Ball Piston Pump With Oscillating Cavities for Viscous Fluids
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fluid pumps struggle to efficiently move fluids with higher viscosities, particularly at lower temperatures, and maintain consistent flow rates as viscosity changes over time.
Innovation Solution
A fluid pump design featuring a cam plate with an eccentric and narrowed interior cam surface, a rotating hub, and piston members that experience centrifugal and centripetal forces to create oscillating motion, allowing for suction and pressure phases to manage fluid flow through alternating eccentric and narrowed sections.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional fluid pump designs are used, then the pump structure is simple, but the pump cannot efficiently move fluids with higher viscosities particularly at lower temperatures
Solution Approach 1:
The piston members are designed to dynamically oscillate between extended and retracted positions within the piston cavities, creating varying flow cavity volumes that effectively handle viscous fluids. This dynamic motion allows the pump to adapt to viscosity changes and maintain efficient fluid movement
Solution Approach 2:
The pump utilizes periodic oscillation of piston members driven by centrifugal and centripetal forces during rotation. This periodic expansion and compression of flow cavities creates consistent suction and pressure phases that efficiently move viscous fluids regardless of temperature-induced viscosity changes
2Productivity
If conventional pump designs are used, then the device complexity is low, but the flow rate consistency changes as viscosity changes over time
Solution Approach 1:
The rotating hub with piston cavities and oscillating piston members creates dynamically varying flow cavities that maintain consistent flow rates. The centrifugal and centripetal forces automatically adjust piston positions to compensate for viscosity changes, ensuring stable flow without complex control systems
Solution Approach 2:
The pump design incorporates parameters that automatically adapt to viscosity changes through the oscillating piston motion. The flow cavity volume, pressure, and suction phases are dynamically adjusted based on the viscosity of the fluid being pumped, maintaining consistent flow rates across varying conditions
3Productivity
If the cam plate defines alternating eccentric and narrowed sections, then the suction and pressure phases are optimized for viscous fluids, but the manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The cam plate features alternating eccentric and narrowed sections that create asymmetric flow paths. This asymmetric geometry optimizes the suction and pressure phases for viscous fluid handling by creating larger expansion volumes during suction and more focused compression during pressure phases
Solution Approach 2:
The cam surface is segmented into distinct eccentric and narrowed sections that separately optimize different phases of fluid handling. This segmentation allows each section to be optimized for its specific function while maintaining overall manufacturability through modular design
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 design efficiently moves fluids with higher viscosities and maintains consistent flow rates by expanding and compressing flow cavities, accommodating viscosity changes, and ensuring continuous fluid movement.
Implementation Method 1
Rotation of the hub generates a centrifugal force that biases the piston members toward the interior cam surface and away from a rotational axis of the hub
Implementation Method 2
Each suction phase biases the piston members outward to expand the flow cavity. The suction phases draw a fluid into the flow cavity from the inlet port
Implementation Method 3
Each pressure phase biases the piston members into the respective piston cavities to compress the flow cavity and expel the fluid from the flow cavity and toward the outlet port
Data Source
AI summary
A fluid pump includes a cam plate that defines an interior cam surface having an eccentric portion and a narrow portion. A hub rotates within the interior cam surface and has a piston cavity that is in communication with an inlet port and an outlet port. A piston member is operably received within the piston cavity to define a suction phase within the eccentric portion and a pressure phase within the narrowed portion. The piston member is biased outward by rotational operation of the hub. During the suction phase, the piston member is biased away from the piston cavity to define a flow cavity that draws fluid from the inlet port. During the pressure phase, the piston member is biased by the narrowed portion into the flow cavity to push the fluid from the flow cavity toward the outlet port.