Fuel Pump Impeller with Angled Vanes for Leakage Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Turbine type fuel pumps face challenges in efficiently pumping fuels like gasoline and ethanol-based fuels, particularly in maintaining pressure and reducing leakage and backflow, especially in hot and turbulent conditions.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates an impeller with radially angled vanes and dual pumping channels, where the inner channel operates at lower tangential velocity and higher pressure, and the outer channel at higher tangential velocity and lower pressure, with specific angles and orientations of vanes to enhance fluid circulation and reduce leakage, and a unique machining process to maintain tight tolerances.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If turbine type fuel pump uses conventional impeller design, then pump structure is simple, but fuel pressure maintenance and leakage reduction are insufficient under hot and turbulent conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The impeller is segmented into multiple vanes arranged in specific patterns, with each vane contributing to different aspects of fuel circulation and pressure maintenance. The segmentation allows the impeller to handle turbulent fuel flow more effectively while maintaining manageable structural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the impeller vanes have different orientations and angles optimized for their specific locations. The vanes are angled relative to the radial direction with specific configurations in different zones to address local flow conditions, improving overall pressure maintenance without uniformly increasing complexity.
2Productivity
If impeller vanes are angled with respect to radial direction, then fluid circulation is enhanced, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The vane angles and orientations are predetermined and pre-calculated during the design phase to achieve optimal fluid circulation. The specific angular configurations are established beforehand, allowing manufacturers to follow precise specifications rather than requiring complex real-time adjustments, thus balancing circulation efficiency with manufacturability.
3Productivity
If dual pumping channels are implemented with different velocities and pressures, then fuel pumping efficiency improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The dual pumping channels are merged into a single impeller structure, with inner and outer channels integrated into one component. This combining approach allows the system to achieve improved pumping efficiency through differential velocity and pressure zones while avoiding the complexity of completely separate pumping systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The pumping channels are arranged in different radial dimensions within the impeller, with inner and outer channels occupying different radial zones. This dimensional arrangement enables simultaneous operation at different velocities and pressures without requiring complex temporal or spatial sequencing, thus improving efficiency while controlling structural complexity.
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 improves the pump's efficiency and performance by increasing fuel pressure and reducing leakage, making it suitable for volatile fuels like unleaded gasoline and ethanol-based fuels, even under hot and turbulent conditions.
Implementation Method 1
an impeller with radially angled vanes... the inner channel operates at lower tangential velocity and higher pressure, and the outer channel at higher tangential velocity and lower pressure
Data Source
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AI summary
A fluid pump may include an electric motor having an output shaft driven for rotation about an axis and a pump assembly coupled to the output shaft of the motor. The pump assembly has a first cap and a second cap with at least one pumping channel defined between the first cap and the second cap, and an impeller received between the first cap and the second cap. The impeller is driven for rotation by the output shaft of the motor and includes a plurality of vanes in communication with the at least one pumping channel. Each vane has a root segment and a tip segment and a line from a base of the root segment to an outer edge of the tip segment trails a line extending from the axis of rotation to the base of the root segment by an angle of between 0° and 30° relative to the direction of rotation of the impeller.