UV Water Treatment Clamp Ring Wedge Seal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing UV water treatment systems using quartz sleeves face challenges in maintaining a watertight seal while minimizing stress on the quartz, especially under varying internal pressures and vibration, and require improved maintenance and alignment features.
Innovation Solution
A UV water treatment system employing a clamp ring with a 28.4-degree wedge-shaped seal face that compresses a bulbous seal against the quartz sleeve, providing enhanced sealing with reduced stress on the quartz and improved vibration resistance, maintenance, and alignment tolerance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional seal is used to provide watertight sealing, then sealing is achieved, but the seal crushes the quartz sleeve under pressure
Solution Approach 1:
The seal cross-section is changed from a conventional circular shape to a bulbous shape with a flattened side. This geometric parameter change allows the seal to deform in a controlled manner under pressure, spreading laterally along the quartz sleeve rather than crushing it axially, thus maintaining both sealing and quartz integrity
Solution Approach 2:
The wedge-shaped seal face is applied locally at the compression interface between the clamp ring and seal. This localized geometric feature concentrates the compressive force into a directional spreading action that pushes the seal against the quartz sleeve in a controlled manner, preventing crushing while ensuring sealing
2Reliability
If internal pressure within the reactor increases, then sealing force should increase, but conventional seals may fail or deform excessively
Solution Approach 1:
The bulbous cross-section with flattened side is specifically designed to exploit pressure-induced deformation. As internal pressure increases, the seal is forced into the wedge-shaped face and spreads laterally, increasing the sealing contact area and force. The geometry ensures controlled deformation that enhances sealing rather than causing failure
Solution Approach 2:
The pressure that would normally be considered a harmful force potentially damaging the seal or quartz is converted into a beneficial force. The wedge shape causes increased pressure to automatically tighten the seal against the quartz sleeve, with the pressure itself becoming the mechanism that ensures sealing reliability
3Reliability
If a tight seal is used to ensure watertightness, then sealing is improved, but maintenance and installation become difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The seal is designed as a separate, removable component that can be independently installed and removed from the clamp ring assembly. This segmentation allows the seal to be accessed and replaced without damaging other components, facilitating easy maintenance while maintaining effective sealing when installed
4Reliability
If the clamp ring is rigidly fixed to ensure stability, then positioning is precise, but alignment tolerance is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The bulbous seal acts as a flexible element between the rigid clamp ring and quartz sleeve. This flexible intermediary absorbs misalignment and accommodates variations in positioning, allowing the rigid clamp ring to remain stable while tolerating alignment variations during installation
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 solution ensures a reliable, watertight seal that tightens with increasing pressure, offers improved vibration resistance, easier maintenance, and guarantees sealing even in case of quartz failure, while minimizing stress on the quartz sleeve.
Implementation Method 1
the wedge shaped seal face 2 compresses the bulbous seal 3 against the quartz sleeve 4
Implementation Method 2
the seal is only deformed not crushed, thus reducing the stress on the quartz sleeve
Implementation Method 3
the wedge shaped seal face which ensures the seal is spread across the quartz sleeve and that the seal is only deformed not crushed, thus reducing the stress on the quartz sleeve
Implementation Method 4
the seal 3 has a bulbous cross section, wherein the clamp ring 1 is removably attached to the reactor 6 approximate the clamp ring mounting recess 5 such that the wedge shaped seal face 2 compresses the bulbous seal 3 against the quartz sleeve 4
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3A~3C
AI summary
An improved clamp ring system comprises a clamp ring having a wedge shaped seal face; a reactor having a clamp ring mounting recess; a quartz sleeve disposed within the clamp ring mounting recess; a seal being disposed within the clamp ring mounting recess around the quartz sleeve. The clamp ring is removably attached to the reactor near the clamp ring mounting recess such that the wedge shaped seal face compresses the seal against the quartz sleeve.