Screw Pump Floating Bushing Hydrostatic Thrust Compensation
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Solution Overview
Problem
The installation and centering of floating bushings in screw pumps are tedious due to the difficulty in aligning and positioning them correctly with the idler screws, especially when two idler screws are used, leading to complex assembly processes and viscosity-dependent thrust compensation systems.
Innovation Solution
The bushing engages with radial play in a receptacle on the cover, featuring a radial flange for axial support, allowing for automatic centering and simplified assembly by being inserted onto the idler screw and housed in a bore with slight play, eliminating the need for fastening screws and enabling viscosity-independent axial thrust compensation through a control aperture.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the bushing is fastened to the housing cover with bolt connections to achieve axial thrust compensation, then the thrust compensation function is realized, but the assembly process becomes complex and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the bushing from the housing cover, allowing the bushing to float freely in the bore. The bushing is no longer fastened to the cover but instead floats on the pressure side fluid, achieving thrust compensation without complex fastening connections. This resolves the contradiction by removing the bushing-fastening system while preserving the thrust compensation function.
Solution Approach 2:
The bushing serves itself by floating freely in the bore and automatically positioning itself on the pressure side fluid. The system uses the process fluid itself to provide the floating support and thrust compensation, eliminating the need for external fastening mechanisms. This self-service approach simplifies assembly while maintaining reliability.
2Ease of operation
If the bushing is provided as a floating component to enable axial movement, then axial freedom is achieved, but alignment and centering during assembly becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The floating bushing automatically centers itself on the idler screw through the pressure side fluid. The bushing's axial freedom is maintained while the system provides self-centering functionality through hydrostatic support, eliminating the need for complex alignment procedures during assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses hydraulic principles by allowing the bushing to float on the pressure side fluid. This hydrostatic support system automatically centers the bushing on the idler screw and provides axial freedom without requiring mechanical alignment fixtures or complex centering mechanisms.
3Manufacturing precision
If a long control bore is formed in the idler screw to correct overcompensation, then thrust compensation accuracy is improved, but the screw design becomes more complex and manufacturing harder
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the control bore from the idler screw and relocates it to the bushing. The bushing now contains the bore that carries away excess fluid to the suction side, simplifying the idler screw design to a solid cylindrical shape while maintaining thrust compensation accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The bushing serves as an intermediary component that takes on the function of fluid control. Instead of the idler screw controlling fluid flow through a long bore, the bushing acts as the mediator with its own bore system, separating the guidance function (screw) from the fluid control function (bushing).
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 configuration simplifies assembly, reduces component complexity, and provides a self-regulating hydrostatic thrust compensation system that functions effectively across various fluid viscosities, ensuring stable operation and minimizing wear by maintaining optimal guidance of idler screws.
Implementation Method 1
fluid supplied through a feed channel in the cover from the end opposite the idler screw can be supplied under pressure to the end surface of the idler screw
Implementation Method 2
the ring-shaped flange of the bushing, or at least a certain part of it, engages in the bore and is accommodated there with a certain amount of play
Data Source
AI summary
A screw pump with a housing; a housing cover; at least one idler screw held in a bore in the housing; and a bushing arranged on the housing cover with a receiving space bounded by a cylindrical flange, into which one end of the idler screw engages; wherein the bushing has an opening in its base, through which a fluid, supplied by a feed channel in the cover, can be supplied from the end opposite the idler screw under pressure to the end surface of the idler screw, wherein the bushing engages with radial play in a receptacle in the cover and comprises a radial flange, by which it is supported axially on the housing; and wherein at a least certain part of the ring-shaped flange of the bushing engages in the bore and is accommodated therein with play.