Membrane Pump Fluid Isolation via Segmented Chamber Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Membrane pumps in the agricultural and gardening sector face issues with membrane breakage leading to mixing of lubricant and pumped fluid, causing damage, fluid wastage, and environmental pollution.
Innovation Solution
The pump design incorporates sealing means and a storage tank with a sensor to isolate the pumped fluid from the lubricant, preventing mixing and allowing for fluid collection and detection of membrane breakage, ensuring efficient lubrication and reduced environmental impact.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the membrane is used as the sole separating part between the lubricant and pumped fluid, then the pump structure is simple, but membrane breakage causes mixing of lubricant and pumped fluid leading to damage and pollution
Solution Approach 1:
The pump is divided into three separate chambers: the lubricant-containing inner chamber, the membrane-containing intermediate chamber, and the pumped-fluid-containing outer chamber. This segmentation ensures that even if the membrane breaks, the lubricant and pumped fluid remain isolated by the intermediate chamber, preventing mixing while maintaining structural simplicity.
2Duration of action of moving object
If the membrane breaks, then lubrication continues briefly, but fluid mixing occurs causing complete breakdown and environmental pollution
Solution Approach 1:
The intermediate chamber acts as an intermediary barrier between the lubricant-containing inner chamber and the pumped-fluid-containing outer chamber. This intermediary space prevents direct contact between lubricant and pumped fluid, eliminating the harmful mixing effect while allowing the pump to continue operating with lubrication even after membrane failure.
3Reliability
If a triple-chamber configuration is implemented, then fluid mixing is prevented, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The three chambers are arranged in a nested configuration where the inner chamber containing lubricant is positioned centrally, the intermediate chamber containing the membrane is positioned around it, and the outer chamber containing pumped fluid is positioned on the outside. This nesting approach achieves reliable fluid isolation while minimizing the overall structural footprint and complexity.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
AI summary
A pump comprises a containing body (2) and a closing flange (3) which define an inner chamber (4) containing a lubricant; at least one main chamber (5) communicating with the inner chamber (4) and comprising an intake mouth (6) and a delivery mouth (8) for a fluid; the main chamber (5) comprising a flexible membrane (10) isolating the main chamber (5) and inner chamber (4) from each other and movable between a first operative position further away from the inner chamber (4) and a second operative position closer to the inner chamber (4); and movement means (12) contained at least partly inside the inner chamber (4) and acting on the movable membrane (10) so as to move the movable membrane (10). The pump also comprises sealing means (24) defining in association with said membrane (10) a cavity (25) situated between the inner chamber (4) and the main chamber (5) and able to isolate said cavity (25) from said inner chamber (4); and at least one hole (27) formed in the containing body (2) opposite the cavity (25) for favouring the fluid communication between the cavity (25) and the exterior of the pump.