Bellows Sealing Member for Submerged Pump Gas Containment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing submerged pump systems face leakage issues of residual liquefied and vaporized gases when the pump is raised and lowered, as the sealability of the sealing material deteriorates during maintenance, posing risks due to the flammability and toxicity of these gases.
Innovation Solution
A sealing member comprising a head plate, lift shaft, and bellows member with attaching members and sealing members to prevent gas leakage, ensuring the bellows member extends and contracts with the lift shaft's movement, and includes a fitting portion and shaft sealing members to maintain seal integrity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of repair
If the pump is raised and lowered for maintenance, then the pump can be removed for maintenance, but residual gas leaks from the pump column
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a bellows-shaped flexible sealing member that can extend and contract while maintaining liquid-tight sealing. This flexible membrane structure allows the pump to be raised and lowered for maintenance while preventing residual gas from leaking through the head plate opening, thus resolving the contradiction between maintenance accessibility and gas leakage prevention.
2Ease of repair
If the lift shaft is raised to remove the pump, then the pump can be maintained, but the sealing material's sealability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the static sealing material with a dynamic bellows-shaped flexible sealing member that actively adapts to the movement of the lift shaft. As the lift shaft moves up and down during pump maintenance, the bellows member extends and contracts accordingly, dynamically maintaining the liquid-tight seal and preventing deterioration of sealability that occurs with static sealing materials.
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
Prevents leakage of residual gases during pump raising and lowering by maintaining seal integrity through the bellows member's extension and contraction, ensuring safety and containment of hazardous gases.
Implementation Method 1
a bellows member that extends and contracts in an axial direction of the lift shaft corresponding to the raising and lowering of the lift shaft
Data Source
AI summary
A sealing member according to the present invention includes a head plate having a through hole and attached to an opening end of a pump column, a lift shaft penetrating the through hole and raised and lowered between a raised position and a lowered position in raising and lowering the pump, and a bellows member extending and contracting corresponding to the raising and lowering of the lift shaft. The bellows member includes a bellows tube covering an outer peripheral surface of a protruding portion of the lift shaft protruding downward from the head plate, a first attaching member disposed contiguously to a lower end of the bellows tube and attached to a protruding lower portion, and a second attaching member disposed contiguously to an upper end of the bellows tube and attached to a lower surface of the head plate.