Pump Separator for Gas-Liquid Management in Chemical Feed
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Solution Overview
Problem
Liquid pumping systems face issues with gas bubble formation, particularly with sodium hypochlorite solutions, leading to pump malfunction and the need for manual priming and bleeding, which is time-consuming and requires technician intervention.
Innovation Solution
A pumping apparatus with a separator, such as a T-fitting, separates gas and liquid components, allowing the gas to be pumped back to the source and the liquid to be pumped to the target, enabling self-priming and automatic gas removal, eliminating the need for manual intervention and pump shutdown during tank changes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a positive displacement pump is used to feed liquid chemical into the water stream, then the pump can maintain steady feed rate, but the pump becomes gas-bound when encountering gas bubbles, causing it to fail
Solution Approach 1:
The pump system is segmented into two independent pumps: a first pump dedicated to handling gas bubbles and a second pump dedicated to feeding liquid chemical. This segmentation allows each pump to specialize in its respective function, preventing gas bubbles from interfering with the liquid feed pump's operation.
Solution Approach 2:
A T-fitting separator acts as an intermediary device between the chemical supply tank and the pump system. It automatically separates gas bubbles from the liquid chemical using gravity, directing gas to the first pump and liquid to the second pump, thereby protecting the liquid feed pump from gas interference.
2Reliability
If manual priming and bleeding procedures are implemented to remove gas bubbles, then the pump can be restored to proper operation, but the process is time-consuming and requires technician intervention
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs self-service by automatically separating and removing gas bubbles through the T-fitting separator and first pump combination. This eliminates the need for technician intervention to manually prime and bleed the system, as the apparatus continuously handles gas removal on its own.
Solution Approach 2:
The gas removal process operates continuously rather than intermittently. The first pump continuously draws gas bubbles from the chemical supply tank through the T-fitting separator, ensuring uninterrupted liquid feed operation without requiring periodic manual intervention to restore pump function.
3Stress or pressure
If the pump operates against pressurized water stream back pressure, then the pump can force liquid into the stream, but gas bubbles become更难 to compress and expel, aggravating the gas-bound condition
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the handling of gas and liquid into separate pathways. The liquid chemical pump operates against water stream back pressure exclusively with liquid, while gas bubbles are handled separately by the first pump at atmospheric pressure, eliminating the problem of compressing gas against high back pressure.
4Reliability
If sodium hypochlorite solution concentration is maintained for effective chlorination, then adequate disinfection is achieved, but gas generation increases, leading to more severe pump gas-binding problems
Solution Approach 1:
The T-fitting separator serves as an intermediary that intercepts gas bubbles generated by the sodium hypochlorite solution before they can enter the liquid feed pump. This allows the system to maintain effective chemical concentration for disinfection while continuously removing the harmful gas byproduct through the separate gas handling pathway.
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 system effectively manages gas bubbles, ensuring continuous operation and simplifies the process of replacing chemical supplies by allowing automatic switching and self-priming, reducing downtime and technician involvement.
Implementation Method 1
A T-fitting separator receives the liquid chemical supply and separates it into gaseous and liquid portions
Data Source
AI summary
A pumping apparatus for pumping a liquid from a source to a target including a motor, a first pump driven by the motor, a second pump driven by the motor and a separator in fluid communication with the first and second pump for separating a liquid received from a source into a gaseous component and a liquid component. The separator further diverts the gaseous component to the first pump and the liquid component to the second pump, wherein the first pump pumps the gaseous component back to the source and the second pump pumps the liquid component to a target.