Plunger Booster Pump Breathing Segment Pressure Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional plunger booster pumps face issues with contamination and overheating when pumping purified fluids, particularly due to underpressure and friction generated by larger molecules, which can lead to seal failure and potentially hazardous gas mixtures, limiting their application and safety.
Innovation Solution
A modified plunger booster pump design featuring two rod-coupled plungers with a breathing segment under pressure control, active temperature management via a cooling spiral, and a gas ballast system to maintain medium purity and prevent contamination, along with a monitoring system to detect sealing issues and maintain optimal operating temperatures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If a plunger booster pump is used to pump purified fluids, then the pump can handle larger molecules and generate higher compression forces, but underpressure occurs which draws in unwanted molecules and air through sealings, causing contamination and potential explosion risks
Solution Approach 1:
A breathing segment filled with the medium to be pumped is introduced as an intermediary between the low-pressure and high-pressure plunger systems. This breathing segment acts as a buffer that equalizes pressure fluctuations and prevents underpressure conditions that would otherwise cause air ingestion through sealings, thereby maintaining medium purity while enabling high compression forces
Solution Approach 2:
The breathing segment is pressurized with an inert atmosphere (the medium to be pumped) to create a protective environment that prevents air from being drawn into the system. This inert pressurized environment ensures that even when pressure fluctuations occur, only the purified medium can enter through the sealings, not air or contaminants
2Productivity
If a plunger booster pump operates at high compression forces for larger molecules, then productivity increases, but friction generates excessive heat leading to overheating, seal breakdown, and combustion of lubrication films
Solution Approach 1:
A cooling intermediary system is introduced that mediates heat transfer from the compression chamber. The cooling ribs and double-wall structure act as thermal intermediaries that conduct heat away from the compression chamber while allowing the pumping operation to continue at high productivity levels without overheating
Solution Approach 2:
The thermal parameters of the compression chamber are actively controlled by introducing cooling mechanisms that change the temperature parameter. The cooling ribs increase surface area for heat dissipation, and the double-wall structure allows coolant flow, thereby maintaining temperature within safe operating limits even during high-productivity operation
3Temperature
If cooling ribs or double-wall cooling is added to control temperature, then overheating is prevented, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
Cooling ribs are added locally to the compression chamber where heat generation is most intense. This localized cooling approach provides effective temperature control only where needed, rather than cooling the entire pump structure, thereby reducing overall device complexity while maintaining necessary temperature control
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling system is nested within the existing pump structure. The double-wall cooling structure nests the coolant flow path within the cylinder wall, and cooling ribs are nested within the compression chamber space. This nesting allows cooling functionality to be integrated without significantly increasing external dimensions or overall structural complexity
4Reliability
If membrane booster pumps are used to avoid contamination, then medium purity is maintained, but the system becomes expensive and complex
Solution Approach 1:
The pump is segmented into two separate plunger systems (low-pressure and high-pressure) that operate independently but are mechanically coupled. This segmentation allows each plunger to be optimized for its specific pressure range and reduces the need for complex membrane structures, achieving medium purity through the breathing segment design rather than membrane separation
Solution Approach 2:
The breathing segment serves as an intermediary that eliminates the need for membrane separation. By using the pressurized medium itself as the barrier and buffer between pressure zones, the system achieves gas-tight separation functionality without requiring expensive and complex membrane structures
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 solution effectively prevents contamination and overheating, extends the pump's application range for larger molecules, ensures the purity of the pumped medium, and provides early warning for potential mechanical failures, thereby enhancing safety and operational reliability.
Implementation Method 1
a cooling spiral around the high pressure cylinder
Implementation Method 2
the cycle-air of the booster is led into a double wall around the high pressure cylinder wall which causes it to cool down
Implementation Method 3
a breathing segment provided between both systems... this chamber is in a pressure controlled manner coupled to the fluid that is to be pumped
Implementation Method 4
a composition of two rod coupled plungers, in which a large compressed air driven plunger drives the coupled smaller cylinder
Implementation Method 5
The amplification of the compression force is used to pump medium at the other side of the booster
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
The invention relates to a pumping device comprising a first low pressure plunjer with a first plunjer surface area and which is up and down moveable in a first cylinder, and a functionally coupled second, high pressure plunjer with a second, smaller plunjer area and which is moveable in a second cylinder, which first plunger in operation drives the second cylinder causing in operation an amplification of the compressor force for pumping a fluid, wherein further a breathing segment is provided between both plungers, in which the space of the breathing segment is in fluid connection coupled with an inlet of the fluid which needs to be pumped, like a gas, and is provided with a regulator for in operation maintaining a small overpressure on the breathing segment.