Impeller Axially Curving Vane Extensions Prevent Airlock
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Solution Overview
Problem
Centrifugal pumps often fail due to airlock situations where trapped air prevents the impeller from contacting liquid, causing the pumping process to fail.
Innovation Solution
An anti-airlock impeller design featuring radially curved vanes and axially curving vane extensions that protrude from the pump body to submerge in liquid and force trapped air out of the pumping chamber, ensuring the impeller can operate even when not fully submerged.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the impeller vanes are positioned inside the pump housing, then the pump structure is compact and simple, but airlock occurs when air is trapped in the pump chamber preventing liquid contact
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extends vanes axially outward from the impeller hub beyond the pump inlet, adding a dimensional element that allows the vanes to reach liquid below the pump housing. This axial extension enables liquid contact even when the main impeller body remains positioned inside the pump chamber, resolving the airlock problem without requiring complete structural redesign.
Solution Approach 2:
The extended vanes perform preliminary action by reaching down to contact and move liquid into the pump chamber before the main impeller rotation begins. This preliminary liquid introduction prevents air from occupying the pump chamber, ensuring immediate liquid contact when pumping starts.
2Ease of manufacture
If the impeller is fully enclosed in the pump housing, then manufacturing and assembly are simplified, but the impeller cannot contact liquid when air is trapped in the discharge system
Solution Approach 1:
The impeller is segmented into two functional parts: the main impeller body enclosed in the housing for manufacturing simplicity, and the extended vanes protruding through the inlet for liquid contact. This segmentation allows each part to fulfill its specific function while maintaining overall manufacturing ease.
Solution Approach 2:
The extended vanes act as intermediaries between the enclosed impeller system and the liquid below the pump. They transmit the rotational motion to the liquid and facilitate liquid entry into the pump chamber without requiring the entire impeller to be exposed or repositioned.
3Adaptability or versatility
If liquid remains trapped in dips of the discharge piping, then the pump can handle varying discharge conditions, but air becomes trapped upstream preventing liquid from entering the pump chamber
Solution Approach 1:
The extended vanes enable the pump to be self-starting by automatically drawing liquid into the chamber without external assistance. When the pump begins rotating, the extended vanes immediately contact liquid below and draw it into the chamber, allowing the system to clear trapped air automatically without priming or external intervention.
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 anti-airlock impeller design effectively prevents airlock situations by allowing the impeller to contact liquid and generate pressure to expel trapped air, ensuring the pump can operate normally.
Implementation Method 1
the anti-airlock impeller having radially curved vanes configured to rotate inside a pumping chamber of a housing of the pump to pump liquid from the pumping chamber to an outlet of the pump
Implementation Method 2
provide the liquid to the radially curved vanes in order to generate pressure to force any entrapped air out of the pumping chamber of the housing
Data Source
AI summary
A pump has a housing that includes an inlet to receive a liquid to be pumped, an outlet to provide the liquid being pumped, a pumping chamber between the inlet/outlet; and a motor shaft to rotate in the pumping chamber. The impeller is arranged on the motor shaft, includes radially curved vanes to rotate inside the pumping chamber to pump the liquid from the pumping chamber to the outlet; and includes anti-airlock vanes formed as a set of axially curving vane extensions that extend along the axis of the shaft, rotate with one part inside the pumping chamber, protrude through the inlet and rotate with another part outside the inlet for submerging in liquid to be pumped underneath the pump, draw the liquid through the inlet into the pumping chamber, and provide the liquid to the radially curved vanes to generate pressure to force entrapped air from the pumping chamber.