Positive Displacement Machine with Individual Drives and Kinematic Synchronization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing positive displacement machines, such as screw compressors, require a large and bulky motor to supply power for medium displacement due to the need for a single drive and robust gear transmission, leading to heavy, expensive, and space-consuming solutions.
Innovation Solution
Each of the two cooperating moving parts is provided with its own individual drive, and a kinematic synchronization coupling ensures mutual kinematic synchronization, allowing for smaller, lighter drives and potentially eliminating the need for a gear transmission, while preventing collisions between moving parts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a single drive with robust gear transmission is used to supply power for medium displacement, then the machine can operate reliably, but the machine becomes heavy, bulky, and space-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The single drive system is segmented into two separate individual drives, each powering one rotor directly. This segmentation eliminates the need for a robust gear transmission system, significantly reducing the weight and size of the drive components while maintaining operational reliability through distributed power delivery.
Solution Approach 2:
The mechanical gear transmission system is replaced by a direct-drive configuration where individual drives connect directly to the rotors. This substitution eliminates complex mechanical transmission components, reducing the machine's weight and footprint while improving efficiency by removing transmission losses.
2Power
If a single drive supplies full power through gear transmission, then the power transmission is straightforward, but the gear transmission and bearings become heavy and expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The power transmission system is segmented into two independent power paths, each with its own drive directly connected to a rotor. This eliminates the central gear transmission system and its heavy bearings, distributing the power transmission function across simpler, lighter individual drive-rotor connections.
3Volume of moving object
If individual drives are used for each moving part, then the machine becomes more compact and efficient, but synchronization between moving parts becomes complex
Solution Approach 1:
A synchronization system acts as an intermediary between the two individual drives, coordinating their operation to ensure proper timing and phase relationship between the rotors. This mediator system manages the complexity of synchronization while allowing the benefits of individual drives to be realized.
Solution Approach 2:
The synchronization system uses feedback mechanisms to monitor and adjust the operation of individual drives, ensuring they remain coordinated. This feedback control manages the complexity of running independent drives while maintaining the compactness and efficiency advantages.
4Device complexity
If a single drive is used, then the machine structure is simpler, but the drive and transmission components must be oversized to handle full power
Solution Approach 1:
The single oversized drive is segmented into two smaller individual drives, each handling a portion of the total power requirement. This segmentation allows the use of smaller, more compact drive components while maintaining the overall power capability of the system, trading structural simplicity for component size reduction.
Data Source
AI summary
Positive displacement machine such as a compressor, expander, pump or the like, for displacing a gaseous or liquid medium, the machine containing an element with at least one inlet and at least one outlet for the medium and at least two cooperating driven moving parts. The mutual periodic movement of the moving parts displaces the medium from the inlet to the outlet. Each of the at least two driven cooperating moving parts is provided with its own individual drive. The element is provided with a kinematic synchronisation coupling between the at least two cooperating moving parts for the mutual kinematic synchronisation of their movements.