Elastic Diaphragm Pump with Hydraulic Compensation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Hydraulically controlled diaphragm pumps face challenges in maintaining a suitable liquid volume in the intermediate chamber due to leaks, dissolved gases, and safety valve operations, leading to reduced suction capacity and potential membrane deterioration.
Innovation Solution
A miniaturized compensation system with a one-way valve and a compensation volume reservoir integrated into the pump body, featuring a calibrated safety valve and degassing channel, ensures constant intermediate chamber volume and efficient fluid replenishment without significant deformation under high pressure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the diaphragm is made flexible and practically without rigidity to allow volume compensation, then the intermediate chamber can accommodate pressure variations, but the suction capacity is greatly reduced because the valve opens at the latest before cavitation and aspiration ceases immediately
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical parameter of the diaphragm from flexible to rigid with elastic deformability, transforming it from a purely flexible membrane to an elastic element that can store and release mechanical energy while maintaining structural integrity for full stroke completion
Solution Approach 2:
The rigid elastic diaphragm is pre-formed with a memory of its rest position corresponding to the end of the suction stroke, allowing it to automatically return to the correct position without relying on flexible deformation or early valve opening
2Volume of moving object
If the compensation volume is miniaturized and integrated into the pump body, then the pump size is reduced and dead spaces are minimized, but the system complexity increases due to the need for precise integration of valve and reservoir
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the compensation volume reservoir with the pump body structure, integrating the valve housing and reservoir into a single attached body that forms an integral part of the pump assembly, thereby reducing overall size while maintaining functional separation
Solution Approach 2:
The attached body is divided into two functional parts: a lower partitioning element carrying the valve seat and an upper holding element forming the reservoir, allowing independent optimization of each component while maintaining compact integration
3Productivity
If the diaphragm is made with great stiffness and memory of shape, then the suction lift becomes independent of intermediate chamber pressure and full stroke is achieved, but the pump cubic capacity is reduced requiring adapted compensation systems
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the diaphragm's mechanical parameters to achieve high stiffness with elastic deformability, transforming it from a flexible membrane to a rigid elastic element with shape memory that can withstand high pressures while maintaining full stroke capability
Solution Approach 2:
The diaphragm is designed with dynamic elastic properties allowing it to deform under pressure and automatically return to its memorized rest position, providing active volume compensation without requiring large compensation volumes or complex control systems
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 solution maintains optimal pump performance by minimizing dead volumes, reducing leaks, and preventing overpressure issues, while allowing for efficient fluid compensation and degassing, thus enhancing the pump's suction capacity and operational stability.
Implementation Method 1
a volume for compensating for the leaks of the intermediate chamber being connected to the latter by a replenishment channel through a one-way valve that is free and without calibration
Implementation Method 2
a movable wall formed by a diaphragm that is elastically deformable from its shape at rest which corresponds to its state at the end of the suction stroke
Implementation Method 3
an intermediate hydraulic chamber of constant volume provided in the pump body, adjoining the pumping chamber at the level of the membrane and comprising a piston driven by a movement alternating inside this intermediate chamber
Data Source
Figure 1~3
Figure 2~2A
AI summary
The invention relates to a pump with a membrane and hydraulic control, comprising a pumping chamber (3) provided between a head and a pump body (9), with a mobile wall consisting of a membrane that is elastically deformable from the rest shape thereof corresponding to the state thereof at the end of the suction stroke of the pump, an intermediate hydraulic chamber (8) having a constant space provided in the pump body (9) and comprising a piston (10) capable of a reciprocating movement inside said intermediate chamber (8), a leak compensation space of the intermediate chamber (8) connected to the latter by a feedback channel (28,21,18) via a free load-free one-way valve (13) ensuring a flow towards the working chamber (8), characterised in that the one-way valve (13) and at least a portion (34) of the compensation space are contained in a body (22, 31) added onto the pump body (9) at the highest point of the intermediate hydraulic chamber (8) in the working position of the pump.