Fluid Pump Seal Recirculation for Leakage Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
High-pressure seals in pumps often fail at high pressures, leading to leaks that can cause fluid loss, environmental issues, and damage to other pump components due to loss of lubrication, fatigue, and corrosion, despite existing solutions that improve seal performance but do not prevent leaks entirely.
Innovation Solution
A pump design featuring a check valve system that allows any leakage from the high-pressure seal to feed back into the input chamber, utilizing a high-pressure seal that interfaces with the inlet area to recirculate leaked fluid, preventing external leakage and maintaining internal pressure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stress or pressure
If a high pressure seal is used to retain fluid in the cylinder, then the pump can maintain high pressure, but the seal will eventually fail and leak fluid externally
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful effect of seal leakage by redirecting the leaked fluid through a feedback passage back to the inlet area, where it can be reused. The seal leakage path is not eliminated but transformed from a harmful external leak into a beneficial internal recirculation path that maintains system pressure and reduces fluid loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The feedback passage acts as an intermediary element that captures fluid leaking from the high pressure seal and redirects it back to the inlet area. This intermediary structure prevents the leaked fluid from causing external environmental problems while maintaining the high pressure function of the seal.
2Reliability
If existing seal improvement solutions are applied, then seal performance is improved, but leaks still occur and cause fluid loss and environmental issues
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of trying to completely prevent seal leakage (which is difficult at high pressures), the patent accepts that some leakage will occur and converts this harmful effect into a benefit by recirculating the leaked fluid back to the inlet. This eliminates external environmental issues while maintaining seal performance improvements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where leaked fluid from the seal is captured and redirected back to the inlet area through a feedback passage. This creates a closed-loop system where the leakage is continuously recirculated, preventing fluid loss and environmental contamination while maintaining system operation.
3Power
If high pressure is maintained in the cylinder, then pump output is effective, but seal failure leads to loss of lubrication, fatigue and corrosion
Solution Approach 1:
The feedback passage ensures continuous recirculation of leaked fluid back to the inlet area, maintaining continuous lubrication of the seal and other moving parts. This continuous action prevents intermittent loss of lubrication that would otherwise occur during seal leakage, reducing fatigue and corrosion.
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
Effectively reduces leakage by recirculating any fluid loss back into the pump, maintaining internal pressure and preventing external spills, thus minimizing environmental risks and damage to other pump components.
Implementation Method 1
A check valve is provided to allow the fluid to flow from the feed tube and into the cylinder while blocking the flow of the fluid from the cylinder back into the feed tube
Implementation Method 2
The piston is held within the cylinder by a high pressure seal
Implementation Method 3
The high pressure seal interfaces with the inlet area so that any leakage of the fluid through the high pressure seal leaks back into the inlet area
Data Source
AI summary
The invention concerns a fluid pump with a cylinder, piston and check valve for compressing the fluid having a high-pressure seal for precluding leakage of pressurized fluid. Any leakage from the high-pressure seal feeds back into an inlet area of the pump and recycles through the pump instead of leaking externally.