Ball Circulation Pump Skid with Collection Capsule
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current ball circulation pump skids with recessed impellers are inefficient, leading to higher power consumption and increased costs due to the need for larger motors to prevent damage to cleaning balls during operation.
Innovation Solution
A ball circulation pump skid design that uses a piping manifold with a ball collection capsule and valves to bypass the pump, eliminating interaction between the pump and cleaning balls, allowing for efficient collection and injection of cleaning balls without continuous interaction, thereby reducing power consumption and costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a centrifugal pump with a recessed impeller is used to prevent damage to cleaning balls, then the cleaning balls are protected during operation, but the pump efficiency decreases and power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the cleaning balls from the pump flow path by introducing a separate collection chamber that receives balls from the discharge line. This separation allows the pump to operate without processing balls, eliminating the need for a recessed impeller and its associated efficiency losses while still protecting the balls through dedicated collection and reinjection mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The collection chamber acts as an intermediary between the pump discharge and the reinjection point. Balls are transferred from the discharge line through this intermediate chamber and then reinjected upstream, allowing the pump to handle only fluid while balls are managed separately, thus avoiding the efficiency penalty of processing balls through the pump.
2Reliability
If a centrifugal pump with a recessed impeller is used to prevent damage to cleaning balls, then the cleaning balls are protected during operation, but the motor size and system cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the ball-handling function from the pump system by creating a separate collection and reinjection pathway. This eliminates the need for specialized recessed impellers and oversized motors, reducing system complexity and cost while maintaining ball protection through the alternative collection chamber approach.
Solution Approach 2:
The system is segmented into distinct functional zones: the pump handles fluid circulation, the collection chamber manages ball accumulation, and the reinjection system returns balls to the circuit. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific function, reducing overall system complexity and cost compared to a single pump handling both fluid and balls.
3Duration of action of moving object
If cleaning balls continuously travel through the pump, then the system operates continuously, but the pump efficiency decreases and power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention implements periodic action by alternating between ball collection mode and ball reinjection mode. During collection, balls are accumulated in the collection chamber while the pump operates at full efficiency handling only fluid. During reinjection, balls are introduced upstream and carried through the system. This periodic separation maintains continuous system operation while preserving pump efficiency during the majority of the cycle.
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 results in a more cost-effective and efficient pump that consumes less power, while also increasing cleaning efficiency by allowing for batch injection of cleaning balls and reducing the size of the skid.
Implementation Method 1
a ball collection capsule provided at a first end with a perforate wall or panel configured to permit fluid passage and to prevent ball passage
Data Source
AI summary
In a hydraulic circuit including a ball circulation pump skid, a single pump, and a set of valves in a manifold of the ball circulation pump skid, the pump and valves are operated to move all fluid in the hydraulic circuit alternately along two paths through an operative device and a ball collection capsule in the manifold, so that none of the balls ever enter the pump. The first path enables (a) ball-containing fluid flow from the operative device to the ball collection capsule and (b) ball-free fluid flow from the ball collection capsule to the exactly one pump and back to the manifold. The second path provides for (c) ball-free fluid flow from the pump to the ball collection capsule and (d) ball-entraining flow from the ball collection capsule to the operative device.