Sludge Removal Pump With Hydraulic Suction for Radioactive Environments
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sludge removal technologies face challenges in balancing the speed of jet pumps with the rate of sludge removal, particularly in hostile environments like radioactive sludge, and mechanical pumps degrade quickly.
Innovation Solution
A pump design with a housing featuring a narrowing inlet, optional throat, and expanding outlet, along with a centrally positioned nozzle, allowing for powerful suction and fitting through narrow pipes, and lacking moving parts, suitable for hostile environments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a mechanical jet pump is used to remove sludge, then the sludge removal rate increases, but the pump degrades quickly in hostile environments like radioactive sludge
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical jet pump with a purely hydraulic pump that uses water pressure to drive sludge removal. The pump housing includes a nozzle that directs water flow to create suction, eliminating the need for mechanical moving parts that would degrade in radioactive environments. This substitution maintains sludge removal capability while ensuring long-term reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention employs hydraulic principles by using water flow through a nozzle to generate suction force. The pump housing is designed with a narrowing inlet and expanding outlet that utilizes pressure differential created by water flow to move sludge. This hydraulic approach eliminates mechanical components, solving the reliability issue in hostile environments while maintaining productivity.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the pump is designed to fit through narrow pipes, then adaptability to narrow pipelines improves, but the pump capacity to handle sludge flow is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The pump housing is segmented into distinct functional zones: a narrowing inlet portion for creating suction, a throat portion, and an expanding outlet portion for discharge. This segmentation allows the pump to be designed with a compact diameter for fitting narrow pipes while maintaining internal geometry that supports adequate sludge flow capacity through optimized flow paths.
Solution Approach 2:
The pump design compensates for limited diameter by optimizing the three-dimensional internal geometry. The inlet portion tapers to create a low-pressure zone, the throat provides a constriction point, and the outlet expands to facilitate flow. This dimensional optimization allows the pump to achieve sufficient capacity within a compact form factor that fits narrow pipelines.
3Reliability
If the pump has no moving parts, then reliability in hostile environments improves, but the pump's ability to generate suction force is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The pump generates suction force purely through hydraulic means. Water flows through a nozzle positioned in the inlet portion, creating a low-pressure zone that draws sludge into the pump. The expanding outlet portion converts this pressure differential into effective suction, eliminating the need for mechanical moving parts while maintaining adequate suction capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The pump utilizes changes in water flow parameters (pressure, velocity) to generate suction force. The nozzle design converts high-velocity water flow into pressure differential, which then drives sludge through the pump. This parameter-based approach provides sufficient suction force without mechanical components, ensuring both power and reliability.
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 pump provides efficient suction for fluidized sludge over significant vertical distances, extends lifespan due to no moving parts, and can fit through narrow pipes, making it suitable for environments like radioactive sludge.
Implementation Method 1
the housing includes: an inlet portion that decreases in cross-section from a front end to a rear end... an outlet portion that increases in cross-section from a front end to a rear end
Implementation Method 2
an inlet portion that decreases in cross-section from a front end to a rear end... a throat portion having a constant cross-sectional area positioned immediately adjacent the rear end of the inlet portion
Implementation Method 3
a pumping nozzle positioned within the housing and oriented to direct fluid along the housing towards the rear end
Implementation Method 4
a blade on the housing having a cutting edge that points forwards and a surface to the rear of the cutting edge that faces the interior of the housing... the cutting edge cuts into the surface of the sludge to separate a layer of sludge
Implementation Method 5
one or more nozzles that direct jets of water onto the blade surface to fluidize sludge cut by the cutting edge
Data Source
AI summary
A pump for sludge removal apparatus, a method of operating the pump, and a sludge removal apparatus including the pump are provided. The pump includes a pump housing having a pumping inlet at a front end and a pumping outlet at a rear end defining a rearwards direction; and a pumping nozzle positioned within the housing and oriented to direct fluid along the housing towards the rear end. The housing includes an inlet portion that decreases in cross-section from a front end to a rear end optionally a throat portion having a constant cross-sectional area positioned immediately adjacent the rear end of the inlet portion and an outlet portion that increases in cross-section from a front end to a rear end with the front end positioned immediately adjacent the throat portion if present, or immediately adjacent the rear end of the inlet portion if a throat portion is not present; wherein the pumping nozzle is positioned within the housing in front of the inlet portion of the pump housing. The pump can be positioned adjacent a rear end of a sludge removal apparatus and act to pump sludge away from the sludge removal apparatus.