Bladeless Pump Rotor Segmentation for Particulate Fluid Handling
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing bladeless pumps face inefficiencies at high rotational speeds and are not capable of propelling particulate-laden fluids without damaging the pump components.
Innovation Solution
A bladeless pump design featuring a rotary housing with a multiplicity of rotors, spokes, and endplates, where the rotors have varying thicknesses and alignment locking mechanisms, and a motor-driven assembly with bearings for precise alignment and cooling, enabling efficient fluid propulsion without blades.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the rotational speed of the pump is increased to improve productivity, then the pumping efficiency decreases and particulate-laden fluids cause damage to pump components
Solution Approach 1:
The pump rotor is segmented into multiple discrete rotors (typically 3-7 rotors) arranged in series along a common axis, each rotor being a separate component that can be independently manufactured and replaced. This segmentation allows the system to handle high-speed operation while maintaining reliability, as individual rotors can be optimized for specific speed ranges and replaced if damaged by particulates without replacing the entire pump assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the operational parameters by operating multiple rotors at different rotational speeds or with different configurations along the same axis. Each rotor can be tuned to optimal parameters for its specific position in the fluid path, allowing the system to maintain high overall productivity while individual rotors operate within safe speed limits that prevent damage from particulate-laden fluids.
2Productivity
If blades are used to impart energy to fluid molecules to improve pumping efficiency, then the pump cannot handle particulate-laden fluids without damage
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the blades from the pump design entirely, replacing them with bladeless rotors that rotate in close proximity to each other without physical contact. This removal of blades eliminates the harmful interaction between solid particulates and blade surfaces, allowing the pump to handle abrasive fluids while maintaining pumping efficiency through the centrifugal action of the rotating rotor assemblies.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces an intermediary fluid dynamic field between the rotors and the fluid being pumped. Instead of direct mechanical contact between blades and fluid, the rotors create a controlled centrifugal field that transfers energy to the fluid through adhesion and centrifugal forces. This intermediary mechanism allows efficient energy transfer without solid-to-solid contact that would cause particulate damage.
3Use of energy by moving object
If the number of rotors is increased to improve energy transfer efficiency, then the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges multiple rotor functions into a single integrated assembly where 3-7 rotors are mounted in series on a common drive shaft or magnetic coupling system. This merging allows the rotors to operate as a coordinated unit, improving energy transfer efficiency through cumulative centrifugal action while simplifying the drive mechanism. The rotors can be driven by a single motor through magnetic coupling or direct mechanical connection, reducing the number of separate drive systems needed.
Solution Approach 2:
Each rotor in the assembly serves multiple functions: it acts as both a driving element for fluid propulsion and a structural component that maintains the centrifugal field. The rotors are designed with universal features such as standardized mounting interfaces, uniform material composition, and interchangeable configurations, allowing the same basic rotor design to be used in different positions and combinations to achieve various pumping requirements without increasing overall system complexity.
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 achieves high efficiency and the ability to propel particulate-laden fluids at high rotational speeds without damaging the pump, ensuring minimal fluid seepage and optimal energy transfer to the fluid molecules.
Implementation Method 1
the spinning of which causes a fluid introduced near the center to be propelled outward across a surface of a disc through the adhesion of the fluid at the surface of the disc
Implementation Method 2
Passageway walls carry a fluid, such as a gaseous fluid, from a fluid inlet to a rotor feed opening, and these walls may be curved to accelerate the air as it moves from the fluid inlet to the rotor feed opening
Implementation Method 3
The motor may include bearings to align the axle with the rotor housing and the rotor assembly
Implementation Method 4
a tube or channel for carrying high pressure air from the rotor housing to the motor and/or bearings to help cool the same
Data Source
AI summary
A bladeless pump for fluids, such as gases that may contain particulate matter, drivable by a motor, consisting of an assembly of rotors or discs stacked against each other. Each rotor/disc has a runner portion on an outer area separated from its center, and a central portion having two or more spokes, divided by openings. The spokes are typically thicker than the rest of the discs. When many discs are placed together and spun on a motor-driven axle, air may be drawn in adjacent the rotor assembly, to the inter-disc openings, and compressed as it enters the area A spiral-shape volute is provided adjacent the outer πM of the disc assembly, receiving pressurized air and releasing it from a motor housing. Applicant's bladeless pump may include a base for receiving the rotor housing and the motor, which may include a housing to substantially enclose the motor and its housing.