Sprinkler Pipe Drip Unit With Porous Filter Wall
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Solution Overview
Problem
Sprinkler pipes face challenges in maintaining uniform fluid distribution and effective filtering across long lengths, especially at low pressures, to prevent clogging and ensure consistent flow rates without increased manufacturing or maintenance costs.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a pattern of ribs and projections on a tape forming the drip units, with communication holes in the bottom wall and alternating filtering openings in the longitudinal side walls of collecting channels to create a selective filtering system that prevents small particle entry while maintaining fluid flow, using a combination of collecting channels and filtering walls to ensure uniformity and prevent blockages.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a filter is added to prevent particle passage, then filtering effectiveness is improved, but flow rate is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a filter wall with a specific porosity structure that allows fluid to pass through while blocking particles. The filter wall contains a network of pores with controlled size and distribution, enabling it to selectively filter impurities based on particle size while maintaining adequate flow rates. This resolves the contradiction by using the porous structure's inherent ability to separate particles from fluid without requiring complete blockage.
Solution Approach 2:
The filter wall is positioned specifically at the inlet of the collecting channel where particle concentration is highest, providing localized filtering where it is most needed. The filter structure has varying pore sizes in different regions, with tighter filtration near the inlet and more open structure downstream, optimizing both filtering effectiveness and flow rate maintenance.
2Reliability
If filter openings are made smaller to prevent particle entry, then filtering effectiveness is improved, but flow rate is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The filter wall utilizes a porous material structure where the pore size is optimized to block particles while maintaining flow. The porous structure provides a large surface area for filtration, allowing sufficient flow rate even with small effective pore openings. This resolves the contradiction by leveraging the porous material's ability to provide both fine filtration and adequate flow capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The filter wall extends in the longitudinal dimension along the collecting channel, providing extended filtration surface area. This multi-dimensional approach allows the use of smaller pore openings while maintaining flow rate, as the increased surface area compensates for the reduced individual pore size.
3Duration of action of stationary object
If the pipe length is increased to extend operating duration, then duration of action is improved, but uniformity of fluid distribution deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The pipe is divided into multiple segments with dispensing holes distributed along its length, and the collecting channel is segmented into sections. This segmentation allows each section to maintain relatively uniform pressure and flow characteristics, preventing the degradation of uniformity that would occur in a single long continuous pipe. The segmentation enables extended operating duration while maintaining distribution uniformity in each segment.
Solution Approach 2:
The filter wall and collecting channel structure are designed with local variations to compensate for pressure drops along the pipe length. Different sections have optimized local characteristics, such as varying filter pore sizes or collecting channel dimensions, to maintain uniform fluid distribution across the entire extended pipe length.
4Reliability
If filtering openings are reduced to prevent clogging, then reliability is improved, but flow rate is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The filter wall uses a porous material structure that provides resistance to clogging through its interconnected pore network. This structure allows fluid to pass through multiple pathways, so if some pores become blocked by particles, alternative pathways remain open to maintain flow rate. This resolves the contradiction by providing both clogging resistance and adequate flow capacity through the porous structure's redundancy.
Solution Approach 2:
The filter wall extends longitudinally along the collecting channel, providing extended filtration surface area in the longitudinal dimension. This multi-dimensional approach allows the use of smaller pore openings with reduced individual flow capacity while maintaining overall flow rate through the increased surface area.
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 solution achieves better uniformity in fluid distribution and extends the operating duration and safety of sprinkler pipes by effectively filtering out impurities and maintaining flow rates, without requiring external pressure controls or additional supports, thus ensuring consistent dispensing from dispensing holes.
Implementation Method 1
a filter wall extending along the length of said opening and preferably in parallel to the longitudinal side wall facing the inside of the pipe of each first collecting channel, which filtering wall is provided with a row of openings
Implementation Method 2
at least one hole, preferably a plurality of holes, in the bottom wall being provided in the bottom wall of one or some or all collecting channels
Data Source
AI summary
A sprinkler pipe includes an elongated pipe element having at least one longitudinal row of dispensing holes distributed at predefined distances, each of the holes communicating with a drip unit provided inside the pipe and having at least one inlet communicating with the inside of the pipe and at least one outlet communicating with at least one dispensing hole.