Accumulator Membrane Unit Elastic Deformation Energy Storage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing accumulator devices are unreliable during long-term use under demanding conditions due to failure at high varying pressures, leading to inefficiencies and maintenance requirements.
Innovation Solution
The accumulator membrane unit utilizes elastic deformation of membrane elements made from stiff, elastically deformable materials to store energy without losses, transforming external pressure into elastic energy stored in the material, allowing for resilient operation and maintenance-free performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If conventional accumulator devices use gas compression to store energy, then energy can be stored, but heat development occurs and reliability decreases under high varying pressures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the conventional gas compression mechanism with an elastic membrane deformation mechanism. The membrane unit deforms elastically under hydraulic pressure, storing energy in the elastic potential energy of the membrane material rather than through gas compression. This substitution eliminates heat development associated with gas compression and expansion, while the elastic material's ability to withstand varying pressures enhances reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical state and properties utilized for energy storage from gas compressibility to solid elastic deformation. By selecting membrane materials with appropriate elastic moduli and mechanical properties, the system achieves energy storage without the thermal effects and reliability issues of gas-based accumulators under high varying pressures.
2Strength
If conventional accumulators are designed for high pressure operation, then they can withstand high pressures, but they require maintenance and recharging
Solution Approach 1:
The elastic membrane unit automatically deforms and recovers without external intervention. The membrane's elastic properties enable it to withstand high pressures and automatically return to its original state, providing self-service operation without requiring maintenance or recharging. The system leverages the inherent elastic recovery of the membrane material to maintain functionality indefinitely.
3Adaptability or versatility
If membrane units are made from flexible materials, then they can deform easily, but they may fail under high varying pressures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by using materials with spatially varying properties or structures optimized for different regions of the membrane. The membrane may have different thicknesses, material compositions, or reinforcement patterns in different areas to balance deformability and strength, ensuring reliable operation under high varying pressures while maintaining necessary flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite materials that combine the benefits of flexibility and strength. By using composite structures or materials with tailored mechanical properties, the membrane achieves both the deformability needed for energy storage and the structural integrity required to withstand high varying pressures without failure.
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
The solution provides a reliable, long-lasting accumulator that absorbs and releases hydraulic energy efficiently, avoiding heat generation and maintaining stability under high pressures, enabling multiple working points and operating ranges without the need for recharging.
Implementation Method 1
pressurizing with an over-pressure of hydraulic medium on the outside of the accumulator membrane unit tends to flatten the unit through elastic deformation of the unit such that from a convex state it will more and more assume a flat state
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2a~2b
Figure 3
AI summary
An accumulator membrane unit (2) for inclusion into an accumulator chamber (6) in an accumulator (1) for storing hydraulic energy under pressure. The accumulator membrane unit includes membrane elements (3) that are sealingly joined at their peripheries and limit an inside membrane volume (V) which varies in dependence of a pressure at an outside of the accumulator membrane unit. The invention also concerns an accumulator, a method and a rock drilling machine.