Membrane Compressor Eliminates Sealing Wear via Polymer Deformation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional high-pressure gas compressors, such as piston compressors, face challenges with sealing issues due to movable components, wear, and require significant installation space, making them inefficient for high-pressure compression applications.
Innovation Solution
A membrane compressor design where a polymer-based membrane is used to compress gases by deforming under pressure from an incompressible medium, eliminating the need for seals and reducing the complexity of moving parts, allowing for high-pressure compression in a compact space.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a piston compressor with a linearly movable piston head is used, then gas compression can be achieved, but sealing problems occur due to permanent movement between components
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the sealing problem by removing the movable piston head that requires sealing. Instead, a membrane compressor design is used where the membrane itself acts as the sealing element, eliminating the need for separate seals between moving components and the compression chamber wall.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a membrane as an intermediary element between the compression space and the drive mechanism. This membrane transmits the compression force while maintaining sealing, replacing the direct contact between piston and chamber that caused sealing issues.
2Productivity
If a piston compressor with movable components is used, then gas compression can be achieved, but enormous wear occurs due to frequent movement
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the movable piston head that subjected to wear from frequent movement. The membrane compressor design eliminates traditional moving components inside the compression chamber, replacing them with a membrane that deforms to compress gas, significantly reducing wear.
Solution Approach 2:
The membrane is designed as a replaceable component with simpler construction than traditional piston seals. While the membrane does wear, its design allows for easier replacement and lower cost compared to precision piston seal assemblies, effectively addressing the durability issue.
3Productivity
If a piston compressor is used, then gas compression can be achieved, but a lot of installation space is required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a flexible membrane instead of rigid piston components. This membrane can deform to compress gas while requiring minimal space, replacing the bulky piston, connecting rods, and crankshaft mechanism with a compact flexible sealing element.
Solution Approach 2:
The membrane compressor transitions from linear reciprocating motion in multiple dimensions to radial or axial deformation of the membrane, effectively compressing gas in a more space-efficient manner by utilizing flexible deformation rather than rigid displacement.
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 membrane compressor achieves higher compression efficiency with reduced wear and no sealing issues, utilizing the entire available volume for compression, and requires lower load changes, simplifying the system and extending the service life of components.
Implementation Method 1
the at least one first membrane consists of a polymer-based material and can be deformed to compress the gas or gas mixture that can be introduced into the at least one first compression chamber by introducing a medium into the media chamber
Data Source
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AI summary
A high-pressure compressor (100) and a system (500) comprising a high-pressure compressor (100) are described, both designed for compressing a gas or gas mixture. The high-pressure compressor (100) has a housing (120) that surrounds at least one compressor chamber (330) and a media chamber (430), the compressor chamber (330) and the media chamber (430) being separated from each other in the housing (120) by a diaphragm (200). The housing (120) has at least one first connection (420) that opens into the media chamber (430) and through which a medium can be introduced into and/or discharged from the media chamber (430). The housing (120) has at least one second connection (320) that opens into the compressor chamber (330) and through which a gas or gas mixture can be introduced into and/or discharged from the media chamber (430).The membrane (200) consists of a polymer-based material and is deformable for the compression of a gas or gas mixture that can be introduced into the compressor chamber (330) by introducing a medium into the media chamber (430).