Centrifugal Pump Axial Gap Adjustment for Solid Handling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pumps for sewage or wastewater, particularly those with unscreened contaminated liquids containing solid matter, often clog due to large solid objects getting stuck between the impeller and impeller seat, leading to inefficiency, potential damage, and costly maintenance, as current solutions either require energy-intensive cutting or have limited movability that doesn't effectively handle large solids.
Innovation Solution
A pump design featuring an impeller seat with a spiral groove on its top surface, allowing the impeller to move axially and enabling large solid matter to be pushed outward by centrifugal force, thereby passing through the pump without clogging, and reducing friction between the impeller and drive shaft for improved durability and reliability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the impeller and impeller seat are located at a fixed distance from each other, then the pump structure is simple, but large solid matter clogs the pump and causes inefficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The impeller is made movable in the axial direction relative to the impeller seat through a drive shaft coupling, allowing the gap between them to dynamically adjust. This resolves the contradiction by enabling the pump to handle large solid matter (improving productivity) while maintaining a relatively simple structure (managing device complexity) through controlled movement rather than complex mechanisms.
2Adaptability or versatility
If means for cutting up solid matter are equipped on centrifugal pumps, then large solid matter can be processed, but energy consumption increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the solid matter handling function from the cutting mechanism and relocates it to the impeller-impeller seat gap. By allowing the impeller to move axially and create a larger gap, large solid matter can pass through without requiring energy-intensive cutting, thus resolving the contradiction between adaptability and energy consumption.
3Productivity
If an impeller with only one vane is used to create a large throughput channel, then solid matter can pass through, but solid matter gets tangled around the leading edge of the vane
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using a single vane configuration, the invention uses multiple vanes with a movable impeller that can dynamically adjust the gap. This allows solid matter to pass through reliably (improving reliability) while maintaining adequate throughput capacity (managing productivity) through the dynamic gap adjustment rather than static single-vane design.
4Reliability
If the impeller is fixed at a distance of 30-40 mm from the impeller seat to allow large solid matter passage, then clogging is reduced, but pump efficiency becomes really low
Solution Approach 1:
The invention dynamically adjusts the impeller-impeller seat gap based on operating conditions. During normal operation, the gap is small to maintain high efficiency. When large solid matter is detected or during startup, the impeller moves axially to create a larger gap, allowing solid matter to pass without clogging. This resolves the contradiction by making the gap size adaptive rather than fixed.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the gap parameter between impeller and impeller seat from a fixed value to a variable parameter that can adjust between small (for efficiency) and large (for clogging resistance). This parameter change allows the system to optimize both pump efficiency and clogging resistance under different operating conditions.
5Productivity
If a small gap between impeller and impeller seat is used, then pump efficiency is maintained, but large solid matter gets stuck and may jam the impeller
Solution Approach 1:
The movable impeller design allows the system to switch between small gap (high efficiency) and large gap (high reliability) modes dynamically. When solid matter approaches the impeller, the impeller moves axially to increase the gap, preventing jamming while maintaining efficiency during normal operation. This resolves the contradiction by making the gap adaptive to 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
This design effectively allows large solid matter to pass through without cutting, reduces friction and maintenance costs, and enhances pump durability by ensuring reliable operation and reduced risk of jamming, thus improving the overall efficiency and longevity of the pump.
Implementation Method 1
allowing the impeller to move axially and enabling large solid matter to be pushed outward by centrifugal force
Implementation Method 2
reduces friction between the impeller and drive shaft for improved durability and reliability
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a pump for pumping contaminated liquid including solid matter, comprising a pump housing provided with a rotatable impeller suspended in a drive shaft and having at least one vane, and an impeller seat, at least one part of the impeller and the impeller seat being movable in the axial direction in relation to each other. Furthermore, the impeller seat presents at least one groove in the top surface thereof.