid, allowing for easy flushing and eliminating the need for disassembly, using chemically neutral separating liquids and membranes made from PTFE or elastomers for effective cleaning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the hydraulic accumulator is cleaned by disassembly and reassembly, then complete removal of fluid residues is achieved, but the process becomes complex, expensive, and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The device is divided into two separate fluid rooms: the first fluid room (hydraulic accumulator) and the second fluid room (damper housing). This segmentation allows the second fluid room to be cleaned independently by flushing, while the first fluid room remains sealed and pressurized, eliminating the need for disassembly to achieve complete cleaning.
Solution Approach 2:
The cleaning function is extracted from the hydraulic accumulator system by introducing a separate second fluid room with its own movable separating element. This extracted cleaning path allows fluid residues to be removed through flushing without affecting the main hydraulic accumulator, simplifying the cleaning process while ensuring completeness.
2Reliability
If the hydraulic accumulator is disassembled for cleaning, then fluid residues are completely removed, but system downtime increases
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the fluid paths into two separate rooms with distinct separating elements, the cleaning operation can be performed on the second fluid room independently and simultaneously with the operation of the first fluid room, eliminating downtime while ensuring complete residue removal.
Solution Approach 2:
The second movable separating element acts as an intermediary that allows the cleaning fluid to flow through the second fluid room and contact the first separating element from the outside, enabling complete cleaning access without disassembling the main hydraulic accumulator and without stopping system operation.
3Ease of operation
If the separator element contacts the accumulator wall during cleaning, then cleaning access is improved, but fluid residues become trapped
Solution Approach 1:
The segmentation of fluid rooms ensures that the first separating element can be contacted and cleaned from the second fluid room side without creating dead spaces, as the two fluid paths are completely separated by the second movable separating element.
Solution Approach 2:
The second fluid room serves itself as a cleaning chamber, where the flushing medium flows through the second movable separating element and cleans the first separating element by contact, eliminating the need for external disassembly while preventing residue trapping through the self-cleaning flow path.
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
Enables efficient and economic cleaning of the damping device without system downtime, as the second fluid room can be flushed independently, and the use of chemically neutral liquids prevents contamination, ensuring compliance with cleanliness requirements.
Implementation Method 1
a movable separating element, which separates a gas side from a fluid room and can be pressurized by a fluid present in the fluid room
Implementation Method 2
the second fluid room contains a second movable separating element, which separates the second fluid room from the first fluid room of the hydraulic accumulator without dead space
Implementation Method 3
Damping devices, which have a hydraulic accumulator providing a flexible pressure cushion, are state of the art and are used in different fluid systems to smooth out occurring pressure pulsations
Implementation Method 4
a chemically neutral separating liquid can be inserted in the first fluid room. The neutral separating liquid does not cause contamination of the fluid system to be damped in the event of failure of the second separating element
Data Source
AI summary
A damping device for fluids subject to pressure pulsations has at least one hydraulic accumulator (2). The accumulator housing (4, 6) contains a movable separating element (18), which separates a gas side (14) from a fluid room (16) and can be pressurized by a fluid present in the fluid room (16). A damper housing (34) having a second fluid room (38) is provided as a component of the accumulator housing (4, 6). Through the second fluid room (38), the fluid subject to pressure pulsations can flow. The second fluid room (38) contains a second movable separating element (40), which separates the second fluid room (38) from the first fluid room (16) of the hydraulic accumulator (2) without dead space.