Common Gearbox Rotary Pumps with Detachable Seals
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current rotary lobe and circumferential piston pumps require different gearboxes and shaft lengths for varying capacities and have cumbersome seal servicing procedures, leading to increased manufacturing costs and maintenance time.
Innovation Solution
A positive displacement pump design where a single gearbox module can accommodate various head configurations and capacities, with detachable rotors and seals accessible without removing the pump casing, allowing for easy seal replacement and capacity adjustments by swapping rotors and casings.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If different gearboxes and shaft lengths are used for varying pump capacities, then each pump configuration is optimized for its specific capacity, but manufacturing costs increase and device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal gearbox module that can accommodate multiple pump capacities through interchangeable rotor assemblies. The gearbox housing includes multiple mounting positions for different capacity rotors, allowing a single gearbox to perform multiple functions across different pump configurations, thereby reducing the need for multiple specialized gearboxes.
Solution Approach 2:
The pump system is divided into separable modules: a common gearbox module and interchangeable rotor assemblies. This segmentation allows the gearbox to remain constant while only the rotor assemblies need to be swapped when changing pump capacity, simplifying the overall system architecture and reducing manufacturing complexity.
2Reliability
If mechanical shaft seals are mounted between the casing and gearbox, then seal installation is secure, but maintenance time increases and ease of repair deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The mechanical shaft seals are extracted from the traditional enclosed position between the casing and gearbox and relocated to the rotor assembly. This allows the seals to be accessed and replaced by simply removing the rotor assembly from the gearbox, without needing to disassemble the gearbox or casing, thereby significantly improving ease of repair while maintaining secure installation.
3Ease of repair
If the head cover, rotors and casing must be removed to service seals, then seal access is possible, but productivity decreases and loss of time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The seal servicing operation is extracted from the complex multi-component disassembly process and simplified to a single rotor assembly removal. The seals are positioned on the rotor assembly, which can be quickly detached from the gearbox as a single unit, enabling rapid seal replacement and significantly improving maintenance productivity.
Data Source
AI summary
Rotary lobe pump and circumferential piston pump designs are disclosed where the drive and driven shafts are detachably connected to their respective rotors. The rotors are disposed in a pump or rotor casing, which is sandwiched between a head cover and a gearbox. The drive and driven shafts pass through mechanical seal assemblies, which are sandwiched between the first and second rotors and the gear box respectively. The seal assemblies can be serviced or replaced by simply removing the head cover and removing the rotors from the drive and driven shafts. The pump casing does not need to be removed to replace or service the seal assemblies. Further, the capacities of the disclosed rotary lobe and circumferential piston pumps can be modified without changing the gearboxes or shaft length. To modify a pump capacity, all that needs to be changed are the rotors, the pump or rotor casing and, in some designs, the head cover or cover plate. In some designs, the cover plate is universal to the gearbox so that only the rotors and pump casing need to be changed to modify the pump capacity.