Tapered Pump Station Body for Uniform Fluid Flow

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing prefabricated pumping station units face issues with fluid flow instability at the suction inlet of submersible pumps, leading to vortex generation and cavitation, which affects pump performance, and they are often complex and inefficient in managing fluid flow.

Innovation Solution

The design of the prefabricated pumping station unit features a tapered section that gradually decreases in cross-sectional dimension from top to bottom, combined with a grille device and a pump base, to distribute and homogenize fluid flow, ensuring a stable and uniform flow state at the suction inlet of submersible pumps.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Object-affected harmful factors

If a baffle device with multiple liquid distribution ports is arranged inside the enclosing wall, then the fluid flow can be divided into multiple sections to reduce direct impact on pumps, but the fluid state becomes very uneven with large amounts of turbulence after passing through the distribution ports

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefluid impact on pumpVSAvoidfluid flow state
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

A flow guiding portion is introduced as an intermediary component between the liquid inlet and the submersible pump suction inlet. This flow guiding portion includes a tapered section that gradually transitions from a larger cross-sectional area to a smaller cross-sectional area, serving as a mediator to smoothly guide and homogenize the fluid flow before it reaches the pump, thereby avoiding direct impact while maintaining flow stability

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The tapered section of the flow guiding portion changes the geometric parameters of the flow passage gradually. The cross-sectional area of the tapered section decreases continuously from the top to the bottom, which transforms the fluid flow parameters (velocity distribution, pressure distribution) in a controlled manner, converting turbulent flow into more uniform flow without creating additional turbulence through sudden changes

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Object-affected harmful factors

If a complex baffle device with multiple distribution ports is used to manage fluid flow, then the fluid can be distributed to multiple pumps, but the device complexity increases and assembly becomes more difficult

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefluid flow managementVSAvoidinternal structure complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The invention extracts and eliminates the complex baffle device with multiple distribution ports from the system. Instead, a simplified flow guiding portion with a tapered section is used, which achieves the same flow management function (guiding fluid to the pump suction inlet) without the complexity of multiple baffles and distribution ports, thereby reducing device complexity and facilitating assembly

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The flow guiding portion serves multiple functions simultaneously: it guides the fluid flow from the liquid inlet, homogenizes the flow distribution, reduces turbulence, and directs the flow to the pump suction inlet. This single multi-functional component replaces the complex multi-component baffle device, achieving flow management with simpler structure

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentEP3404154B1Prefabricated pump station unit
Publication Date: 2023.06.07 GRUNDFOS HLDG
  • EP3404154B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP3404154B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4
  • EP3404154B1 patent drawingFigure 5~6

AI summary

The invention provides a prefabricated pumping station unit and a water distribution unit. The prefabricated pumping station unit comprises a prefabricated hollow shaped pumping station body, a liquid inlet connected to the pumping station body, and a wellbore mounted in the pump station body. The circumference of the cross section of the upper end portion of the pumping station body is greater than the circumference of the cross section of the lower end portion thereof. In the prefabricated pumping station unit of the present invention, the pumping station body is large in the upper portion and small in the lower portion, when the fluid flows through the liquid inlet to the pumping station body, the fluid gradually gathers toward the center of the pumping station body along the inner wall of the pumping station, and the fluid energy is consumed, and the fluid flow state is uniformly homogenized, so that the fluid flow state entering the suction inlet of the submersible pump is uniform, which creates a good water inlet condition for the submersible pump and improves the stability of the submersible pump operation.