Multi-Chamber Hydraulic Accumulator for Cyclic Power Utilization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing hydraulic accumulators are ineffective in cyclic operations with non-constant power requirements, as they do not utilize available power during low-power phases and cannot provide additional power during high-power phases, leading to inefficiencies in systems like powered drop hammers.
Innovation Solution
A novel accumulator configuration with interconnected fluid chambers and piston faces that store energy during low-power phases and release it during high-power phases, using a combination of compressible gas and incompressible fluid to enhance power output, allowing for the utilization of unutilized power capacity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a more powerful pump is used to pump hydraulic fluid faster at a given pressure, then the pumping capacity is improved, but the energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The accumulator stores hydraulic fluid under pressure in advance during low-power phases of the cyclic operation. This preliminary storage of pressurized fluid allows the system to rapidly discharge the stored fluid during high-power phases without requiring a continuously high-power pump, thereby resolving the contradiction between pumping capacity and energy consumption.
2Reliability
If a typical hydraulic accumulator is used to store pressurized hydraulic fluid, then the system can accommodate pressure surges, but it cannot utilize available power during low-power phases or provide additional power during high-power phases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention implements a dynamic accumulator system with multiple fluid chambers and controllable valves that actively respond to the cyclic power requirements of the hydraulic system. The first and second fluid chambers can independently store and discharge fluid based on real-time system demands, enabling the accumulator to both accommodate pressure surges and actively utilize available power during low-power phases to supplement power during high-power phases, thereby resolving the contradiction between reliability and productivity.
3Power
If a spring-loaded accumulator is used, then energy can be stored through spring compression, but the resultant pressure is not constant as the compressive force varies
Solution Approach 1:
The invention divides the accumulator into multiple independent fluid chambers (first fluid chamber and second fluid chamber), each capable of storing pressurized hydraulic fluid. This segmentation allows the system to maintain more stable pressure output by distributing the energy storage function across multiple chambers, avoiding the pressure variability inherent in single-spring systems where the compressive force continuously changes as the spring compresses and expands.
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
This configuration enables a compounded power output greater than the maximum power of the prime mover, reducing the need for more powerful equipment and improving the efficiency and impact of cyclic machinery by utilizing unutilized power during lifting phases for increased impact during descent.
Implementation Method 1
A novel accumulator configuration with interconnected fluid chambers and piston faces that store energy during low-power phases and release it during high-power phases, using a combination of compressible gas and incompressible fluid to enhance power output
Implementation Method 2
The second fluid chamber is configured to receive incompressible hydraulic fluid from a hydraulic system, and a third fluid chamber configured to receive incompressible hydraulic fluid from the hydraulic system
Data Source
Figure 1a~1b
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
A hydraulic accumulator including an energy storage apparatus with a first piston face configured to reversibly compress an energy storage medium and a second piston face forming at least part of an inner surface of a corresponding second fluid chamber reversibly expandable by movement of the second piston face. A third piston face forms at least part of an inner surface of a corresponding third fluid chamber reversibly expandable by the third piston face. The first, second and third piston faces are coupled together.