Inverted Fluid Chamber Plug Deformation for Accurate Odorant Dispensing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vanishing chamber pumps used for injecting odorants into natural gas are prone to accuracy issues due to material degradation and manufacturing challenges, leading to inconsistent fluid volume delivery, which can result in over-odorization and safety concerns.
Innovation Solution
A chamber design featuring a moveable plug that deforms into a variable volume plate to ensure a consistent fluid volume is ejected, using a plug shield to maintain shape and prevent expansion, and a variable volume plate with a known cavity size to accurately dispense small volumes of odorant.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a vanishing chamber pump with a flexible cup member is used to pump small volumes of odorant, then the pump can deliver fluid volume, but the material degrades over time causing inconsistent delivery accuracy
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the degradable flexible cup member with a disposable diaphragm that is replaced periodically. This resolves the contradiction by accepting that a component will have limited service life (the diaphragm) but making it inexpensive and easily replaceable, thereby maintaining consistent fluid delivery accuracy over time without requiring the flexible member to last indefinitely.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent substitutes the flexible rubber cup member with a rigid chamber and a flexible diaphragm operated by a piston. This mechanical substitution eliminates the material degradation issues of rubber while maintaining the vanishing chamber functionality, thus improving reliability and delivery consistency.
2Manufacturing precision
If the flexible portion of the cup member is made to precise specifications, then accurate fluid volume can be ejected, but manufacturing becomes difficult and costly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the flexible cup member into separate components: a rigid chamber with a precisely manufactured cavity and a separate flexible diaphragm. This segmentation allows the cavity to be manufactured with high precision using standard rigid material fabrication techniques, while the flexible diaphragm handles the deformation requirements, thus resolving the manufacturing difficulty.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a composite structure combining rigid material (for the chamber and cavity) with flexible material (for the diaphragm). This composite approach allows each material to be optimized for its specific function - the rigid material provides precise geometry while the flexible material provides the necessary elasticity, making manufacturing easier and more cost-effective.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a rubber material is used for the cup member, then flexibility is achieved, but chemical compatibility with odorant is limited and procurement is difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a disposable diaphragm made from materials that are chemically compatible with odorant. By making the flexible component disposable rather than reusable, the system can use specialized materials that would be expensive or difficult to procure for long-term service, thus resolving the procurement difficulty while maintaining chemical compatibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the rubber cup member with a combination of rigid chamber and flexible diaphragm. This substitution allows the use of various materials including plastics and other non-rubber materials that may have better chemical compatibility with odorant and are more readily available, thus resolving the material procurement issue.
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 reliable and accurate method for pumping small volumes of fluid, reducing material degradation and manufacturing complexities, ensuring consistent odorant delivery and enhancing safety by maintaining precise odorant levels in natural gas.
Implementation Method 1
the plug may be pressed into the variable volume plate. As the plug is pressed into the variable volume plate, the plug may deform and enter into the cavity
Data Source
AI summary
A chamber for pumping relatively small volumes of fluid is provided. The chamber includes a plug moveable between a retracted position and an extended position. When the plug is in the retracted position, the plug may be positioned and located toward a first end of the chamber such that fluid may enter into the chamber through an inlet. Once the fluid is received into the chamber, the plug may be moved toward the extended position. As the plug moves toward the extended position, the plug may be pressed into a variable volume plate. As the plug is pressed into the variable volume plate, the plug may deform and enter into a cavity. When the plug enters the cavity, the plug may push fluid out from the cavity. Thus, a known volume of fluid may exit the chamber when the plug is moved from the retracted position to the extended position.