Double Inlet Check Valve Layout for Pump Priming Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing dispenser systems face inefficiencies in pumping liquids and creating foamy mixtures due to issues with priming and air compression, which can prevent the pump chamber from being sufficiently filled with liquid, leading to reduced performance or failure.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a double inlet valve system with a first check valve having a higher cracking pressure and a second check valve with a lower cracking pressure, positioned between the container and the pump, ensures efficient liquid flow and prevents air compression, allowing for effective priming and operation of the pump.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a single check valve is used in the pump inlet, then the device complexity is reduced, but the pump chamber cannot be sufficiently filled with liquid due to air compression issues
Solution Approach 1:
The single check valve is segmented into two separate check valves with different cracking pressures. The first check valve (higher cracking pressure) prevents air compression in the container, while the second check valve (lower cracking pressure) allows air to enter the pump chamber during priming. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by improving pump chamber filling efficiency without excessive complexity increase.
Solution Approach 2:
The cracking pressure parameter is changed by using two different values for the two check valves. The first check valve has a higher cracking pressure to prevent air compression upstream, while the second has a lower cracking pressure to allow air intake during priming. This parameter differentiation enables reliable pump operation while maintaining reasonable device complexity.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the first check valve has a high cracking pressure to prevent air compression, then air compression is prevented, but the pump may not prime properly due to insufficient liquid flow
Solution Approach 1:
The second check valve acts as an intermediary between the first check valve and the pump chamber. It has a lower cracking pressure that allows it to open during priming to permit liquid flow and air venting, while the first check valve with higher cracking pressure prevents air compression in the container. This intermediary resolves the contradiction between preventing air compression and enabling proper priming.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses dynamic cracking pressures at different stages of operation. During priming, the lower cracking pressure of the second valve dominates to allow fluid movement. During normal operation, the higher cracking pressure of the first valve prevents air compression. This dynamic behavior resolves the contradiction between preventing air compression and enabling effective priming.
3Reliability
If the second check valve has a low cracking pressure to allow air intake during priming, then priming is improved, but air may be compressed in the space between the container and the second check valve
Solution Approach 1:
The valve system is segmented into two functional zones: the first check valve zone (higher cracking pressure) that prevents air compression in the container region, and the second check valve zone (lower cracking pressure) that manages air intake during priming. This segmentation eliminates air compression in the problematic space between the container and the second check valve while maintaining priming capability.
Solution Approach 2:
By changing the cracking pressure parameter of the first check valve to be higher than the second, the system prevents air compression upstream of the first valve while allowing controlled air intake through the second valve during priming. This parameter differentiation resolves the contradiction between enabling priming and preventing harmful air compression.
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 configuration enhances the efficiency of the dispenser by ensuring the pump chamber is adequately filled with liquid, preventing air compression issues and maintaining pump performance, thereby improving the dispensing of liquids and foamy mixtures.
Implementation Method 1
The first check valve is disposed between the container and the pump, and the first check valve has a first cracking pressure
Implementation Method 2
the second check valve to maintain a closed position such air cannot move into and be compressed in a space between the container and the second check valve
Implementation Method 3
The pump chamber is movable between an expanded position and a compressed position
Data Source
AI summary
A dispenser having a housing, a container disposed in the housing for holding a liquid, a nozzle, and a pump. The pump includes a pump inlet, a pump outlet, a pump chamber. The pump inlet is in fluid communication with the container and the pump chamber, and the pump outlet is in fluid communication with the pump chamber and the nozzle. The pump chamber is movable between an expanded position and a compressed position. A first check valve is disposed between the container and the pump, and the first check valve has a first cracking pressure. A second check valve is disposed between the first check valve and the pump, and the second check valve has a second cracking pressure. The first cracking pressure of the first check valve is greater than the second cracking pressure of the second check valve.