Variable-Volume Piston Pump for Short-Stroke Priming
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Solution Overview
Problem
Piston pumps face difficulties in dispensing fluids proportionately during short stroke movements and initial priming, as they struggle with air replacement in the pump chamber when the stroke is less than full, leading to inefficient fluid dispensing.
Innovation Solution
A piston pump assembly with a variable piston chamber length, featuring one-way inlet and outlet valves that are coaxially slidable to prevent relative movement under operational pressures, allowing for both short and long stroke operations by adjusting valve positions within the chamber.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the piston is moved through a lesser stroke than the full piston stroke, then the pump can operate with shorter stroke movements, but the pump fails to dispense fluid proportionate to the stroke length and cannot properly prime by replacing air in the pump chamber
Solution Approach 1:
The inlet valve is made movable relative to the piston chamber, allowing its position to be adjusted dynamically. During short stroke operation, the inlet valve is positioned closer to the piston to ensure proper fluid intake and displacement proportionality. This dynamic positioning resolves the contradiction by adapting the valve position to match the stroke length, ensuring reliable fluid dispensing and priming regardless of stroke duration
Solution Approach 2:
The position of the inlet valve within the piston chamber is changed as a variable parameter. By adjusting the inlet valve position relative to the piston chamber based on the required stroke length, the system maintains proper fluid dynamics and priming effectiveness. This parameter change allows the pump to reliably dispense fluid proportionate to the stroke length while maintaining effective air replacement during priming
2Adaptability or versatility
If the inlet valve is made movable to adjust piston chamber length, then the pump can accommodate varying stroke lengths, but the valve may move under operational pressures affecting pump reliability
Solution Approach 1:
Different regions of the inlet valve are given different properties: the valve body is made movable for position adjustment, while the valve disc and seating area are designed to remain stable under pressure. The valve disc is biased against the seating surface to maintain a reliable seal, while the valve body can be repositioned. This local differentiation of mobility and stability resolves the contradiction between adaptability and reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The inlet valve position is adjusted in advance before pumping operations begin or change. The valve is positioned to match the required stroke length, and then remains fixed during operation. This preliminary positioning action ensures the valve is optimally configured before pressure builds, preventing unwanted movement during high-pressure dispensing while maintaining the ability to adapt to different operating conditions
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
Enables efficient fluid dispensing across varying stroke lengths by maintaining valve positions under pressure, ensuring proper fluid flow and minimizing air entrapment, thus improving the pump's operational efficiency and priming process.
Implementation Method 1
a one-way inlet valve in the chamber inwardly of the piston forming element permitting fluid flow outwardly in the chamber past the inlet valve and preventing fluid flow inwardly in the chamber past the inlet valve
Implementation Method 2
a one-way outlet valve carried on the piston forming element proximate the inner end of the piston forming element permitting fluid flow outwardly in the chamber past the outlet valve and preventing fluid flow inwardly in the chamber past the outlet valve
Implementation Method 3
movement of a piston through a full piston stroke
Implementation Method 4
forces experienced due to pressures developed across the inlet valve in normal operation of the pump to dispense fluid
Data Source
AI summary
In a piston pump having a piston axially slidable in a chamber in a piston chamber forming body between a one-way inlet valve and an axially spaced one-way outlet valve to dispense fluid, an arrangement for varying the volume of the chamber by varying the axial location of the one-way inlet valve within the chamber by engagement of the one-way inlet valve with the piston to move the one-way inlet valve to different axially spaced locations within the chamber.