Flexible Impeller Pump with Curved Chamber Wall
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Solution Overview
Problem
Pumps for viscous liquids require multiple bearings and dynamic seals, leading to rapid wear, increased complexity, and higher costs due to the additional components.
Innovation Solution
A positive displacement pump design featuring a flexible impeller with radially extending vanes and a curved pump chamber, where the fluid inlet and outlet are defined in the second end wall, eliminating the need for seals within the bearing and reducing the number of components by using a single bearing at the proximal end of the drive shaft.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple bearings and dynamic seals are used for the drive shaft, then the pump can handle viscous liquids effectively, but the complexity and cost of the pump increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the need for dynamic seals by designing a system where the drive shaft is completely enclosed within the pump chamber, with the proximal end sealed against the chamber wall and the distal end rotating within a bearing defined by the chamber wall. This extraction removes seals from the design while maintaining effective handling of viscous liquids.
Solution Approach 2:
The pump chamber wall is designed to serve multiple functions: it defines the pumping cavity, provides a bearing for the distal end of the drive shaft, and acts as a seal against the proximal end. This multi-functionality reduces the number of separate components needed, simplifying the overall pump design while maintaining reliability.
2Reliability
If multiple bearings and dynamic seals are used for the drive shaft, then the pump can handle viscous liquids effectively, but the wear of components increases
Solution Approach 1:
By removing dynamic seals from the design, the patent eliminates a major source of wear and failure. The drive shaft is enclosed within the pump chamber with sealing provided by the chamber wall itself, significantly reducing component wear and extending service life while maintaining the ability to handle viscous liquids.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a disposable or easily replaceable pump chamber that encloses the drive shaft. Rather than protecting expensive, wear-prone components like seals and multiple bearings, the design sacrifices the chamber as a consumable component, reducing overall system wear and maintenance requirements.
3Shape
If the fluid inlet and outlet are defined in the second end wall, then the curved wall can be formed as a continuous surface, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The pump chamber is segmented into distinct functional zones with the curved wall forming a continuous surface between them. The first and second end walls are positioned at different radial distances from the rotation axis, creating segmented regions that facilitate continuous wall formation while maintaining functional integrity for fluid inlet and outlet.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a conventional axial arrangement of inlet and outlet to a radial arrangement where both ports are defined in the second end wall at a greater radial distance. This dimensional change allows the curved wall to be formed as a continuous surface while maintaining manufacturing feasibility through the altered geometry.
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 simplifies the pump structure, reduces component wear, and facilitates easier cleaning and maintenance, while maintaining efficient fluid displacement and handling of viscous liquids.
Implementation Method 1
a positive displacement pump design featuring a flexible impeller with radially extending vanes and a curved pump chamber
Implementation Method 2
maintaining efficient fluid displacement and handling of viscous liquids
Implementation Method 3
The term 'flexible' refers to the radially extending vanes which are deflected by contact with wall of the pump chamber. The radially extending vanes may be resiliently deformable.
Implementation Method 4
The volume of the pump cavities decreases as the impeller moves from the first wall portion to the second wall portion, which in turn forces the fluid located within the pump cavity out of the cavity and through the fluid outlet.
Implementation Method 5
the drive shaft does not extend through the second end wall. Such an arrangement avoids the need for a seal to be provided within the bearing
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
AI summary
A pump apparatus comprising a pump chamber having a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet; and a flexible impeller mounted for rotation within the pump chamber, wherein the pump chamber is defined by a curved wall, the wall including a first wall portion having a first radius and a second wall portion having a second radius, wherein the second radius is greater than the first radius; the flexible impeller includes a plurality of radially extending vanes, wherein the vanes contact the curved wall of the pump chamber such that separate pump cavities are defined between adjacent vanes and the pump chamber wall; the flexible impeller is driven to rotate by a drive shaft; the drive shaft passes through a first end wall which closes one side of the pump chamber and a distal end of the drive shaft rotates within a bearing defined by a second end wall which closes the opposite side of the pump chamber; and wherein the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet are defined in the second end wall.