Pendulum Oil Pump Cavitation Protection Plate
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Solution Overview
Problem
Pendulum oil pumps suffer from early life failure due to cavitation, which causes wear and damage, and existing solutions like radial ribs reduce performance by consuming valuable space within the pump.
Innovation Solution
A protective plate is positioned against the surfaces of the housing and cover to mitigate cavitation damage, eliminating the need for radial ribs and maintaining pump performance by providing targeted protection against cavitation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If radial ribs are placed along the surfaces to reduce cavitation effects, then cavitation damage is reduced, but the volumetric space available for pumping is reduced and high end pressure capabilities are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The housing and cover surfaces are segmented into multiple cavities by radial ribs, which divide the continuous surface into discrete sections. This segmentation limits the propagation of cavitation voids to individual cavities rather than allowing them to coalesce into large destructive voids across the entire surface, thereby reducing cavitation damage while maintaining overall pump performance
Solution Approach 2:
Radial ribs are strategically placed at specific locations on the housing and cover surfaces where cavitation is most likely to occur. This localized approach provides cavitation protection precisely where needed without unnecessarily reducing volumetric space in other areas, optimizing the balance between reliability and productivity
2Productivity
If the pump operates at increased output and pressure, then pumping performance is improved, but cavitation damage and early life failure increase
Solution Approach 1:
Radial ribs are pre-installed on the housing and cover surfaces before the pump operates, creating a protective structure that cushions against cavitation damage before it occurs. These ribs form cavities that trap and contain cavitation voids, preventing them from causing catastrophic damage even when the pump operates at high output and pressure conditions that promote cavitation
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 protective plate effectively reduces cavitation-induced damage without compromising the pump's volumetric output and pressure capabilities, extending the life of the pump while maintaining performance.
Implementation Method 1
Pendulum oil pumps are subject to damage and early life failure due to cavitation within the pump. That is, as oil is pumped cavitation tends to occur against the inner surface within the pump, such as in the housing and the cover.
Data Source
AI summary
A pendulum pump includes a housing, a cover positioned on the housing and forming a cavity therebetween, an inner rotor and an outer rotor positioned within the cavity, wherein the inner rotor is connected via a plurality of pendulums to the outer rotor, and the pendulums are mounted to the outer rotor in an articulated manner such that a rotational eccentricity can be imparted between the inner rotor and the outer rotor to control a flow rate of the pendulum pump, and a protective plate positioned within the cavity and against a surface of one of the housing and the cover.