Centered Drive Gear Pump Layout for Tight Transverse Spaces
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional rotary gear pumps face issues with transverse space limitations, particularly in environments like downhole tubulars, due to the use of offset drive couplings which cause vibration, reduce mechanical efficiency, and introduce additional wear-prone parts.
Innovation Solution
A rotary gear pump design with a housing and gears that have a central axis alignment, allowing the prime mover to be coaxial with the housing, eliminating the need for offset drive couplings and maintaining pump capacity through increased axial length or multiple stage configurations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If an offset drive coupling is used to align the prime mover with the housing center, then the prime mover can be transversely aligned with the housing center, but vibration is imparted to the pump and mechanical efficiency is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the offset drive coupling from the system entirely. By positioning the drive shaft and prime mover directly on the housing centerline, the design eliminates the intermediate coupling mechanism that caused energy losses, while still achieving proper alignment through direct mounting
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs asymmetric gear positioning where the drive gear is located at an offset position within the housing rather than at the center. This allows the prime mover to be centrally aligned with the housing while the drive gear transmits power to the idler gear, resolving the contradiction between prime mover alignment and mechanical efficiency
2Ease of operation
If an offset drive coupling is used, then the prime mover can be transversely aligned with the housing center, but additional moving parts are introduced that are susceptible to wear and failure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent eliminates the offset drive coupling and its associated moving parts by directly mounting the prime mover to the housing centerline. This removal of intermediate components eliminates the wear and failure points that would otherwise exist in the coupling mechanism
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of positioning the prime mover offset and using a coupling to reach the drive gear, the patent inverts the approach by positioning the drive gear offset within the housing while keeping the prime mover centrally aligned. This reversal eliminates the need for complex couplings and improves reliability
3Ease of manufacture
If the prime mover is offset from the housing center, then the drive shaft can be positioned for conventional gear pumping, but transverse space is increased which is problematic in limited space environments
Solution Approach 1:
The patent resolves the space constraint by changing the dimensional arrangement from a conventional offset configuration to a centerline-mounted prime mover with offset drive gear. This repositioning allows the pump to fit within tighter transverse spaces while maintaining effective gear pumping action through the intermeshing drive and idler gears
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 reduces vibration and wear, enhances mechanical efficiency, and maintains or increases flow capacity while accommodating limited transverse spaces, suitable for applications like downhole operations.
Implementation Method 1
A rotary gear pump having a housing with a centrally-aligned drive gear and an intermeshed idler gear
Data Source
AI summary
A rotary gear pump includes a housing, a drive gear, and an idler gear. The housing has a central axis extending in an axial direction, and defines an intake port, a discharge port, and a gear chamber in fluid communication with the intake port and the discharge port. The drive gear and the idler gear are intermeshed, and rotatably disposed within the gear chamber for displacing fluid from the intake port to the discharge port. The drive gear has an axis of rotation that is coaxial with the housing central axis. The drive gear may be directly coupled to the idler gear of a second rotary gear pump, which idler gear has an axis of rotation that is coaxial with the axis of rotation of the drive gear.