Concentric Fluid Drive Housing for Compact Actuation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Fluid-operated drives used in processing plants require significant installation space, making them unsuitable for all field devices due to their large size.
Innovation Solution
A compact fluid-operated drive design is achieved by allowing the basic drive housing part and supplementary drive housing part to be displaceable within each other, with the supplementary drive providing additional actuating forces aligned with the basic drive, and utilizing a pressure spring or fluidic pressure to transmit forces to the control valve, reducing overall space requirements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a basic drive and supplementary drive are separated and arranged in series, then the safety function is achieved, but the installation space increases
Solution Approach 1:
The basic drive housing part and supplementary drive housing part are arranged concentrically, with one housing nested within the other. The supplementary drive housing part is disposed concentrically with respect to the basic drive housing part, allowing both drives to occupy overlapping spatial volumes and achieve a compact overall configuration while maintaining independent safety functions.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from a linear series arrangement to a concentric radial arrangement. By disposing the supplementary drive housing part concentrically with the basic drive housing part, the design utilizes radial space rather than only axial space, significantly reducing the installation space in the actuating direction while preserving the safety function.
2Volume of stationary object
If the drive housing parts are made displaceable in a piston-chamber arrangement, then the space requirement is reduced, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The housing parts of the basic drive and supplementary drive are merged into a single integrated assembly where the basic drive housing part and supplementary drive housing part form a unified piston-chamber system. This integration allows the housing parts to displace relative to each other in a coordinated manner, reducing overall space requirements while avoiding the complexity of completely separate adjustable components.
Solution Approach 2:
The drive housing parts are designed with dynamic displacement capability, allowing them to move relative to each other in a piston-chamber arrangement in response to pressure changes. This dynamic configuration enables the volume of the supplementary working chamber to change during operation, achieving compactness while maintaining functional performance through controlled movement rather than fixed rigid structures.
3Force
If the supplementary working chamber volume changes during operation, then the actuating force is optimized, but the control complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The piston-chamber arrangement enables the supplementary working chamber volume to change automatically in response to pressure differential forces. The housing parts displace relative to each other based on the balance between the basic drive force and supplementary drive force, eliminating the need for external control mechanisms to adjust the volume. The system self-regulates the chamber volume to optimize actuating force based on operating conditions.
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 significantly reduces space requirements while maintaining performance, allowing for efficient operation in smaller installations without compromising actuating capabilities.
Implementation Method 1
a basic drive, which is operated fluidically, with a basic working chamber, which is to be loaded fluidically
Implementation Method 2
basic actuating piston, which is guided in a fluid-tight manner in the basic drive housing part
Implementation Method 3
The supplementary actuating piston is set by a pressure spring, which is supported on a cover of the drive housing. The actuating forces of the pressure spring for reaching the safety position are released if pneumatic pressure is output into a supplementary pneumatic supplementary working chamber.
Data Source
AI summary
In a fluid-operated drive for a field device, the drive being designed to set a control valve of the field device, a fluidically operated basic drive is provided with a basic working chamber loaded fluidically and delimited by a basic drive housing part and by a basic actuating piston guided in the basic drive housing part. At least one supplementary drive is provided with a supplementary working chamber loaded fluidically and delimited by a supplementary drive housing part. The basic drive housing part and the supplementary drive housing part are displaceable in one another in accordance with a piston and chamber arrangement so that a volume of the supplementary chamber changes in the event of a relative movement of the drive housing parts.