Hydraulic Diaphragm Pump Unit for Compact Continuous Emptying
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pump designs for viscous materials, such as adhesives and resins, face issues with wear due to abrasive solids and require large, pneumatically operated diaphragm pumps that are space-consuming and inefficient.
Innovation Solution
A compact pump unit with a hydraulic drive working cylinder and a diaphragm element, utilizing hydraulic connections for precise control and efficient movement, combined with a controller for synchronized operation of multiple pump units.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Force
If a pneumatically operated feed pump drive is used to apply high drive force for very pasty materials, then the necessary drive force is achieved, but the pump unit becomes relatively large and space-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies hydraulic principles by using a hydraulic cylinder instead of a pneumatic cylinder to drive the pump element. The hydraulic cylinder receives hydraulic medium through a hydraulic connection, providing high drive force in a compact design. This resolves the contradiction by maintaining the necessary drive force for very pasty materials while significantly reducing the pump unit size compared to pneumatic alternatives.
2Ease of manufacture
If a diaphragm pump is used to transport viscous material, then the pump can be manufactured at low cost and handles abrasive solids well, but it does not provide a continuous delivery stream requiring two pumps to operate alternatingly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges two diaphragm pumps into a single integrated unit where the pump elements are coupled to a common drive plunger. This allows the pumps to operate in sequence with one pump discharging while the other fills, providing a continuous delivery stream. The merged design maintains the cost advantages of diaphragm pumps while eliminating the need for two separate pump units to achieve continuous flow.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements periodic action by coordinating the operation of two pump elements through a single drive plunger. The pump elements alternately perform working strokes and return strokes in a coordinated sequence, ensuring that while one pump is discharging material, the other is filling. This periodic coordination achieves continuous material delivery without requiring simultaneously operating independent pumps.
3Productivity
If continuously operating worm pumps are used to transport viscous material, then continuous delivery is achieved, but the pump elements experience rapid wear due to abrasive solids getting between sliding surfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a diaphragm as a flexible thin film to replace the sliding surfaces of a worm pump. The diaphragm flexes during operation to move material without requiring tight sliding contact between pump elements. This eliminates the wear problem caused by abrasive solids getting between sliding surfaces, while the diaphragm's flexibility allows it to withstand repeated deformation cycles without degradation.
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 provides a compact, efficient, and cost-effective pumping system that maintains consistent pressure and minimizes wear, ensuring continuous supply to consumers while reducing downtime.
Implementation Method 1
at least the working chamber on the rear side, facing away from the pump element, of the drive piston of the drive working cylinder has a hydraulic connection
Data Source
AI summary
In order to make the two pump units which are generally present in an emptying device for a storage container and which feed in alternating fashion as compact as possible on the one hand and subject to as little wear as possible on the other hand, both pump units are preferably equipped with a feed pump in the form of a diaphragm pump, which is driven by a hydraulically operated working cylinder unit.