Self-Priming Pump Loss of Prime Recovery via Bleed Valve
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Solution Overview
Problem
Self-priming pumps in applications like water treatment and cooling systems often experience issues such as loss of prime and discharge line faults, which can go undetected, leading to performance concerns and increased maintenance needs.
Innovation Solution
A pump system with a self-priming pump, a bleed valve equipped with a loss of prime sensor, and a controller that can remotely communicate and adjust operations based on detected conditions, automatically re-establishes prime by opening a relief outlet and increasing pump rate when a loss of prime is detected, and includes a discharge flow meter to monitor and manage flow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a self-priming pump is used to provide treatment fluid to target fluid, then the pump can automatically prime and maintain operation, but the system may experience undetected loss of prime or discharge line faults leading to performance degradation
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates sensors that continuously monitor pump operation parameters and provide feedback to a controller. When the sensor detects loss of prime or discharge line faults, it sends signals to the controller which then activates the bleed valve to restore proper operation, creating a closed-loop feedback system that maintains reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The pump system is designed to automatically detect and correct its own faults without external intervention. The controller automatically activates the bleed valve when sensors detect problems, enabling the system to self-diagnose and self-repair issues like loss of prime, eliminating the need for manual monitoring and intervention
2Device complexity
If manual monitoring and intervention are used to detect and correct pump issues, then the system structure can be simple, but the system requires user intervention and increased maintenance time
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically monitors pump operation through sensors and corrects issues by activating the bleed valve when problems are detected. This self-service capability eliminates the need for manual monitoring and intervention, reducing maintenance time while the added sensors and controller manage the increased operational complexity
3Reliability
If automatic detection and correction systems are implemented with sensors and controllers, then fault detection and recovery are improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses sensors to monitor pump operation and provides feedback to a controller that automatically activates the bleed valve when issues are detected. This feedback mechanism improves reliability by ensuring rapid detection and correction of faults, while the automated response reduces the need for complex manual intervention systems
4Speed
If the pump operates at increased rate to re-establish prime, then the recovery speed is improved, but the energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system activates the bleed valve periodically or in response to detected conditions to re-establish prime, rather than maintaining continuous high-speed operation. This periodic activation allows the pump to operate at increased rate only when necessary for prime recovery, reducing overall energy consumption while maintaining fast recovery capability when needed
Data Source
AI summary
One or more techniques and/or systems are disclosed for a pumping system that includes a self-priming pump, a remotely coupled controller configured to operate the self-priming pump and other portions of the system, a discharge flow meter, and a bleed valve coupled to the self-priming pump. The system can be remotely accessed, programmed, and transmit data to a remote device. The bleed valve can comprise a loss of prime sensor in the body, and when the loss of prime is detected in the pump and/or the discharge flow meter detects a loss of flow, the pump and/or controller may be used to help re-establish prime in the pump by opening the relief outlet and operating the pump at an increased rate.