Transformer Cooling Pump Diffuser Centering for Hydraulic Flow
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Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge in designing a pump for a power transformer cooling system is to achieve centered assembly of the flange and carcass while maximizing hydraulic performance, which is hindered by the need to respect strict radial dimensions and the complexity of centering and sealing within these constraints, leading to reduced internal volume and performance.
Innovation Solution
The introduction of a centering device comprising a diffuser with a base ring and blades that extends radially to a centering surface, allowing for precise alignment and contact along a flat interface, eliminating the need for shoulders and thereby optimizing space utilization and hydraulic performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If traditional fixing collars with male and female shoulders are used for centering the flange to the casing, then centering precision is achieved, but the external radius increases and internal volume decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the centering function from the traditional shoulder structure and relocates it to the diffuser blades. By removing the shoulders from the fixing collar design, the external radius is reduced while centering precision is maintained through the blade-based centering mechanism that contacts the casing during assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The diffuser blades serve multiple functions: they diffuse the fluid flow, provide centering precision through their radial contact with the casing, and eliminate the need for separate shoulder structures. This multi-functionality resolves the contradiction by integrating centering capability into the hydraulic component without adding external radius.
2Ease of operation
If fixing collars with shoulders are used for centering, then assembly alignment is achieved, but machining complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the centering function with the diffuser blades, eliminating the need for separate shoulder features on the fixing collars. This integration simplifies the machining process by removing complex shoulder geometries while maintaining assembly alignment through the blade-casing contact mechanism.
3Stability of the object's composition
If more space is allocated to structural parts for centering and sealing, then assembly stability is improved, but hydraulic performance decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The diffuser blades act as intermediaries that provide both structural stability for centering and hydraulic functionality. By using the blades as the mediating element between the flange and casing, the design achieves assembly stability without sacrificing internal volume, as the blades themselves serve the dual purpose of structural and hydraulic roles.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a pump for a power transformer cooling system, the pump comprising a frame including a casing (56) and a flange (58A, 58B). The flange and the casing each have, respectively, an outer surface (78A, 78B) and an inner surface (80A, 80B), the inner surfaces being flush with each other. The pump includes a centering device (74) for the flange relative to the casing, the centering device (74) comprising a diffuser (94) which includes blades (98) extending radially to a centering surface (100) in contact with the casing and the flange. The flange and the casing are in contact along a planar contact interface (88A, 88B), which extends from the centering surface (100) to one of the outer surfaces of the flange and the casing.